Mediterranean Lemmings

[colinbradbury]

Mediterranean Lemmings care sheet
by colin bradbury

Name -
Microtus Guentheri

Common Names -
Mediterranean lemming
gunthers vole

Housing -
The best housing is either a viverium or aquarium with ventilation in the hood , avoid most rodent cages as they can squeeze through the smallest of gaps and are able to climb most cages , in nature they live in the ground in tunnels they have dug in the soil, some people use peat to replicate this in captivity but high moisture levels that become contained in aquariums and viveriums is bad for there lungs and can lead to pre-mature death. several inches of wood chippings can also give the same effect but any tunnels dug need to be destroyed when cleaning out there housing , the best solution is therefore a shallow layer of wood shavings and a series of tunnels made from old kitchen rolls or pvc waste pipe that can be obtained through most diy stores.
shredded paper or straw can be uses as bedding , straw will also be eaten as part of there diet. often they will pull straw or paper into one of the pipes supplied and use this as there nest.
using pipes means that when cleaning out there quarters it is a simple case of removing the pipes with lemmings inside to a separate box allowing you to fully clean out there quarters with ease . always take care to inspect any nest area for babies as they are easy discarded with the old bedding , if your lemmings use one of the pipes for a nest then this is not a problem
.
Diet -
like some other members of this family these animals are sugar intolerant, and care should be taken in the diet , in the wild the main source of food is grass , both fresh and in colder seasons dried stored from the warmer seasons. they also eat roots as well as other greens , in captivity most garden greens are taken very well and are taken with a preference to any other foods . to add some variety small amounts of guinea pigs foods can be used , but make sure no peanuts or sunflower seeds are used , fresh grass is very good for them but be aware of where you pick it from , many grasses in our country are contaminated with chemicals such as insecticides and exhaust fumes , as well as dog urine and faces ect . for this reason a good addition to the diet is grass pellets made for rabbits.
avoid all fruits.

Breeding -
notoriously hard to breed and not something to be taken on lightly, high mortality is often seen in young and at the slightest disturbance the mother may eat any babies. The gestation period is approximately twenty-two days and litters are usually small, it is thought that a set photo period with a bright light directly above the enclosure is highly beneficial along with a plentiful supply of greens to eat .
Temperature - they will suffer if temps get too high , they prefer a steady flow of cool clean air. room temperature is fine throughout the uk. on the hottest of summer days a fan pointed at the enclosure can be beneficial.
Life expectancy - The life expectancy should be around 2 years. until recently and the realisation that these animals depended on greens and where sugar intolerant mean 4-5 month in captivity was the norm , however with the correct care they should now see there full life expectancy out in captivity


Other notes -
Rarely seen in captivity and threatened throughout there native habitat , they make an excellent exotic pet for the seasoned hobbyist and all efforts should be put into captive breeding of these great creatures , regular exchanges should be made between hobbyists lucky enough to own this creature to allow the diversity of new bloodlines. very close but rarer relative of the steppe lemmings. although often referred to as nocturnal they are actually awake several times throughout the day and night taking there rests in between

[Natonstan]

Do they actually follow each other like on the game ?

[colinbradbury]

they are never far apart from each other , apart from when mother is nursing then she is hardly seen

cheers col

[BARDNEYLOCK]

thanks for the caresheet im getting 3 later today so cant wait

[colinbradbury]

no worries mate ,

i have an update if you are wanting to breed them .

it is quite important to mimic the summer months when you wish to breed them . this is best done by ensuring lots of fresh hay is available , a full covering over the part of enclosure which has the tunnels ect . and the most important is a bright light source directly above the enclosure switched on for 12-14 hours a day . i used a aquarium light the same length as the enclosure on a timmer , this made them breed much more steady and each litter is larger and stronger .


good luck with them , they are a fasanating animal to watch building there tunnels ect .


cheers col

[Stacey010884]

Should be getting a pair from Naomi on Saturday. Excited as I had Steppe Lemmings before and they were delightful!

Thank you for the care sheet!

[NaomiR]

if you pm Colin anything you're worried about he'll come straight back to you, he's always been really helpful to me (even with the steppe lemmings)

[Stacey010884]

That's superb! I wasn't entirely confident about choosing greens for them as I don't want to risk their health to try something new with them.
Could I suggest a list of safe greenies for these little animals?

My hamsters love broccoli but hammies and lemmings have their differences.
Brussel sprouts? Cabbage? Celery? Carrot? Courgette? Mange tout? Sweetcorn? Any types of peas or beans?
There are so many veggies available but what is known to be safe and agreeable with med lems?

Also, my rabbit gets timothy hay and three types of vita verde, hay and dandelion, hay and peppermint and hay and nettle. (Those three types can be found here; https://www.thehayexperts.co.uk/adva...10l08smu4ss0u4 )
Are these safe as they will offer variety? Timothy, meadow, alfalfa hay, oat hay.. what do people and animals prefer?

I'll be using timothy hay, at least initially. It's high in fibre and is nice and green.

(Posting this instead of PMing as I'm sure the answers will be beneficial to others who own or are considering owning this species.)

[Stacey010884]

These are social little animals so when the babies are old enough can I home them in same sex pairs/trios?

The youngsters are pottering around the tank now and Bonnie and Clyde are spending more time away from them. The little ones are starting to eat solids. They were big (in my opinion) when they were born. They're growing well and aren't phased by a giant hand stroking them. ^_^