How favorable the winter will be for the mouse depends on whether it was able to find suitable housing with a sufficient supply of food in the fall. The ideal option is a warm human home, a cellar, a granary or a room for keeping animals.
In natural conditions, rodents have to take care of survival in the cold season on their own.
Field mouse: description
Description of the field mouse:
- Body length no more than 12 cm, excluding tail. The thin tail makes up 70% of the body length.
- The body is oblong. The hind feet are elongated and protrude forward when running.
- Long muzzle, small round ears, oblong nose.
The fur is hard, rough, short. The colors can be different - gray, brown, ocher or beige. A straight line of black or brown shade runs along the spine. The color of the abdomen is snow-white. At the base the hairline has a dark tint. Small spots may be present on the chest.
This is interesting! The shade of the animal's fur depends on its age. The older the field mouse, the lighter its fur. With age, the dark base of the hairline begins to lighten. Individual hairs may be gray.
The vole mouse has unique teeth ; a pair of long incisors on the lower jaw grow throughout its life. To prevent their excessive growth, and they grow at a rate of 1-2 mm per day, the mouse is forced to continuously grind them off against hard objects.
As for weight, the average animal does not weigh more than 20 grams.
What happens during hibernation?
In this state, all life processes occurring in the animal’s body are suspended. During active wakefulness, the heart rhythm in these animals averages 420 beats per minute. In a state of suspended animation, the pulse decreases significantly. The rhythm during winter sleep does not exceed 14-16 beats per minute.
Such characteristics as body temperature also change. If you pick up the mouse, it will seem hot and dry. During wakefulness, during the active life period, the body temperature of these animals remains at the level of 37-40 degrees. As soon as the animal falls asleep for a long time, that is, for the entire duration of the upcoming cold weather, the temperature level changes. Moreover, these changes are quite large. The body temperature of a bat in suspended animation is close to zero degrees. To the touch the animal seems not only cold, but also numb.
Hibernation is an important component of the life cycle for these animals. The longer the state of suspended animation lasts, the longer the mouse will live. Stable “entry” into suspended animation and the absence of forced awakenings from hibernation increase the life span for these animals up to 15-20 years.
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More about winter preparations
It is interesting to know that many representatives of the fauna not only store food for the winter, but also prepare it for storage. For example, shrikes (this is such a bird) prick small insects on branches and thus dry them (they give them water!). And the hay shed (a representative of lagomorphs) dries hay for the winter. Few people know that a woodpecker, who was unable to eat the prey taken from the tree, leaves it there in reserve.
I must say that I was also horrified by the fact about wasps that use motionless caterpillars and lay eggs in them for the winter. And gall flies generally feed their offspring in winter with pieces of their flesh.
Sources:
https://zen.yandex.ru/media/geradez/kak-zimuiut-myshi-5c403995a3352000adce1cf9 https://parazitdoma.ru/krysy-i-myshi/spyat-li-myshi-zimoy https://theecology.ru/ zhivotnyie/kakie-zhivotnye-delayut-zapasy-korma-na-zimu https://www.sites.google.com/site/bibliotekadladetej/nasi-scenarii/ekologiceskoe-vospitanie/kak-zivotnye-gotovatsa-k-zime-beseda https://travelask.ru/questions/559919-kakie-zhivotnye-delayut-zapasy-na-zimu
Distribution of animals
This representative of the fauna is widespread in Europe. Animals can also be found in China, Mongolia, Denmark, Finland, Korea, and Taiwan. In the Russian Federation, the rodent is distributed in Primorye, Siberia, and the Urals. Often settles on the hills, climbs low into the mountains.
Found near the Black and Azov Seas. Does not like deserted forest-steppes and continuous forests. It takes root well in moist interfluves .
It prefers overgrown meadows with small depressions, collective farm fields, sunny edges of deciduous forests and, of course, vegetable gardens. It can be found in greenhouses, greenhouses, cellars, barns, abandoned utility sheds and even in residential premises.
IMPORTANT! With the onset of autumn, rodents move into stacks, haystacks, and stacks of straw.
What animals store supplies for the winter?
Our little brothers have come up with many ways to escape in winter frosts. Some of them hibernate, others fly south, and still others, the most economical ones, stock up! Animals, birds, and even insects collect food (ants work all summer to provide for themselves in the winter months). Here's who stood out the most in this area:
- The squirrel was recognized as an exceptional workaholic. The animal, which is very meticulous in its selection of supplies, unfortunately often forgets where it hid them.
