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The marsupial flying squirrel has not only a pretty appearance, but also many names. The animal is known as: flying opossum, sugar protein, flying protein. They showed themselves not only as an unusual wild animal, but also as a pet, with gratitude accepting human affection. More information about marsupial flying will tell this article.
External description
The marsupial flying squirrel has small parameters. The length of its body is 15-16 cm, weight - 120 g. In the Northern marsupial flying squirrel, these figures are slightly higher and are 26 cm and 180 g, respectively. On the sides of the body are folds of skin, called the flying membranes. The marsupial flying squirrel uses them for planning, straightening the membranes in flight. At such a moment, it seems as if the flying dog has a wide massive body, which in fact, of course, is not true.
A flying snout has a short muzzle, pointed towards the nose, and the nose itself is small and pink. The tail is covered with thick hair and its length exceeds the length of the body of the animal. It can be used to carry small items, such as branches. Despite the fact that the marsupial flying squirrel has tenacious paws, it cannot hold anything during the planning, and then the tail comes to the rescue. To this end, the animal twists it in the form of a spring. The flyers have rather bulky ears, which it bends to the head in case of danger. Good hearing helps flyers to hunt in the dark. This also helps them huge eyes, catching any photon of light.
In marsupial flying five-fingered limbs. The second and third fingers on the hind legs of the animal have partially grown together over the years of evolution. These are two separate bone formations enclosed in a single flap of skin.
Habitats
Marsupial flying squirrel lives in the North and East of Australia, as well as on the island of New Guinea and in the Australian state of Tasmania. The animal was introduced to Tasmania in the middle of the 19th century, so it has no local name. Marsupial flying squirrels prefer to settle in eucalyptus forests, but in the absence of those they can settle in any other. The main priority when choosing a habitat area is an abundant amount of food. Because of its high adaptability, the animal is not on the verge of extinction, even if the number of eucalyptus forests has decreased in recent years.
Lifestyle in the wild
Like many other representatives of the Australian fauna, marsupial flying squirrels lead a twilight lifestyle. In the dark they go out to get food. Food of marsupials is acacia and eucalyptus liquids, fruit juices, and the pulp of the fruit itself. Eating insects and worms helps them replenish their protein stores. Depending on the time of year, the ratio of a particular type of food varies. For example, in winter, when there are almost no insects,flying squirrel goes to plant food. And in the summer of insects becomes more, and they make up the overwhelming part of the food of the animal. With a long-term lack of food, flying squirrels can fall into a state close to lethargic sleep, and spend almost all the time there.
The flying workers have a highly developed social structure. They come together in groups that include no more than 7 males, not counting the young. The whole family lives on the same territory and protects it. They are not afraid to show aggression towards their relatives. To warn the enemy and scare him away, the marsupial flying squirrel carries under the skin on his forehead fragrant glands, through which she squirts a fetid secret. The same technique is used to mark the boundaries of the territory.
One group takes up an area of 100 acres. Do marsupials fly leader has an alpha male. Despite the fact that the flying fellows show aggression towards groups from other territories, there are practically no open conflicts within the family.
Home Content
For their unpretentiousness and the ability to breed in captivity, the marsupial flying squirrels have gained popularity not only among fans of exotic animals, but also among people who just want to have a small pet.Living in an apartment does not bring flying stress, if the animal has enough space for planning. Another prerequisite - marsupial league should not contain one by one. These are herd animals, and they definitely need a company. Therefore, it is better to immediately buy 3-4 animals. This somewhat complicates the care, but prevents the death of the animal from the blues.
Walking outside the cage should be done with caution. And all because of the odorous glands of flying squirrels: if possible, the flying squirrel will try to mark the apartment, considering it its territory. Getting rid of this smell will be difficult.
How to feed the flying dog at home
In nature, marsupials flying insects eat to replenish nutrients. When kept in an apartment for the same purpose, fermented milk products can be given, cottage cheese will be especially useful. Also, her diet should include fruits, vegetables, cheeses and food for rodents (even a wet cat will do). In the summer, you can dilute the menu of the flying marsupial crickets or worms. In the absence of aversion to insects, you can freeze them for the winter so that the flying squirrel has access to them all year round.
If the domestic diet of the flying squirrel is similar to the natural one, the animal will live longer and will be less likely to get sick. And these animals - notorious sweet tooth.In nature, they drink fruit juice, but at home it can be replaced with syrup.
Buying and care
Marsupial flying squirrels are not rare for pet stores and cost around 6,000 rubles. If there is still no animal in the pet store, you can make an order from people who sell them, or you can buy a flying dog through the Internet. Special sites are full of ads for individuals of different ages, and their price is sometimes even lower than at the pet store.
Before buying marsupials, it is necessary to attend to the arrangement of the enclosure. Lighthouses require a lot of space for jumping and planning. The cage should have branches, hills and ropes. These animals are poorly trained and difficult to develop habits. Therefore, once outside the cage, the flying squirrel can get stuck in some hole, for example, under furniture. It will be very difficult to get it back, and the animal will most likely resist these attempts furiously. And when the extraction process is over, nothing prevents the flying master from marking the savior with his secret. And being free the next time, she, not taught by previous experience, will again try to get into the same hole.Therefore, the flying must not be walked without supervision.
Also, do not forget that the marsupial flying squirrels are rather shy animals. If there are other pets in the house, then it is necessary that the process of dating takes place gradually, otherwise the animal is provided with stress. The marsupial flyers have a very high heart rate - 200-300 times per minute. Any nervous tension will affect their heart system is not the best way.
Supplementary Facts
- The female flyers have a leather bag on the abdomen, due to which the animals got their name.
- The female feeds the pups for 4 months, until they begin puberty.
- Marsupial flying squirrels can get depressed just like people.The causes of the disease are most often loneliness, lack of space and the fact that they have no one to communicate with. Therefore, the animal will be a bad choice for people spending all their time away from home.
Video: flying squirrel (Petaurus breviceps)
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