Quintessential African Pygmy Dormice

Who ate all the pies? 🐷

How many mice can you get in half a coconut?

Feeding time at mousey towers...

What better way of spending a rainy hour indoors - cleaning & redesigning the small tank. Hopefully Suzanna, Violet & Gaston will enjoy the new layout when they venture out later!

No one was very impressed at today’s clean out....Keith Mouse, Hazel, Uppity, Lollipop, Batman & Robyn....

Pleased to say that my sexing was correct & “Batman” is at home with his family, after his little operation! I believe the final baby to be a female, so she couldn’t be anything but “Robyn”.....😊 This colony contains, Keith Mouse, Hazel, Uppity, Lollipop, Batman & Robyn - hopefully a nice family group that can live peacefully together.

Trying to catch & sex 2 babies in a colony of 7 😩

Tea for 9! Maple syrup. Fruit smoothie. Live mealworms. (Free roaming crickets live in the enclosure) Cucumber, apple, cauliflower, broccoli, grape, banana, beans, cheese, cat biscuits, carrot - topped with bee pollen. Also, a dry mix of Pygmy hedgehog/hamster & mouse food is fed ad-lib. 🐭 happy mousies!

Oi, where’s dinner?

This monster is Uppity, the father of the 2 recent babies. He is definitely the “chunkier” variety of APD - although, he’s always the first out for dinner 🐭🐷😆

One of the 2 babies - 3 weeks old.

Cleaning time in tank 1. Uppity, Hazel & Keith Mouse, not impressed at having their sleep disturbed 🐭. Finally feel sure that the 2 babies are females, so Lollipop is staying in this tank & Suzanna is moving in with Violet & Gaston 😊 Fingers crossed for a smooth transition.

Daily Facts: 🤔
Although APD are arboreal, they are happy to forage from the ground & will even be happy with a bed on the bottom of the terrarium.
Hanging coconut shells make great beds, as do half shells on the ground. There should be at least one bed per dormouse - although if you have a nice group, they all bundle in together. They should be provided with suitable soft bedding. The terrarium should have at least 1” of wood shavings. Don’t opt for the cheapest, as this will be very dusty and can cause respiratory problems - Aspen wood shavings are a suitable alternative & can be found in the reptile/snake department of pet shops.

Daily Facts: 🤔
APD are social animals & cannot live alone.
In the wild they live in family groups & are known to accept non related animals in to their groups - this prevents inbreeding.
... In captivity, they do best in groups - although this can be two same sex animals. Some males can fight & some females can be very dominant.
I have two groups. One female & a neutered male - soon to add another young female or neutered male. The other has 2 neutered males, 1 female, 2 unsexed 8 week olds & 2 unsexed 1 week olds.
The main females in each tank did not get along, despite being sisters. That’s why I now have 2 colonies!
You should always have a back-up enclosure in case of disputes.
See More

Daily Facts: 🤔
APD are nocturnal.
Do not expect to see much of your Dormice during the day! They are most active at night (like hamsters). Mine come out in the early evening & can usually be seen in the early mornings too. A red viewing light makes watching them possible, without upsetting them or damaging their light sensitive eyes.

Daily Facts: 🤔
APD are omnivores.
They have very specific nutritional needs, which include fruit, veg, insects, saps & pollens.
... Mine have 24 hour access to a dry mix (a mix of hamster/gerbil/bird food). They have maple syrup daily (the nearest we can get to plant sap), fruit, veg, cheese, boiled egg, live mealworms, crickets, woodlice, buffalo worms, pasta, tuna, chicken, ham. They are not able to digest cellulose in plants, so will leave leafy/stalky bits!
See More

Daily Facts: 🤔
They are not suitable children’s pets! Handling really depends on how much time you have to spend on trying to tame them. They are not like hamsters & will not sit peacefully in your hand. These animals are VERY fast & I’ve found them far more entertaining to watch rather than trying to play with them.