- Mink. Personally, I imagine with some horror how this cunning predator stores frogs, birds and fish (often stolen from fishermen) - by biting the frog in a certain place on the head. They paralyze them and hide them in shallow water (I’m terrified).
- The mole turned out to be just as insidious; it preserves worms in a similar way.
- Chipmunks stock up on seeds and nuts, and can dig holes for them all summer. Unfortunately, they are often robbed by bears.
- There are also bees, who have the privilege of not only storing honey for themselves, but also increasing productivity for the benefit of people.
Mice, hamsters, and hedgehogs are also among those who stock up for the winter.
Reproduction
The breeding season for the vole mouse is from early spring to mid-autumn. In one season, the animal is capable of producing 3-4 offspring . In rare cases, up to 5-6. Gestation of the cubs lasts 21-23 days. One litter usually produces 5-7 babies.
Babies are born helpless and blind, but they develop very quickly.:
- 12-14 days after birth they begin to see clearly.
- 30 days after birth they become independent.
- Young individuals are capable of giving birth to cubs within 90-105 days after birth.
How long does a field mouse live? The lifespan of a field mouse can reach 7 years, but in the wild the animals usually live for a year or two.
Now imagine how quickly rodents can multiply in just one summer season, provided there is an abundance of food and sun.
Optimal wintering sites
The ideal winter home for any mouse would be a human home or outbuildings where there is access to food. Unfortunately, for this tribe, not all of their representatives are so successful in finding shelter for the cold season.
In nature, voles are attracted to winter crops, especially if the first shoots have appeared before the frost. In such conditions, even with minimal supplies, the animals do not remain hungry. Therefore, in the southern regions, in minks where mice live in winter, offspring often appear. In more northern regions, breeding is rare at this time of year.
Lifestyle
In summer and spring, field mice are active in the evening and at night. In autumn and winter they can be active during the day. They do not hibernate.
How mice and voles overwinter:
- Natural shelters or earthen passages can be used as burrows.
- Their burrows reach 3-4 m in length and have 2-4 exits, one of which leads to a watering hole.
- Dwellings must have a nesting chamber and 2-3 pantries in which winter supplies are stored.
- The storerooms are located at a depth of 0.5-1 m.
IMPORTANT! Rodents that live in swampy areas do not dig burrows. They build nests. The main material is grass. Such dwellings are usually located on tall bushes.
How to train a rat to sleep at night
Some owners of decorative rats do not mind that their pets are active at night. Others are not happy that fluffies create a lot of noise and interfere with the rest of the entire household at night.
This problem can be dealt with by adjusting the animal’s rhythm of life to daytime activity with predominant sleep at night. The following steps will help train your rat to sleep at night:
- Designate a room with moderate noise levels for the rat to live in. On the one hand, the pet should not feel threatened by emanating sharp sounds. On the other hand, the presence of minor noise during the daytime will let the fluffy understand that now is not the time to rest.
- Maintain artificial lighting during the day. Rats do not tolerate bright sunlight quite well. But dim lighting from a lamp is perfect for ensuring that your pet sleeps as little as possible during the day. At night, on the contrary, you will have to completely turn off the lights in the apartment. This signal will tell the animal that now is time to sleep.
- Feed the rat at a clearly established time, of course, only during the day. The pet will wait for an hour to feed. At the same time, he definitely won’t sleep. The main thing is regularity; the nutritional schedule must be followed no matter what the conditions.
- Organize your pet's leisure time so that he doesn't get bored. For example, add 2-3 relatives to the fluffy. The pet will frolic happily with its cage neighbors, and the sleepy mood will fade into the background. It is also recommended to install as many different exercise equipment as possible for the animals to play with, so that the rats have something to occupy themselves with.
The entire process of getting used to the new regime will take 3-4 weeks. All this time you will need to act systematically, observing each of the points listed above. The main thing is not to get angry or raise your voice at the rat if it suddenly falls asleep at the wrong time. Moreover, you shouldn’t wake her up. Such behavior will be absolutely incomprehensible to the animal and can put it in a stressful situation, so you need to act gently and patiently.
