African Pygmy Micro Squirrel Care

Shopping List:

• 18"x18"x24" All Glass ExoTerra Enclosure (Or something Similar)
• Food (See Diet Guide Below)
• Food & Water Dishes
• Kiln Dried Pine Shavings
• 2-3 Nests/Hides
• Dried/Baked Wood branches
• Treats
• Extra Snuggle Pouches
• Bonding Tent
  

What is a African Pygmy Micro Squirrel?
African Pygmy Dormice APD (Graphiurus Murinus) are aka African Pygmy Micro Squirrels APMS! They are nocturnal and measure around 5 -6 inches including tail. They are most active at dusk and dawn. They are also known as, African Dwarf Dormice, Woodland Dormouse, and sometimes Egyptian Dormouse. APMS belong to the family Gliridae and are closely related to rats and mice. Unlike mice, APMS have fur on the insides of their ears and on their bushy tails, which may be due to the need to conserve heat during hibernation. They are colony animals and must be kept with company of their own kind, although like many rodents territory disputes can and will happen from time to time; hence the need for several hides in the enclosure. They make a variety of chirping and bird-like sounds. APMS should NEVER be kept alone, but only in pairs or colonies, pairs may be shyer and less active than a larger colony. APMS average 4-6 years of age, but have been reported to live up to 8 years in captivity.

APMS are exotic rodents that are relatively new to the pet trade here in Canada, so they can have a high price tag; ranging from $250 - $1000 depending on breeder, location and colour morph. Private breeders are likely to have more knowledge than your average pet shop, and you do not run the risk of supporting rodent mills. APMS has several special needs when it comes to the enclosure, diet and husbandry. Squirrels are NOT a good option for young children under 10. They need extra work to be handleable and may not tame completely or quickly.

African Pygmy Micro Squirrels are EXTREMELY hard to determine gender, there are very subtle hints towards male or female. Once the males reach sexual maturity they are a bit more "full" in the tail area and may have less fur.

Care & Looking After Your New African Pygmy Micro Squirrels

Enclosure:
African Pygmy Squirrel enclosures should be a large vivarium, as they are arboreal; it is suggested no smaller than a 20 gallon tank (the larger the better) for a small colony. Other options are Repti-breeze chameleon enclosure & 18x18x24" Exo-terra terrarium, these will house 2-4 APMS adequately. They are extremely active and need plenty of climbing material, natural enrichment such as branches and logs, as well as plenty of hides and nesting sites (1 per Squirrel). Branches can be taken straight from woods (avoid roadside collecting). Trim the dry branches to size, be sure to use good quality woods for your setup. Before use, 1st place them in the oven for around 20 minutes to remove any parasites to make sure they're safe for rodent use. Your setup will need as many nest boxes as animals in your habitat, to reduce territorial disputes. Amazon sells many nesting box options with small entrances-holes and multi-chambered, as well as suspended hollowed out coconuts which are favoured by keepers. However, do bear in mind that there will be occasions when you may need access to these nests in order to clean them; especially for a new pair or new colony. The hides will also aid in territorial disputes that occur in larger colonies.

Your enclosure needs to be kept at a minimum temperature of 70°F and up to 80° to prevent them entering a state of torpor. Also, be sure to note that the tank lid should be secure, as they can be escape artists at times. There are no known issues using screen enclosures; they don't seem to chew it, but they do love running all over it. A solid plastic or wooden wheel is great for exercise and a necessity. As for the substrate, I recommend 2" of Kiln dried pine or paper based bedding. I always recommend to freeze all bedding to avoid issues or mite outbreaks. Alternative substrates would be coconut husk or regular Aspen shavings. AVOID using Cedar or bedding with colour dyes, as these can cause respiratory issues. I have found that if given a small bowl with sand in it that they will use it for a litter box! Not every time, but quite a few of them end up in the sand bowl!

Diet:
APMS need a VERY varied diet; including provisions made for nectar (fruit Baby food works well!). Live food such as crickets, mealworms and fly larvae can also be introduced and provide vital natural enrichment. They love their fruits, which should be given daily in small quantity to avoid an obesity. Citrus fruits are NOT approved, but the following are: apples, bananas, blueberries, cherries, mango, melon, papaya, pear, persimmon and tomato. Dried fruit is often ignored, so fresh fruit is best. You can choose to chop fresh fruits or there is the alternative utilizing organic baby food (Fruit only) Just be sure to change every other day, to keep fresh. You can provide a nice quality hamster/gerbil food mix that can comprise of items such as hemp, millet, linseed, macadamias, maize, nygerseed, oatmeal, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, rolled oats, safflower, sunflower seeds together with finch/parakeet seed base. Fennel seed can be added to reduce the smell of urine. Millet sprays can be hung from your enclosure as well, for enrichment. Scientist say APMS CANNOT digest plant cellulose, the material of plant cell walls, fibre such as wood, plant leaves and stalks. Remember to place food somewhere high up where it is less likely to be fouled and change the dishes as needed. Although they get a lot of moisture from their fresh fruit, you must supply a source of water in either a dish or bowl.  Quality cat kibble should also be added into their food mix. You can also offer boiled or scrambled eggs, small amounts of boiled chicken, salmon or tuna (in spring water preferred) into their dietary regimen. Mealworms, monkey nuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds are great as a treat to assist with taming or simply bonding. Honey soaked seed bars suitable for parakeets and cuttle bones are also a great enrichment tools to be added into any habitat.

