How long does a weasel live? The graceful animal weasel: a pet or a fierce enemy? Range, habitats

Squad - Predators

Family - Musteluns

Genus/Species - Mustela nivalis

Basic data and description:

LASKA. ANIMAL SIZES

Body length: 13-28 cm.

Tail length: no more than 9 cm.

Weight: males - up to 115 g, females - up to 69 g.

REPRODUCTION

Puberty: from 1 year.

Mating season: no data.

Pregnancy: 34-37 days.

Number of cubs: 3-10, usually 4-7.

Number of litters: for 1 year.

LIFESTYLE

Habits: weasels are brave and curious animals; They usually hunt at night; They prefer to stay alone.

What it eats:, mice, birds and eggs.

Weasel lifespan: in nature - 1-2 years, in the life expectancy of an animal at home - up to 10 years.

RELATED SPECIES

Ermine, American and European mink.

Hand caress. Video

The weasel belongs to the weasel family. This animal is so small that in pursuit of prey, mainly mice and voles, it can even penetrate their burrows. The weasel kills its victims by gnawing their necks, and then uses their holes as temporary shelters.

WEASEL (ANIMAL) WHAT DOES IT EAT?

Weasels primarily feed on voles. But they can also catch animals larger than themselves, such as a rabbit. Each animal protects its own hunting territory, the size of which depends on the number of mice and voles.

With amazing dexterity, the weasel exterminates mice and voles, chasing them even in burrows and shelters and, on occasion, killing more than it can eat. Places where there are many mice are usually very densely populated by weasels.

In years when the number of rodents increases, the number of weasels increases accordingly. If the number of mice decreases, weasels produce very few offspring. These animals also hunt water voles and can climb trees, where they look for chicks or bird eggs in nests. Weasels usually hunt at night.

LIFESTYLE AND DESCRIPTION

The weasel lives in areas where populations of mice and voles are particularly abundant. Weasels are found in fields, among bushes, in overgrown clearings, and forest edges.

In the north of its range, the weasel is significantly less numerous than the ermine, but in the south, on the contrary, there are noticeably more weasels. The extent of the territories occupied by weasels depends on the amount of food. The area of the hunting area of the male weasel is about 4 hectares; the areas of the females are smaller and at times overlap with the allotments of the males. Animals mark their hunting grounds with secretions from scent glands located under their tails. Females do not leave their site all year. Males in the spring during mating season they go looking for a partner. Weasels take over the burrows of other animals.

Sometimes these small predatory animals chase and kill rabbits, but this happens less frequently than with stoats. Weasels move in short leaps and often stand on their hind legs to look around.

BREEDING WEASKS

The reproduction biology of weasels has not yet been studied well. It is known that pregnant females are caught both in summer and winter. Males and females form pairs only for the duration of mating. Pregnancy in weasels lasts from 34 days to 7-8 weeks. A litter can have from 3 to 10 babies. Their numbers increase in years of high mouse numbers. The female feeds the cubs with milk for 8 weeks. After this, the family stays together for another 1-2 weeks. Then the female begins to drive away the cubs.

WATCHING THE WEASEL

Weasel is the tiniest animal from the order of carnivores. Outwardly, it is very similar to an ermine, but smaller than it; in addition, the weasel's tail does not have a black tip. The back of the weasel is light brown in color, and the belly is white or yellowish. The tail is short. In winter, in the north of its range, the animal dresses in a snow-white coat. The weasel lives in places where there are many mouse-like rodents, but only in the absence of its competitor, the ermine. She often scampers in tall grass among bushes or over rocks. Sometimes the weasel rises on its hind legs to carefully look around. The weasel is not a timid animal and does not shy away from meeting people. If you are unexpectedly lucky enough to meet her in the forest, you must behave quietly and try not to make sudden movements. If a weasel notices a person, it lets go of its victim, runs away and hides. But if you quiet down for a few minutes, you can see how she returns for her prey. Sometimes it is possible to attract affection by imitating the sounds that a baby rabbit makes - a quiet squeak.

GENERAL PROVISIONS AND DESCRIPTION

Weasel is the smallest predatory animal on Earth. The length of the weasel including the tail is only 17-32 cm. The largest weasels weigh only 100 g. It lives in Eurasia, Northern and Central Asia, North America And North Africa.

The weasel is an avid fighter of mice and other small rodents. She looks for them not only on the ground, but also underground, in their own burrows. The weasel even stores mice for the winter. This animal swims well, but almost never climbs trees. In the winter she puts on a white fur coat. Babies are born in a nest under the roots of trees and bushes or in holes left by mice.

