Mustela sibirica

 

Siberian weasel(Mustela sibirica)

Phylum —chordata
Class — mammalia
Order — carnivora
Family — mustelidae

Genus – mustela

Appearance

The Siberian weasel has a long, stretched out body with relatively short legs. Its head is elongated, narrow and relatively small, and its short ears are broad at the base. Its tail is half the length of its body. Its winter fur is very dense, soft and fluffy, with guard hairs reaching 3–4 cm in length. The underfur is dense and loose fitting. Siberian weasels are monotone in colour, being bright reddish-ocherous or straw-red, though orange or peach tones are sometimes noticeable on the skin. These tones are especially bright on the back, while the flanks and underbelly are paler. A dark, coffee-brown mask is present on the face. Their tails are more brightly coloured than the back, and are fluffier than those of other members of the genus. The lips and chin are white or slightly ochreous. The front of the muzzle is darker than the remaining parts of the head.

Adult males are 28–39 cm (11–15 in) long, while females reach 25–30.5 cm (9.8–12.0 in). The tail in males reaches 15.5–21 cm (6.1–8.3 in) in length, while that of females reaches 13.3–16.4 cm (5.2–6.5 in). Males weigh 650–820 g (23–29 oz), while females weigh 360–430 g (13–15 oz).

Habitat

The range of Siberian weasels includes northern Myanmar, Laos, North Korea, Pakistan, Nepal, India, (Himalayas), Bhutan, Russia (from the Kirov Province, Tataria, and the western Urals through Siberia and the Russian Far East), Taiwan and northern Thailand.

Behavior

Siberian weasels are nocturnal creatures. They are solitary and maintain territories, however, at times when food is scarce, they can leave their home range and move up to 8 km in a single night.

Siberian weasels are active hunters, readily chasing prey through snow, logs, water and people's houses. They typically eat about 100-120 g of food daily and cache excess food.

These creatures are not fussy about their shelters. They may nest inside fallen logs, empty stumps, brushwood piles, and exposed tree roots. They also use and enlarge the dens of other animals. The length of their burrows range from 0.6-4.2 meters and are 0.2-1.3 meters deep. The nesting chamber, which is located in the middle or end of the passage, is lined with bird feathers and rodent wool. In addition to a permanent burrow, adults have up to five temporary shelters which may be separated from each other by several kilometers.

Siberian weasels are extremely aggressive when caught threatened, emitting piercing shrieks and letting loose a pungent secretion which reportedly takes a month to wash away.

Diet

Siberian weasels are carnivorous animals that hunt mainly on rodents. They feed on voles, mice, pikas, chipmunks, muskrats, Red squirrels and jerboas. They also take fish, small birds, reptiles and amphibians. Plant foods include pine nuts and some fruits. During the winter, Siberian weasels may scavenge extensively on the kills of wolves and yellow-throated martens.

Reproduction

Siberian weasels are polygynous and males may fight in order to get access to females. The breeding season depends on location. In western Siberia, they breed from early February to late March. In Primorye - in early March to late April.

The gestation period lasts 38-41 days and litters consist of 4-10 kits. They are born blind and sparsely furred with white wool. Kits develop light yellow wool after a few days and open their eyes after a month. Mothers nurse their young during 2 months and the kits stop growing and become independent by late August. Young weasels reach reproductive maturity when they are 2 years old.

In the wild, an average longevity of 2.1 years. One captive specimen lived 8.8 years

In captivity

It is best of allto keep the Siberian weasel in a cage. The keeper should give a chance to an animal to walk daily around the room. You can keep it just in the apartment, but in this case there is a risk of losing the animal if it suddenly accidentally jumps out through an open door, a window or a balcony. Therefore, it is not recommended to leave a Siberian weasel freely walkingunattended around the apartment.

At home, the Siberian weasel sleeps at night and is active during the day, which greatly simplifies care and establishing contact with it. Animals that have been brought up by a person since childhood, easily allow to be taken in hand and are very attached to their owner. Besides, a Siberian weasel is clean. Any cat tray will do for the toilet of a Siberian weasel. It is best to puta wood filler on the bottom of the tray, which will effectively destroy the smell. Do not forget to cover it with a grid on top, fixing it to the base of the tray with an ordinary clothespin. This must be done not to allow the animal to turn over the contents of the toilet. The finished tray should be installed in a cage where the speaker will rest, or in the room where the animal walks.

Feeding the Siberian weasel at home is very similar to feeding ferrets and minks. The Siberian weasel is a predator, and in nature it eats mouse-like rodents daily. Therefore, it would be ideal to include in its "menu" day-old chickens, as well as mice, rats, and other rodents. When composing a diet, the keeper should take in account  that in addition to the muscle meat of chickens, turkey, duck, rabbit or beef, the animal will eatmeat co-products: liver, stomach, heart, and bone offal, such as the heads and necks of farm birds. Occasionally, the Siberian weasel can be given quail eggs.

At home, it would be nice to include various small fish in the menu of the animal. It is desirable to give it in its entirety, along with the intestines and bones. Some varieties of marine fish, such as capelin, herring Ivasi, sardine, sprat, tulka, etc., as well as freshwater varieties of fish (crucian carp, burbot, smelt, perch...) must be boiled for a few minutes. In raw form, you can give flounder, cod, trout or weed fish, such as galian, chebak, grayling, lenok, etc. Fish is a satisfactory source of vitamins A and D, B12, calcium and phosphorus.

As an alternative feeding for the Siberian weasel, special ready-made dry food designed for ferrets or kittens is suitable. Since Siberian weasel often drinks, it is necessary to make sure that he always has fresh water, it is most convenient to have it in a ball-shaped car water dispenser.

Siberian weasel is very fond of swimming. In the room where the animal walks, you can put an ordinary basin, half filled with water, in which the Siberian weasel will "take a bath". Exhaust pipes, special mazes for ferrets, empty plastic bags - all this will serve as a good addition to the Siberian weasel for games.

In the cage where the Siberian weasel is kept, you can install a house-nest where the animal will rest. It is better to make the house of wood such as plywood. The height of the house is approximately 30 cm, length-25-28 cm., width 25-28 cm., the diameter of the entrance hole is about 10 cm. Rags, soft shavings, or hay will do as bedding for the nest.

 

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