Today we will tell who such a baby mouse is. You will find photos and descriptions of this animal in this article. As the name implies, this animal is very small. Moreover. The little mouse is the smallest rodent in the forest. Perhaps even among mammals there is no one to compete with her in size. Less than it is only a shrew. How much is this moving animal? The mass of this mouse is only 7-10 g. We can say that it is practically weightless. Of course, for blades of grass, on which it moves very quickly thanks to its tenacious tail and hind legs, it will be noticeable.
Cute creature
But if the baby mouse is on the man’s hand, he will not feel its presence. From rodents living in houses with an elongated muzzle, it is distinguished not only by its small size, but also by its brighter color. Moreover, the abdomen is lighter than the reddish back. The color intensity varies and does not depend on the habitat. The little mouse, a photo of which can be found in this article, is a pretty nice representative of his family.
be careful
No wonder they are afraid of house rodents, but they are happy to keep these at home as a pet. Although this should be done with caution. If the mouse entered the shelves of the pet store directly from its natural habitat, and was not born to responsible breeders, it may turn out to be a carrier of dangerous diseases: tularemia, leptospirosis, tick-borne encephalitis and lymphocytic choriomeningitis. Although the baby mouse is a rodent that harms agriculture, it would not be desirable for nature to lose one of its representatives. After all, each of them has its own significance for the outside world. Therefore, people are trying to save the population of these mice, which began to decline due to the fact that the landscape is often subjected to changes under the influence of the human factor.
Place of residence
Where does the little mouse live? This rodent prefers forests and forest-steppes. Moreover, he lives not only in Russia, but also distributed in other territories of Eurasia. It can be found in Spain, Korea, China, Kazakhstan, Italy and even in Japan. In our country, the little mouse lives in the Caucasus, in Primorye and Transbaikalia, Karelia and the Urals, near the Arctic Circle. Interestingly, representatives of this species are found in river valleys, and at an altitude of 200 meters above sea level. The main thing for them is that there is a lot of grass in which they can build their nest.
Tiny house
These mice hide in shrubs, among weeds and thickets. They do not like to be in the sun, because their small body is very sensitive to overheating. Therefore, in search of food, the baby mouse moves, clinging to the blades of grass, remaining in the shade, avoiding the open area. She builds her nest among grass or shrubs, preferring sedge and reed, at a height of 40-100 cm. In diameter, it reaches only 6-13 cm. In this cozy nest, offspring of these rodents are born. To make it comfortable for the kids, from the inside, caring parents line it with some soft material.
All the best for children
The outer layer is usually woven from strong leaves to give strength to the nest. Baby mice reproduce only in the warm season, when it is possible to grow offspring in suspended nests. Moreover, during the period from April to September, one mouse may have several litters. Pregnancy lasts 17-18 days. For each, a separate nest is built, in which 5 cubs perfectly fit. Newborns are naked, deaf and blind, but after 15 days they are ready to leave the nest. The lifespan of these mice is not more than one and a half years. Therefore, next spring the offspring will itself be ready for procreation.
What's for lunch
In winter, mouse mice do not hibernate. Since they do not make stocks, they seek food under the snow or in human granaries. In winter, they often settle in ricks, haystacks, or even in houses. The usual food for these babies is cereals: oats, corn, rice, sunflower, millet and other grains of cultivated plants. They also eat legumes, fruits, seeds of broad-leaved trees. In summer, they supplement the diet with insects and their larvae.
Home Content
If you decide to keep this rodent as a pet, first read the rules for caring for it. In the wild, these animals do not live together, only during mating or under forced conditions, for example, they are saved from frost in one granary. But at home they can be settled in one cage, the main thing is that it should be spacious. The house is equipped with all kinds of toys, manholes, ropes, wheels, so that the moving animal can spend its energy. Food is poured into the feeders. Baby mice feed in the same way as in nature: corn, millet, sunflower, oats, plant seeds, fruits. All this is easy to get in urban conditions. It is also necessary to install a special drinking bowl for rodents in the cage. These animals are clean, although they still have to be cleaned up. Their great advantage is that they do not have a strong smell. In good conditions, your pets will live much longer than in the wild. There are cases when these animals survived up to 5 years. On average, they delight owners for 2-3 years.
