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Green acouchi
The green acouchi is found in the east of the Andes in southern
Colombia, eastern Ecuador, northern Peru, and the Amazon Basin of
Brazil.
Tropical forest, cool damp lowland forests, grassy stream banks,
think brush, high dry hillsides.
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Green acouchi
Green acouchis usually have slender bodies, and their limbs are
elongated and thin. Acouchis are reddish to blackish green above,
yellowish below, with a bright color (orange, yellow, or red) on the
head. Body Length: 80-320 mm
Reproduction
A green acouchi's gestation lasts about 99 days. One to four
extremely precocial young are born that are capable of eating green
vegetation within an hour of birth. Puberty occurs in 9 months.
Estrus ranges from 24 to 62 days. These animals may breed seasonally
or throughout the year depending on local conditions. The life span
in captivity is 13 to 20 years.
Behavior
Green acouchis are diurnal (but may become nocturnal when
disturbed), cursorial, and solitary (Anderson and Jones, 1984). When
food is abundant they carefully bury some foods for use in time of
scarcity. This behavior is important in dispersing the seeds of many
species of forest trees. Vocalizations produced by
green acouchi mothers during interactions with their offspring have
been observed. Infants showed more following of their mother when
she vocalized as compared to when she was quiet. It is believed that
the mother's vocalization is a way to inform the infant of the
mother's location.
When courting, the male follows the female with its forelegs
trembling violently as if it had a convulsion, and gives off
high-pitched, short sounds. Sometimes, the male gets up on its hind
legs and splashes the female with urine. Also, when pursuing a
female, males frequently mark the ground, or ground elevations, with
their anal glands by dragging their hindquarters across the ground
or branches.
Food Habits
Green acouchis are herbivores that feed on a wide variety of forest
fruits, nuts, succulent plants, leaves, stems, and roots. They also
have been observed to eat cassava and peanuts grown on agricultural
gardens.
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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