Remember: Scientists say they cannot digest vegetable matter as they lack a cecum, however several keepers have fed mixed veggies consisting of carrot, peas, corn and green beans with success. We however stick with the Scientists with our recommendations, to avoid veggies.

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Handling:
Handling your African Pygmy Micro Squirrel often and from a young age is essential to establish a nice hand-tame Squirrel. We recommend you use a tent to begin with, until you and your APMS have established a comfortable bond. Pouches offer an alternative bonding method as well, just use caution as they are still very tiny creatures and you'll want to ensure it has plenty of ventilation. Gently scoop up your APMS and allow them to climb on you and have free roam, maybe even hide in your shirt pockets. Scooping them is the ideal method. Use gentle touch and strokes to adapt your APMS to being handled. Hand feeding treats (See Diet Post) can be a welcoming commodity as well. NEVER grab your APMS, this can lead to an unwanted nip/bite into your hand, but also distrust of you. NEVER grab your APMS by the tail, as they have the ability to drop/slip their tails off. This is a defence mechanism they use in the wild to escape their predators. However, DO NOT PANIC as they will heal up just fine.

Behaviour:
African Pygmy Micro Squirrel behaviour is agile, quick and very curious! They are inquiring creatures who are hugely active at dusk and dawn. This means they need a great deal of enrichment, nests, climbing and places to hide to reduce the risks of fighting and to avoid inducing unnecessary stress. APMS are generally a shy, however can grow to become more confident and familiar with humans through regular interaction. This is why daily bonding, touching and handling from a young age is crucial. This will vary from animal to animal with some being simply too swift and shy to tame for handling. Those that can be handled will prefer to climb all over their human, sit or sleep in their hands and hide in pockets and are unlikely to stay still for long. Bonding pouches or pockets can be used for bonding purposes; though care must be taken to avoid injury from their small size and speed. APMS that are not keen on being touched, may be happy simply by taking food from familiar hands. They are extremely curious and do seem fascinated by voices; so have a conversation with them as they will listen! Do not be concerned if your Squirrel pauses for longer periods of time at once - this is part of being a prey animal since movements would attract the attention of predators. APMS may become quite lethargic in daytime, becoming more active at dusk and dawn. They will conceal signs of illness very well, and often you will only see the very end stages of a problem. You should therefore keep an eye out for any significant changes in behaviour, coat condition, and injuries. Territory disputes can be brutal; you should always ensure you have a spare habitat to separate animals into if needed. Always ideal to have an Exotic animal veterinarian, in case of emergency.
If your APMS is cold to the touch however, it may be in a state of torpor. This means that the temperature is too low, (68* Fahrenheit 20* Celsius or Lower) and it believes it needs to conserve its own body fat due to a lack of available food. If this is the case, warm up your Squirrel utilizing the warmth of hands, by simply cupping your hands around them. You can also use a heating pad indirectly, space heater or heat lamps. Once warmed, its crucial to have fresh water, honey/syrup mix to bring your Squirrel's glucose levels back up, that were depleted when reducing its body temperature. APMS can DIE from this state, so it is important to ensure you keep their environment at a warm enough temperature. APMS should have plenty of bedding, as well as access to food and water.

Vocals:
African Pygmy Micro Squirrels sounds include an insect-like clicking, an inquiring 'thrumming' sound, and a sharp bark when distressed. Babies will make a faint click/zipping noise or high pitched clicking noise when distressed.

Sexing:
African Pygmy Micro Squirrels reach sexual maturity around 4-5 months and are one of the hardest rodents to sex. The best method to sexing your squirrels is to place them in a see-through jar or container that they cannot escape from. The best age for identifying sex is 15 weeks. The space between the genital and anal openings is greater in the male than the female. In the centre of the genital vents the female has a dot and the male has a more button-shape - similar to Guinea Pigs. At 10-12 weeks males will have a notable skin patch and protrusion at the base of their tails, where their testicles are. At 10-12 weeks a female will not have a skin patch or will have a very small one, however will not have a bulge at the tail base. Once they are sexually mature 15/18 weeks; the males have large testicular bulges under their tails making this much easier to identify. Female APMS have prominent nipples if pregnant or lactating, blowing on belly fur may help reveal this for young Squirrels.

Introducing New African Pygmy Squirrels:
Introducing new APMS to one another is best done on neutral territory. Things to help the introduction include:

• Change all bedding and clean all nests and alter the layout for them.
• Make sure you have plenty of food and initially setup multiple feeding stations and numerous nests and hides.
• A deep layer of bedding can be a good way of diffusing fighting.
• Distracting food treats things like live crickets or millet sprays.
• Your new APMS may nest alone for a few nights, but this is normal. In my past experiences It has been found that it can be difficult to integrate established family groups. It has been found that the young and adolescents may be readily accepted, but not the adults.
  
• Sometimes APMS personalities simply do not match up. sometimes females will not accept any other females, other than her own daughters in the past.
  
• Always make sure you have a spare and secure enclosure, so you are prepared for territorial disputes. I could not emphasize enough the importance of having spare enclosures!
• Keep a close eye on your colony, so that you are aware if you need to separate your Squirrels.
• TAKE ALL PRECAUTIONS!