Steppe lemming | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Cricetidae |
Subfamily: | Arvicolinae |
Genus: | Lagurus |
Species: | L. lagurus |
Binomial name | |
Lagurus lagurus (Pallas, 1773) | |
The steppe lemming or steppe vole (Lagurus lagurus) is a small rodent. It is described as somewhat similar in appearance to the Norway lemming (Lemmus lemmus). It is more active at night, however, it is not entirely nocturnal. The steppe lemming's diet consists of shoots and leaves. In the wild, it is found in steppes and semiarid environments in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, northwestern China, and western Mongolia. Fossil remains of this species have been found in areas as far west as Great Britain. [1] [2]
The steppe lemming's body length is up to 12 cm with a tail of 2 cm. It is light-grey and plump. It has small ears and eyes and the fur is brownish-grey with a black dorsal stripe. It weighs around 30 g. [3]
This lemming is found in steppe, forest-steppe and semidesert parts of western Mongolia, northwest China, many parts of the former USSR, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, the southern and middle Ural, and western and eastern Siberia. [3]
The steppe lemming is a colonial species. It digs burrows. During the day, it is active, though only emerges from its burrow for short periods. It eats different parts of plants. This includes seeds. It reaches sexual maturity at the age of six weeks. It can produce up to six broods in a year, with five or six young in each. Under the correct conditions, reproduction continues throughout the year. The amount of steppe lemmings differs based on the climate and resources available. Migrations are observed during years of mass outbreaks. [3]
It is the most common domestic vole, being particularly well known in Europe. (In the US and Canada, it is still considered an exotic animal.)
In captivity, they can live over two years, but they are usually mistreated with small cages (A suitable space larger than average is best for a colony of rodents [4] ) and improper diets. Although the steppe lemming is social by nature and should not be held in captivity alone, if a colony of steppe lemmings is held together for a long period of time (two to three months) they may become hostile to each other (mainly to the subordinate members of the colony). If there is only one separate nesting area, two entrances or exits should be placed, due to the attack style of the more impetuous lemmings. They also tend to be very territorial animals, so a low male population is best in captivity. Overall, three to eight steppe lemmings in one cage or aquarium is ideal, with no more than one male for every two or three females.
Standard rodent food containing bits of dried fruit is not appropriate; as their natural diets do not contain much sugar, steppe lemmings are somewhat diabetic, and become sick or even die from overdosing on sugar. A sugar-free, no molasses food that does not contain dried fruit and little sunflower and other oily seeds should be used; laboratory rodent foods may be a cheap alternative. Additionally, steppe lemmings need grass and other leafy greens, such as alfalfa, to thrive.
Grass gathered outdoors may harbor parasites and toxins and should not be used unless gathered from meadows away from inhabited areas, roads and not frequented by dogs or used for grazing. No matter where any grass or moss has been obtained, and even if it is only intended for bedding, it should be kept in a freezer for three days to eliminate parasites such as lice and mites.
Clean water should be always available; the amount actually drunk varies with the food consumed. Willow twigs need to be provided for abrading the continuously growing teeth. Lemmings can drink from a shallow dish, but since they typically track their bedding into the water, a bottle with a ball valve is better.
Lemmings enjoy any kind of running or climbing; however, as their habitat is essentially flat and rather featureless terrain, they have a poor sense of height and danger, so their enclosures should not be high enough to allow them to fall more than 10–15 cm and should, of course, be lined with wood chips and hay. An exercise wheel is the best way to keep the animals busy and trim, and if the wheels afford enough space, they will often race in it together. (However, fights can often develop around wheels - with males, particularly, it is helpful to have several wheels, perhaps even one for each lemming.)
In general, steppe lemmings are friendly animals and prefer to live in colonies. Even small groups of males (preferably from the same litter) can live quite peacefully. However, males do tend to be territorial and a mature alpha male will nearly always attack a stranger and will often mistreat other members of his own litter, particularly if the nest is overcrowded. A large, well-filled terrarium (about 5–10 cm wood chips covered by about 10 cm of hay) can allow a group to live far more peacefully; altercations should be expected in smaller spaces with little bedding.
