Southern Multimammate Mouse (Mastomys coucha)
| Southern Multimammate Mouse Mastomys coucha | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Southern Multimammate Mouse |
| Name Lat. | Mastomys coucha |
| Family | Murids |
| Family lat. | Muridae |
| Order | Rodents |
| Order lat. | Rodentia |
| Origin | Africa |
| Climate | Subtropical - tropical |
| Habitat | Dry savanna |
| Diet | Seeds, green fodder, insects |
| Behavior | Nocturnal; ♂ territorial |
| Keeping | Pair, group |
| Care Level | Moderate |
| Life Span | 1-2 years |
| Protection | No |
| Metric Units | |
| Size | 8-13 cm |
| Temperature | 20-24 °C |
| Housing | A: 0.5 m² / H: 50-60 cm |
| US Units | |
| Size | 3.1"-5.1" |
| Temperature | 68-75 °F |
| Housing | 5 ft² / 20" hight |
Distribution and habitat
The nocturnal polychaete mice are distributed throughout Africa, south of the Sahara. They live in self-dug burrows in the wet and dry savannahs and as adaptable crop followers in fields and gardens. As a breeding form they exist in different color variants (albino, piebald, etc.).
Maintenance
Minimum dimensions for the enclosure:
| 1-2 animals | area: 0,5 m² | height: 50-60 cm |
| Each additional animal | Area: + 20 |
A terrarium placed in a bright (no direct sunlight), draught-free and quiet place is recommended, with ventilation openings on the sides, and it must not be tightly closed at the top. The enclosure should be structured with stones, roots and branches, and provide hiding and shelter opportunities (rodent houses, platforms, cork tubes, clay caves, hollowed coconuts, etc.). You will need food and drinking containers, a sand bath (chinchilla sand) for grooming, nesting material (hay, grass) and a diggable substrate of commercial small animal litter or a peat and sand mixture covered with some bark mulch and dry leaves. The bedding depth should be 10 cm. Nail material, such as untreated twigs and branches of fruit trees, and a rodent stone must be available to wear down their teeth.
| temperature day: 20-24 °C | temperature night: 15-20 °C |
A natural day-night rhythm must be ensured.
Diet
They feed mainly on plants and insects. The species-specific diet consists of a mixture of dwarf hamster and gerbil food available in specialized stores, supplemented with cob millet, which also serves to keep them busy, forage hay, some fresh food (wild herbs, root vegetables, lettuce, sprouted food) and a mineral stone. They need animal protein several times a week, such as live insects (crickets, house crickets, mealybug larvae), a hard-boiled hen's egg or dry cat food. Pelleted ready-to-eat food is also usually well accepted. Fruit should be offered infrequently and in very small quantities. A shallow clay bowl is better than a nipple waterer. Drinking water must always be available and, like food, should be offered fresh daily
A varied diet promotes health and prevents deficiency symptoms.
Behaviour and compatibility
They are very social animals and should only be kept in pairs, but better in a group of 4-6 animals. A group should consist of one (castrated) male and several females (harem) or only females. There can be fierce territorial fights between unneutered males. At the first sign of incompatibility, separate the animals immediately.
Reproduction and breeding
In the male, the anal and genital openings are farther apart than in the female.
The gestation period is 21-23 days. A litter consists of 6-18 young, which are born naked, blind and deaf. After 12-16 days the eyes open. The young nurse for about 18 days and are independent after about 21 days. At 5-6 weeks they are sexually mature. A female can have up to 12 litters per year.
Important
Instead of ten teats, they have 16 to 24, hence the name. The nocturnal animals can fall into a deep sleep during the day, during which their body temperature drops by 3 °C ("energy saving mode")
A night lamp (moonlight) is recommended for observing the animals, which only emerge from their nests after dark.
As escape animals, they need sufficient retreat and hiding places, so the enclosure should also be somewhat elevated and not placed on the floor
They must not be grabbed or pulled by the tail, as the skin can easily tear and detach
Lighting and heat lamps should be placed in such a way as to prevent injury to the animals. Care should be taken to ensure thorough hygiene and contamination should be removed regularly.
Further literature can be found in your pet store.
References
Text: petdata; Image: petdata
Source: W. PUSCHMANN, D. ZSCHEILE, K. ZSCHEILE (2009): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Säugetiere, Harri Deutsch Verlag; GRZIMEK (2000): Grzimeks Tierleben Bd. 2 Säugertiere, Kindler Verlag; BMEL (2014): Gutachten über Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Säugetieren
- Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF