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Fat or edible dormouse
Myoxus glis is a European species. It occurs from France and
northern Spain to the Volga River and northern Iran. M. glis also
occurs on the islands of Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Crete, and
Corfu. They inhabits deciduous or mixed forests and fruit
orchards in both the lowlands and mountains. The most common site
for daily shelter is the hollow of trees. The hollows may be lined
with grass or other vegetation. M. glis also shelters in crevices
between rocks, burrows among tree roots, woodpecker holes, piles of
mulch, attics, barns, and artificial nest boxes.
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Fat or edible dormouse
The approximate length of the head-body is 14-20 cm. They have a
gray back and head with dark, narrow rings around the eyes. The
under parts are white or yellowish. Their pelage is short, soft, and
thick. These animals are squirrel-like with large and rounded ears,
small eyes, and a long bushy tail (11-19 cm). The hands and feet are
both equipped with hard pads for use in climbing. The four digits of
the forefeet and the five digits of the hind feet have short, curved
claws.
Reproduction
Myoxus glis have one litter a year. The litter can consist of 1-11
individuals, but usually falls in the range of 4-6 offspring. Their
gestation period is 30-32 days and the young weigh 1-2 g at birth.
M. glis is usually weaned at 5-6 weeks and reaches maturity after
1-2 years. To attract males to mate, the females will drag their
anal region across the ground to produce an odor marking. These
trails are eagerly sniffed by the males, which then leave their
marks on top. Also, edible dormice can make a whistling sounds at
short intervals over long periods, which announce their willingness
to mate. The wanting male pursues the female and makes a fine
chirping sound with its mouth closed. At first, the female runs away
or defends itself, purring and rattling its teeth and beating its
paws. It may even jump the male and bite it. These acts are believed
to be play because when the male gives up the female will follow it.
After mating, the female spends more time bringing nesting material
into the den and becomes very sensitive to interference. It uses
hairs and feathers as lining material. The nests are usually off the
ground, in a hole in a tree for example. The young of M. glis exit
the womb with the hind end first. The offspring are quite
undeveloped at birth. The external ears unfold after 5 days; the
auditory canal opens after 12 days; the eyelids separate after 21
days; the lower rodent teeth come through after 13 days while the
upper ones come through after 2o days.
Mating season for M. glis is usually in July. The young are born
around August, which gives about two months of growing time before
they have to hibernate at the end of October.
Behavior
The edible dormouse is primarily nocturnal and crepuscular, though
occasionally it is active during the day. It is highly arboreal, and
its agility in the trees may exceed that of squirrels. Some have
been known to leap 7-10 meters. It has exceptionally good senses of
vision, hearing, smell, and touch (through its vibrissae).
Individuals visit many trees each night in search for food. The
edible dormouse is territorial, marking its space by glandular
secretions. Individuals are quarrelsome, and males have been
reported to fight savagely during breeding season. Males usually
leave the females after mating in search for other females. Myoxus
glis hibernates from September/October to May/June. In late summer,
edible dormice dig tunnels about 3-6 feet long and about 6-24 inches
deep When it begins to get cold, most edible dormice retire to these
tunnels where they are protected from frost. Some edible dormice
winter aboveground in haylofts, under decayed trees, in beehouses,
or in the nests of red squirrels. Several animals have been found
hibernating together. This is especially common for females. The
decisive signal to begin storing fat for hibernation seems to be the
decreasing length of daylight. While hibernating, they decrease the
body heat generated to 2 percent of the amount during the waking
state; the breathing rate decreases to about 1-3 respirations per
minute. They wake up immediately when touched, which shows that
their nervous system works well during hibernation.
Food Habits
Myoxus glis is omnivorous. It feeds mainly on seeds, leaves, buds,
nuts, berries, acorns, and soft fruits. They eat insects
occasionally and have been known to eat small birds. In captivity
they should be offered a complete diet of rodent lab blocks, and rat or mouse
mix, with bits of fruit or veggies regularly. Cheerios or wheat
bread are great treats, in small quantities. Do NOT feed chocolate,
fried foods, salted foods, candy or junk food! They may enjoy
crickets and mealworms if they are captive bred, never feed wild
insects as they may carry parasites. Vitamins, like Nutri-Cal are a good addition to their diet, and added calcium
during nursing and growth due to demands on their systems at those
times, but take care not to overdo it. Water bottles should be used
to proved constant, clean water. Ceramic or stoneware food dishes
work well for keeping seeds or fresh foods off the floor, and a wire
mesh hopper that allows them to eat the lab blocks through without
extra waste.
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