Fights (as well as unintentional accidents) can also occur in and around exercise wheels.
Once a male has become aggressive - even with an outsider - he should be considered dangerous, watched very closely and - if possible - be neutered and placed with a group of females. Although neutering a lemming is a difficult operation typically attempted only by veterinary hospitals, it is possible. A neutered alpha male will generally not become less aggressive toward other males.
The aggressor will try to trap the defending lemming in a corner and then attack with his teeth and short claws. Excited chirps, chattering and running typically accompany a fight - in most cases, the whole colony will be disturbed. (While activity of this kind is amusing for new owners, it should be observed very carefully, since peaceful lemming colonies are much quieter than ones characterized by aggressive behavior.)
Since lemmings like to nest in small, narrow enclosures (like boxes the size of a fist), it is important for the enclosure have a second exit, so the defender can escape into another part of the terrarium. Lemming fights sometimes leave no exterior signs of violence, but can cause fatal internal bleeding. More often, fights result in lacerations, often around the hind legs, bottom and genitals.
Lemmings hurt in a fight should be placed in terraria or cages separate from the aggressor as soon as possible. Also, their natural tendency to scratch and lick at wounds can cause slow healing. A veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics and infection retardants to help an injured lemming, generally at reasonable costs. While it can be very difficult to convince an injured lemming to drink its medicated drops or eat food laced with medicine, a good trick is to place drops of medicine on the lemming's nose. Through licking itself clean, the lemming will ingest the medicine.
Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, which contains 19 species classified in seven genera. They have become established as popular small pets. The best-known species of hamster is the golden or Syrian hamster, which is the type most commonly kept as a pet. Other hamster species commonly kept as pets are the three species of dwarf hamster, Campbell's dwarf hamster, the winter white dwarf hamster and the Roborovski hamster.
A mouse is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse. Mice are also popular as pets. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are locally common. They are known to invade homes for food and shelter.
The snowy owl, also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding mostly on the tundra. It has a number of unique adaptations to its habitat and lifestyle, which are quite distinct from other extant owls. One of the largest species of owl, it is the only owl with mainly white plumage. Males tend to be a purer white overall while females tend to have more extensive flecks of dark brown. Juvenile male snowy owls have dark markings that may appear similar to females until maturity, at which point they typically turn whiter. The composition of brown markings about the wing, although not foolproof, is the most reliable technique to age and sex individual snowy owls.
Phelsuma sundbergi ladiguensis is a diurnal subspecies of Phelsuma sundbergi. It lives on the islands Ladigue, Felicite and Cocco in the Seychelles, and typically inhabits trees and dwellings. The Seychelles giant day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.
The rough-legged buzzard (Europe) or rough-legged hawk is a medium-large bird of prey. It is found in arctic and subarctic regions of North America, Europe, and Asia during the breeding season, and migrates south for the winter. Historically, it was also known as "rough-legged falcon" in such works as John James Audubon's The Birds of America.
Voles are small rodents that are relatives of lemmings and hamsters, but with a stouter body; a longer, hairy tail; a slightly rounder head; smaller eyes and ears; and differently formed molars. They are sometimes known as meadow mice or field mice.
The golden hamster or Syrian hamster is a rodent belonging to the hamster subfamily, Cricetinae. Their natural geographical range is in an arid region of northern Syria and southern Turkey. Their numbers have been declining in the wild due to a loss of habitat from agriculture and deliberate elimination by humans. Thus, wild golden hamsters are now considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. However, captive breeding programs are well established, and captive-bred golden hamsters are often kept as small house pets. They are also used as scientific research animals.
The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New World rats and mice. At over 870 species, it is either the largest or second-largest family of mammals, and has members throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.
The Arvicolinae are a subfamily of rodents that includes the voles, lemmings, and muskrats. They are most closely related to the other subfamilies in the Cricetidae. Some authorities place the subfamily Arvicolinae in the family Muridae along with all other members of the superfamily Muroidea. Some refer to the subfamily as the Microtinae or rank the taxon as a full family, the Arvicolidae.