The weasel's favorite food is mice and voles, thanks to which, by hunting these pests, the weasel brings enormous benefits to humans.
The weasel's hole can be found by all sorts of pieces of prey scattered near the entrance. Of course, first of all, these are the paws and tails of the animals she has eaten.
In summer, the weasel's back is light brown and its belly is white. In winter in the north, the animal changes its fur coat to a snow-white one.
The weasel's scent glands, located under its tail, secrete a secretion that smells the same as the secretion secreted by a ferret.
Female weasels are so tiny that in the past they were even considered a separate species.

ANIMAL WEASEL – WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

The weasel is similar to the ermine, but smaller. It has a thin, elongated, surprisingly flexible body with a rather short tail without a black tip (the ermine has a black tail tip). In summer, the back of the weasel is light brown, the belly is white or yellowish, in winter the entire animal is snow-white.

The male is larger than the female. The length of its body without a tail sometimes reaches 28 cm, weight 115 g.

The length of the female without a tail is about 20 cm, and the weight is 69 g.

- Weasel range

WHERE DOES THE WEASEL LIVE?

Distributed throughout Europe (it is not found only in Ireland), it is also found in North Africa, most of Asia, and North America. It is not available in some areas of the Far North and deserts Central Asia. Introduced to New Zealand.

SAVE

Weasel populations are not in danger of extinction, but the number of animals in the vicinity settlements is shrinking. The weasel is under protection.

Weasel - a brave little robber

Weasel, or common weasel(from Latin Mustela nivalis) - carnivorous mammal of the weasel family, a species of the genus weasel and ferret (Mustela). In the CIS there are 8 subspecies of the common weasel:

Northern weasel Mustela nivalis nivalis - lives in northern and middle parts Eastern Europe, in the steppes Western Siberia and from southern Siberia to the Pacific Ocean.

Southern weasel M. n. vulgaris is widespread in Western Europe and in the southern part former USSR, with the exception of Crimea.

Crimean weasel M. n. nikolskii inhabits Crimea and adjacent parts of Ukraine.

Greater Caucasian weasel M. n. dinniki and the lesser Caucasian weasel M. n. caucasica - characteristic of the Caucasus and Transcaucasia.

Turkestan weasel M. n. pallida lives in the mountains of Central Asia, the Tien Shan, Pamir and Kopet-Dag.

Siberian (tundra) weasel M. n. pygmaea - inhabits the Russian Far East. It is very small in size with a short tail. The summer fur of the back is pale brownish, with a dull rusty tint.

From Latin weasel is translated as “snowy”. Comes from the Slavic laska “love, affection”. Related to lasy - “affectionate, flattering, greedy, greedy for delicacies.” Further here is the lat. Lasc-vus - “playful, playful; unbridled, voluptuous."

Lives on all continents Northern Hemisphere. Range: Europe, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Asia Minor, northern Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, China, Korean Peninsula, Japan, North America, Australia. Lives in fields and forests, in mountainous and lowland areas, without avoiding populated areas. Settles under stones, in hollows, ruins, burrows, barns.

Weasel is the smallest representative of the order of carnivores. Body length is 10-25 cm, tail about 5 cm. Weasel weighs 50-100 grams. The body of the weasel is thin, flexible, elongated, with very short legs armed with sharp claws. On a long powerful neck, an oblong narrow head, with small rounded ears. The weasel has a cute, blunt muzzle, a sharp, mustachioed nose at the end that is blunt and slightly forked, and shiny, beady eyes. The tail is short, at the base there are musk glands that secrete bad smell. The structure of the long, flexible body and the color of the fur are very similar to the ermine, but it differs in its small size and shorter, monochromatic tail; it does not have a black tassel on the tail.

The weasel's fur is short and close-fitting. The density of the fur is the same in summer and winter, but the summer coat is shorter and thinner than the winter coat. Summer weasel fur is dark brown to the color of baked milk. Throat, chest, belly, edge upper lip and the inner surface of the paws is pure white. Behind the corners of the mouth there is a sharp border dark spots. In autumn, in cold regions, the weasel changes its brown summer outfit to snow-white winter fur; only the eyes and nose remain black. Only in the southern regions of its habitat, where there is very little snow, the animal does not change the color of its coat.

The weasel's fur, unlike many other mustelids, has no industrial or hunting value, so it is not currently hunted. Weasels only accidentally fall into traps or traps when hunting other animals - stoats, polecats, minks, moles. Previously, in the post-war period of the 20th century, the weasel was considered a valuable fur-bearing animal; from 3 to 20 thousand weasel skins were harvested every year.

The weasel is very dexterous and agile, runs fast, climbs and swims well, is distinguished by great courage and bloodthirstiness and is a dangerous enemy for all small animals. Its ability to crawl through the narrowest cracks and holes is its main strength.

Weasel is an extraordinary pet

Today, the relationship between weasels and people is quite complex. On the one hand, she is disliked for her penchant for brazen robberies and robberies, on the other hand, she is respected for her ability to quickly exterminate rodents. It is curious that if she settles next to a person, she never causes damage to her immediate “owner”. But all the neighbors in the area suffer from her daring pranks. However, if the poultry houses are sufficiently well protected (there are no cracks, holes or windows in them), then the weasel switches to house mice and rats, which greatly helps the local residents.