It is worth noting that after moving to a new place, a decorative rat may lose its sleep and wakefulness patterns. Therefore, it is better to avoid long trips with your pet, otherwise you will have to retrain your fluffy all over again.
How and how much a domestic rat sleeps, why a pet sleeps a lot and does not wake up for a long time are questions that are of great concern to novice breeders. To avoid unnecessary worries about your new pet, it is better to familiarize yourself with the rhythm of life of rodents in advance.
Distinctive features
Vole mice have their own characteristics that are distinctive from other rodents.:
- Depending on their habitat (eastern and western), individuals have different colors and sizes.
- It differs from other rodents by the presence of a smooth stripe along the spine.
- Unlike mice, it has a larger body size.
- It differs from the Dahurian hamster in its longer tail.
- Unlike pieds, it has a longer period of puberty - about 100 days.
- Compared to other subspecies of rodents, the field mouse has an underdeveloped ear.
- Field mice have coarser fur. And adult individuals often develop soft spines, like hedgehogs.
- Field mice belong to the mobile subspecies. They are characterized by seasonal feeding movements.
- May be common in swampy areas. At the same time, they use grass nests as burrows.
Very often, other species of mammals that look similar to voles are mistaken for mice. The most common types of rodents that resemble mice in appearance are :
- Earth rat. Despite this name, this animal actually belongs to the mouse family, but differs from voles in its larger size.
- Mole voles. Lives underground and belongs to the hamster family.
And also rodents from the vole family:
- Yellow and steppe variegated. They are similar in appearance to mice, but have a number of distinctive features. Read more about pestles here.
- Red and bank voles. Forest dwellers, differing from the field ones in the color of their fur coat.
- Housekeeper vole. This species lives in colonies and is capable of making significant, up to 15 kg, reserves for the winter.
- Gray vole.
Read about different types of voles here.
When prolonged sleep should be a concern
If you notice that your young rat is constantly in a sleepy state, this could be a sign of illness.
These symptoms should make you wary:
- Lack of appetite.
- Constant fatigue.
- Indifference to everything.
- Poor condition of the coat.
If these factors are present in your rat's behavior or appearance, it is important to immediately seek help from a specialist. They may indicate a lack of vitamins in the rat’s body or serious illness. If the first problem can be solved by purchasing special vitamins at a pet store, then only a veterinarian can help solve the second problem.
Ways to fight and protect
The main difficulty in the fight against field mice is that they live in places hidden from human eyes. This means that catching or poisoning them is quite problematic. Therefore, the primary task in the fight against voles is the need to find and destroy their housing . You can do this in the following ways.
We drive mice away from the territory
First of all, you need to try to drive rodents out of the area:
- Mow tall grass, remove dry leaves and weeds. You also need to get rid of branches and piles of plant debris. All of these are great places to build burrows.
- Fruits that have fallen from the tree should not remain on the site, as they are an easily accessible source of food for voles.
- Digging up the area can help get rid of holes and underground passages.
- To prevent rodents from damaging fruit trees, a fine mesh net is dug into the ground around the trunks. The same can be done around the perimeter of the entire site.
We use repellers
The use of special repellent devices can speed up the process of expelling voles from your territory. They are installed around the perimeter of the site and provide protection from moisture.
We use mousetraps
Ordinary mousetraps can also help in the fight against mice. Experienced gardeners recommend installing these devices on the site in early spring and late autumn , since it is at this time that mice reproduce most actively. To prevent harm to pets, mouse traps can be covered with a box; this will not stop mice in pursuit of the bait.
We use poisons
At the end of winter and beginning of spring, the use of poisons is very effective. At this time, mice are hungry and not very picky about food. Poisons are placed directly in burrows.
The variety of stocks is surprising
Ferrets eat frogs in winter. First, they track down the sleeping places of their prey, then they bite the cervical nerve so that the frog remains alive and fresh, and they store them in whole buckets in their holes.
The pine marten also begins preparing for the cold in the spring. Bird eggs are salvation for her. She does not destroy the nests, but periodically visits for a couple of eggs, and the bird continues to lay eggs as if nothing had happened. Sometimes the bird itself can become food for an agile animal. The marten stores most often under the roots of trees and always remembers exactly where the food is buried, even after several months.
Hard-working animals often store reserves that are tens of times their body weight.
Friends, you often ask, so we remind you!
