# African Pygmy Doormice



## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

hey i really like this species and i would love toown one, one day. but how do you care for them? any pics of cages ? can you keep them in vivs ? basic info needed please :notworthy:
Ismail


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## ForeverHams (Sep 9, 2008)

Hiya,

My pair currently live in the enclosure shown below, they will soon be moving into an exo-terra 45x45x30.









they arent really a handling pet, although i can pick mine up easily enough, they do get stressed out if picked up and grabbed repeatedly.

food wise they like small seeds, lots of fruit and will happily take mealworms and crickets. they cannot eat vegetables!


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## Mrs dirtydozen (Sep 5, 2008)

why cant they eat veg??


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## LyddicleaveBurrow (Aug 11, 2008)

Hi,

African Pygmy Dormice can't digest plant cellulose as they lack a caecum (a pouch in the alimentary canal between the small intestine and the colon).

Heather.


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## bassy 1019 (Sep 26, 2006)

would love to see a pic if poss


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## ForeverHams (Sep 9, 2008)

exactly what heather said, 
heres a few pictures of my APD's


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## bassy 1019 (Sep 26, 2006)

they look very nice, i bet they are fast! lol:flrt:


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## ophidianman (Sep 5, 2008)

bassy 1019 said:


> they look very nice, i bet they are fast! lol:flrt:


Yep. Super fast. I always lose at least one of ours when cleaning them out. Not that it's a problem as all you do is put a trip trap on top of the cage they've escaped from with a grape in. They always go back to see their cage mates and get caught again, generally very quickly.









adult.









baby


Ours are fed on a standard chipmunk / hamster food, food for insectivorous birds which I can never remember the name of, crickets and locusts and a mix of fresh fruit.




















They are housed in Exo Terra cages. We used to keep a group in a viv but found the humidity got too high. One slight downside is they are smelly, even with regular cleaning out. Not as smelly as Sugar Gliders though. They can be handled but only in daylight. If it's dark and they are active then forget it!!


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## Wolfsong (Apr 15, 2009)

We have two groups in the same setup as above right

They like the big square exo terras and lots to climb on!


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## bassy 1019 (Sep 26, 2006)

must add you have a very nice place for these animals, good on you!


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## reptismail (Nov 15, 2008)

what temps do they need and how much are they ?


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## ophidianman (Sep 5, 2008)

bassy 1019 said:


> must add you have a very nice place for these animals, good on you!


Why thank you very much Sir. We always try and give our pets/ animals as good a life and environment as we can while they are with us.


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## ophidianman (Sep 5, 2008)

reptismail said:


> what temps do they need and how much are they ?[/quote
> 
> Ours are kept in the living room and temperatures can range from 100 Fahrenheit on a (rare) hot sunny day down to 50-55 for short periods at night in the winter when the central heating is off. Given a wooden hide box and plenty of nesting material ( I use fresh hay and ripped up cotton balls) a group of APD will keep each other warm even though the air temperature is much lower.
> 
> Prices range from 25-45 pounds. Keep yer eye on the classified section.


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