They drive the weasel away from the farm plot by introducing a goat or buck into the barnyard. Like any underground animal, the weasel reacts sensitively to earthquakes. Therefore, it is enough to install a couple of windmills that transmit vibrations to the ground through a pole. Along the way, such a device will protect the area from moles, shrews, the same rats and mice. In summer, you can also stick mole repellers and all sorts of vibrators into the ground.

The weasel is a very aggressive animal, known for its bloodthirstiness and daring robberies in human households. It is interesting that nature has endowed such courage in a tiny and cute animal. Despite its small size, the weasel has earned the reputation of a robber. Weasels have many enemies: wolves, foxes, badgers, raccoon dogs, hawks, golden eagles, owls and eagle owls - they all dream of feasting on the nimble animal. However, the agile and toothy beauty does not give up without a fight: she is capable of tearing out the throat of her offender, deftly escaping from his clutches at the last second.

When meeting a person, the weasel is not at all afraid, but rather takes an aggressive stance. If you approach her, she will attack without hesitation. More than once, the weasel itself attacked a person, and freeing oneself from the sharp teeth of this small animal is not so easy. It seems that the weasel holds the record for hooligan antics among animals. In a word, the weasel is a real robber who attacks everyone he meets.

Weasels are quite easy to tame, especially in early age. Unfortunately, most of them die in captivity. But there are cases when weasels live 4-6 years. Hand caresses, unlike their wild relatives, fully justify their name. They are very curious, affectionate and true friends. They sleep with people, play with cats and dogs, and some of them never leave their owner’s side. One Englishman was even forced to take his weasel to work with him, because, you see, she did not want to be left alone. She is such a sweet, cunning, kind and very cute little animal, quite living up to her name.

In ancient Rome and early medieval Europe, the weasel was a domestic animal because it hunted mice. The weasel is very dexterous and agile, runs fast, climbs trees and swims well, is distinguished by great courage and aggressiveness, and is a dangerous enemy for all small animals. Weasels in huge quantities, up to 2-3 thousand per year, exterminate mouse-like rodents, thereby bringing great benefits to nature and humans. However, due to the poor tameability of weasels and, in to a greater extent, with the appearance in Europe of the gray rat, which was difficult for the weasel to cope with, it was replaced as a protector of reserves in this role by other animals - ferrets (ferret), cats and genets.

Weasel is an amazing affectionate animal

In the old days, many superstitions and prejudices were associated with affection. In some places it was believed that she brought happiness to the house, while in others she was treated very poorly. Among many Slavic and other peoples, weasel is revered as the guardian of the home:

“There is a little weasel in every house. She loves animals very much, and comes to the house precisely because of them. She braids the manes of horses and runs on the backs of cows. However, if he doesn’t like the animal, he’ll tickle him.”

“The weasel, the little weasel, or the vixen is a mythical beast, a brownie. In the old days they believed that the weasel was the same brownie who, in addition to everything else, looked after the livestock.”

Also in Sicily they ask the weasel living next door not to strangle the chickens: “Little weasel, little weasel, don’t touch the hens, and I’ll marry you as soon as I have the opportunity.” If you are a woman, I will give you the king’s son, if you are a peasant, I will give you the king’s daughter.”

Among many Slavic and other peoples, the weasel is highly revered as a guardian of the home. Montenegrins, in order to lure the weasel, bring a nest with its cubs into the house. In Bosnia they believe that if a weasel leaves a house where it has lived for many years, it means bad luck for the house.

According to some beliefs, the soul of the mistress is embodied in the weasel, and the soul of the owner is embodied in the snake. Therefore, no one should kill them. Among the Slavs of the Zile Valley, the most feared thing is to kill the white weasel. For Estonians, affection is a sign of happiness. “Each farm has its own weasel.” Among the many beliefs about weasel, there are those in which it helps a person become rich. The Poles of Old Sącz believe that if you call “Mistress Weasel” several times, she will appear, fawn on the person and show the treasure. The Greeks believe that as a reward for treating her well, the weasel finds enchanted money and takes it into the house. Polish Jews have a belief that whoever has a weasel on their bed will be rich.

Weasel is the patroness of livestock, especially horses. In eastern Polesie there is a custom in Maundy Thursday go with a blessed Thursday candle to the barn to see the weasel there and, by its color, determine what color the cattle should be kept. In Ukraine, Belarus and Poland they believe that cattle breed in the same color as the weasel. “It’s lassi, it’s bad behavior there,” say the Rusyns of Galicia. Finding a dead weasel among Estonians means bad luck with livestock. In the Minsk region it was believed that weasels protected livestock from witches. They tell how in one village all the livestock died because a weasel was being chased there.

