Rodentia 08 - Raccoons

Rodentia 08 - Raccoons

Guinea pig outdoor enclosure
Rat seniors
Cage design for chinchillas

Contents:

The cover story of the new RODENTIA is the raccoon. The brilliantly illustrated photo story by RODENTIA editor Christian Ehrlich shows the cute little fellows in all their facets. And, of course, the author introduces the systematics and biology of the small bears, which have now also established themselves as new residents in our forests and cities.

This article by Ingo Bartussek, which is also highly interesting from a cultural and historical point of view, is dedicated to the triumphal march of the raccoon: Raccoons: A New Citizen Conquers the Old World is the title of his article. The author explains what the strange name of the raccoon (also in many other languages!) is actually all about, goes into the fate of the animals as involuntary fur suppliers and reveals how the raccoon was able to make the giant leap across the pond and spread so quickly in this country. And finally, Bartussek offers exciting insights into the private lives of the fluffy little bears – the fascinating photos alone are a feast for the eyes!

In her article The bear in my life – keeping and breeding raccoons, Dana Nährig shows that it is not only possible to care for and breed these charming little bears under species-appropriate conditions, but that they are also a lot of fun. The two raccoon babies taken in as orphans quickly took their place in the author's life. You should not miss her exciting experiences with the animals and the description of the beautiful breeding success!


An absolute dream destination for every nature lover: Borneo – island of dwarves and giants. Dr Eckehard Grimmberger takes you on a journey to the third largest island in the world and whisks you away to the tropical atmosphere of the steaming lowland rainforest with its incredible abundance of species. In addition to such extraordinary animals as the lantern-bearer cicada, the flying frog or the hornbill, Borneo also has plenty of mammalian delicacies to offer. You can read about these fascinating species in this report!

One of the most important aspects in the keeping of small mammals is certainly the species-appropriate cage – a topic that RODENTIA has already addressed several times. This time, Gisela Lenski writes about an imaginative chinchilla cage design. Her tip for success: tubes and branches for a natural cage atmosphere. The author describes in detail how you can transform a cage desert into a thriving chinchilla paradise with simple means and how the animals reward this with their varied behaviour. If you want to give your chinchillas the best possible care, this article is simply a must-read!

And since, as mentioned, the form of husbandry is of the utmost importance, here is another excellent suggestion: Gina Alt's article is all about beautiful living... Natural outdoor enclosures for guinea pigs. The author imagined what a guinea pig would want its home to look like and set up a suitable outdoor enclosure – with great success! Here you can find out in detail how to design such an outdoor enclosure and what you should definitely think about.

So that the friends of coloured mice don't miss out and because all good things come in threes, here as the next example of an imaginative form of husbandry is a surprising and very creative idea of how to provide your small rodents with a species-appropriate environment including an adventure playground: "Little house with plot" for the mouse. This article by Ingrid Rogalla is about keeping coloured mice in an open environment. The author describes everything that goes to make up such a mouse castle, how to plan and set it up and its immense advantages, but does not conceal possible disadvantages – an extremely practical article, just typical of RODENTIA.

The best way to keep your animals healthy is to care for them optimally and not give diseases a chance in the first place. This also includes regularly checking them for early symptoms of illness, as serious diseases are all too often detected too late – with fatal consequences. Rodent TÜV – The daily and weekly health check by Christian Ehrlich shows you what you need to look out for. With these tips from the RODENTIA editor, you too can make sure your pets stay healthy!

Finally, our science report deals with marmots from the Ice Age. Daniela C. Kalthoff reports astonishing facts about the friendly rodents, which in those days still inhabited the plains. From fossils of Ice Age marmots, the author reconstructs the former distribution areas and introduces forms that are now extinct. From the remains found, it is even possible to reconstruct the animals' way of life – an exciting article for all true rodent fans!


The ever-popular RODENTIA sections are of course included in this issue, from New on the Market to Dates, Tips, Classifieds and the poster (this time with the golden spiny mouse) to Advice & Action or the adventures of the editorial prairie dog Snickers