The Norway lemming, also known as the Norwegian lemming is a common species of lemming found in northern Fennoscandia, where it is the only vertebrate species endemic to the region. The Norway lemming dwells in tundra and fells, and prefers to live near water. Adults feed primarily on sedges, grasses and moss. They are active at both day and night, alternating naps with periods of activity.
The North American water vole or just water vole is the largest North American vole. It is found in the northwestern United States and southern parts of western Canada. This animal has been historically considered a member of genus Arvicola, but molecular evidence demonstrates that it is more closely related to North American Microtus species. Water voles are on the USDA Forest Service Region 2 sensitive species list because they maintain very small populations and there is high concern that their required habitat may be declining.
The northern bog lemming is a small North American lemming. It is one of two species in the genus Synaptomys, the other being the southern bog lemming (Synaptomys cooperi). Very little information is available about this species' life as they are hard to find and study. The northern bog lemming is a small, reddish-brown rodent with a short tail, and distinct markings on their upper teeth. These markings, along with having four pairs of teats, distinguishes this species from the southern bog lemming. The northern bog lemming lives in wet habitats in North America and is omnivorous, eating herbaceous material and invertebrates. They are thought to be extremely sociable animals and sexually mature at around 6 weeks old. Predators include most medium to larger sized carnivorous and omnivorous mammals that eat smaller mammals. The northern bog lemming is listed as a species of "Least Concern" by the IUCN Red List and is considered threatened or of concern in states such as Minnesota and Maine.
The southern bog lemming is a small North American lemming. Its range overlaps with the other species in genus Synaptomys, the northern bog lemming, in southeastern Canada, but extends farther south.
Campbell's dwarf hamster is a species of hamster in the genus Phodopus. It was given its common name by Oldfield Thomas in honor of Charles William Campbell, who collected the first specimen in Mongolia on July 1, 1902. It is distinguished from the closely related Djungarian hamster as it has smaller ears and no dark fur on its crown. Campbell's dwarf hamster typically has a narrow dorsal stripe compared to the Djungarian hamster and brown or gray fur on the stomach. This hamster may be raised in captivity and kept as a small pet.
A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displaying an animal at a zoo.
A fancy mouse is a domesticated form of the house mouse, one of many species of mice, usually kept as a type of pocket pet. Fancy mice have also been specially bred for exhibiting, with shows being held internationally. A pet mouse is inexpensive compared to larger pets, and even many other pet rodents, but mice are comparatively short-lived: typically only 2 to 3 years.
A hamster wheel or running wheel is an exercise device used primarily by hamsters and other rodents, but also by other cursorial animals when given the opportunity. Most of these devices consist of a runged or ridged wheel held on a stand by a single or pair of stub axles. Hamster wheels allow rodents to run even when their space is confined. The earliest dated use of the term "hamster wheel", located by the Oxford English Dictionary, is in a 1949 newspaper advertisement. Squirrel cages featured in an 1885 catalog titled Catalogue of the Osborn M’F’G Co. came with running wheels for the squirrels, just like a hamster cage.
The Canadian lemming or Nearctic brown lemming is a small North American lemming.
A lemming is a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in tundra biomes. Lemmings form the subfamily Arvicolinae together with voles and muskrats, which form part of the superfamily Muroidea, which also includes rats, mice, hamsters and gerbils. A longstanding myth holds that they exhibit herd mentality and jump off cliffs, committing mass suicide.
A hamster cage is an enclosure designed to house one hamster. It is recommended that hamster cages are at least 5000cm² for dwarf hamster except Roborovski and 6000cm² for syrian and Roborovski, although there is evidence that hamsters experience less stress if housed in larger cages. Commercially available pens are made of wire or plastic - both of which are unsafe for hamsters. Some pet owners house their hamsters in aquarium tanks, and some make their own pens out of wood or safe materials like plexi. Laboratory hamsters, commonly known as laboratory Syrian hamsters, are housed in pens designed for scientific use. There are also special pens designed for hamster shows.