Mediterranean Lemming Care

[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