Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

Rickeezee · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 5:00 pm Post subject:

Thanks for that JS. Gathering ideas at the mo to help build an outdoor rep house.

Rick
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Nerys · Contributing Member Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 171

basically the idea will be that the 'porch' is actually pens..

the animals will have a normal size viv indoors, and then built into the wall, will be a flap or access to outdoors... so in the summer i can raise the flap or what have you and let them out.. yes, mouse proof mesh it would have to be.. and also proteced from bird droppings somehow..

so like the BD ones, i could use drain pipes to act as passages to outdoors and so on... i have mouse proofed my soon to be mouse shed, with mesh, guess would have to do the same in this shed... thinking about it, i would probably build a mesh layer into the walls somehow, and the room would be sealed from snakes getting out too... somehow... the vivs that open to outside, would be solid side and fronted in the main, so they should not be able to get from the pen into the main room, or vice versa...

in the winter, they would have to be shut up of course, and there are issues with insulating and proofing it, but...

rick - if you have dormice, PROPER UK DORMICE... then you have a treasure.. they are very rare these days... i would love to see them, but be v careful, they are heavily protected i think..

hey.. if i organise an open day for people to come see my lot, do you think i could get a working party on garden clearence out of it??

Smile

N

Rickeezee · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:44 pm Post subject:

N it sounds like an interesting project your shed, sure your not replicating building the rep house at London Zoo ehehehehe.

Yep they are defo dormice, they are way small and really cool looking, checked in a book awhile ago. Did'nt realise they were rare though. Defo not field, harvest or common mouse. Last summer we found a tiny one by accident just on the grass outside the utility room, bout the size of my thumbnail it was quite young so we may have scared mum away or it may have wandered away from the nest, dunno, but we left it and retreated. I'm sure it's mum would have come and found it.

Also when doing some building work in the garden found some, I think they were, sand lizards. They were basking on the rubble.

Also have hedgepigs (hogs) in the garden in the spring at dusk they come out with their babies all following in a line, sometimes have left saucers of milk out for them.

Garden clearance sounds good to me hope your gonna charge poeple for the privalege of helping. Then they can come and view the doormice for a reasonable fee!

Rick
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www.rickslivefood.co.uk

Nerys · Contributing Member Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 171

i'll have to dig up some info on them and you can see if they are or not... how mad, how cool Smile

there was a small colony on a lake i used to fish, but never saw them..

i used to breed african pygmy dormice, or to be exact, i used to keep them, and they did all the hard work... i got a bit over run with them in the end and thought i would let someone else i knew take them on lol

possibly not far off a zoo reptile house lol... there would be 100-200 specimens in there, alarms and CCTV on movement alert - good for tracking escpaees..

N

Nerys · Contributing Member Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 171

http://www.greatnuthunt.org.uk/

What do they look like?
Dormice are a bright golden colour with a thick furry tail and big black eyes. They are quite small - about 70 mm (2-3") long, with a tail of similar length. Adults weigh around 17 - 20 grams (two £1 coins) in the summer, but can fatten up to 40 grams just before hibernation.

fluffy tails is one of the key things!

so cute...

be careful with them, they are extinct over half the UK these days, if you do have them, you are a lucky git!

N

Rickeezee · Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 7:42 pm Post subject:

Big project, I like the cctv idea, 100-200 is a big collection must keep you v. busy. When the weather warms up and they reappear I shall take some pics of the mice and post them, hope they are doormice, do we get foreign doormice in the wild over here? I only ask as you said earlier UK doormice, infering there are other speicies in the UK. I have heard that in some countries eating a doormouse is the done thing! I know the romans used to nosh them. I would imagine you would need a lot to fill you up though, poor things!

Rick
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Nerys · Contributing Member Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 171

ahhh yus, that'll be the edible dormouse... tasty things if the tales are true, though not a lot of meat i bet..

the species i used to keep was the African Pygmy Dormouse Smile

N

Rickeezee · Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 11:53 am Post subject:

I still do not want to eat doormouse edible or not. Mind you examining the contents of my local kebab shop I'm to sure!

Do you have any pics of the pygmy mouseies?

Foot note: The above comment about my local kebab house was made without prejudice and in no way is intended to cause any offence to kebab shop owenrs or anyone who in any fashion whatsoever is connected to the kebab industry.

Rick
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Nerys · Contributing Member Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 171

0k, can't find any of my pics now, but these are some that belonged to various other keepers i knew..

Rickeezee · Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2006 2:52 pm Post subject:

Way cute. The ones I found were much darker in colur but the facial features were very simalair and they wer eway small.

Rick
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