Ukrainians of Pokuttya believe that “a caress will bring happiness if it comes to the house for the winter.” The Poles and French believe that the weasel brings only happiness to the house, and if it is killed, the weasel's brood will eat all the hats in the house and poison the food. Among all the animals, no one kills weasels and swallows, say the Hutsuls. The Hutsuls also do not kill weasels, fearing revenge from their relatives.

Weasels cannot be beaten, but the way a person breathes on them can cause them to die, they say in the Lviv region. Lasochka is such a little mouse, a little black animal, and little white below, say the Belarusians. Lasochka is like a kitten, they say in the Zhytomyr region. “Lasochka is God’s mitten with right hand, the little weasel is a goddamn little ticket.”

In ancient beliefs, a woman often appears under the guise of a caress - a fairy, sorceress, witch or seductress, a bride or a young married woman, depending on the circumstances. The word itself literally conveys the nature of female charms used to distract attention and achieve the desired result.

Aesop's fable tells how Aphrodite turned a weasel into a girl in love with a boy so that they could get married. But during the wedding, the bride saw a mouse, chased it and turned back into a weasel. In Spain, in Catalonia, there is a belief that if you see a weasel and tell it “you are beautiful,” it puffs up, bulges, turning into a person, thereby showing its joy in every possible way. Good word, as they say, even affection is pleasant.

The Greeks, in order to protect their daughter’s dowry from affection, persuade her: “Lasochka, we will give you gold and silver, we will give you a husband so that you can get married, have your own house and become a housewife.” The Greeks put a spindle with yarn in the house where the weasel settled, since “she loved to spin while she was still a girl.” Greek legend says that a girl who loved to spin turned into a weasel.

Among the Hutsuls, weasel is dedicated to St. Catherine's Day - November 25 (old style), because weasel is the patroness of spinners and marriages. It is believed that the appearance of affection helps a woman giving birth. As you know, a weasel ran past Alcmene, who could not give birth, and caused the birth of Hercules. According to another belief, Hera turned the servant of Hercules’ mother into a weasel because she helped the future hero give birth successfully.

Serbs believe that if you don’t give a pregnant woman what she asks for, the weasel will gnaw through that person’s clothes. It is believed that a child under whose cradle a caress ran will be healthy.

The southern and western Slavs have this epic: mowers, plowmen and reapers, while working in the field, find a weasel nest, and in order not to damage it, they move it to another place. The weasel, not finding its cubs, pours poisonous saliva into vessels with water, but when it learns that the mowers are moving the nest to its original place, it overturns all these vessels so as not to poison people. She never does evil in vain.

In European fairy tales, a treacherous woman appears in the form of a fluffy weasel, trying to seduce or throw off the hunter's scent. In Serbia they say that if a hunter shoots a weasel, the bullet will turn around and hit him. It is also said to protect people from snake bites.

Weasels should not be offended; they may gnaw off eyebrows or hair at night. If you tease a weasel, it will spit in your eyes and the person will go blind. In some parts of Europe, there is a rooted belief that the bite of a weasel is considered paralyzing.

Weasel is a kind brownie. What color she is - that’s how they choose the cattle, the dog, the cat, and sometimes the bride. They address her: “Welcome, my sweetheart, welcome, my daughter-in-law.”

Weasel is a symbol of intuition; it helps to easily distinguish between lies and truth, and to understand people’s actions. Weasel is chosen as a mascot by those who lack attentiveness, acuity of sensations and reaction.

Among other things, weasels are a famous mouse killer. In different regions of Bulgaria, when they want to get rid of rodents in the house, they invite weasels “to the wedding.” Serbs believe that the weasel can exterminate mice in an original way - it inflates them and they burst. Among Estonians, those people are happy that they saw affection. In Thebes, the weasel was revered as a sacred animal.

In the old days, there was a legend that at night the brownie tormented the horses standing in the stable - he braided their manes, and sometimes brought them into a “white sweat.” They fought with the brownie: in the stable they kept a goat, which supposedly was afraid of evil spirits. It turned out that the brownie is none other than a weasel. Weasels are often found near human habitation if there is food for it there. She runs along the necks and backs of horses, who are terrified of her, try to throw her off and sweat a lot as a result. The weasel, clinging to the mane so as not to fall, licks off the sweat, receiving the necessary mineral salts. There is a belief that a weasel can get into an elk's ear and bite it to death.

It is not clear where this name came from, because it is difficult to call Laska a gentle animal - although it is small, it is an agile and ferocious predator.

The Weasel balances its modest size (body length hardly exceeds 25 cm) with unprecedented body flexibility, agility and speed.

What does Laska look like?

The Weasel's fur is a uniform reddish-brown color, only the neck and belly are painted white. With the onset of cold weather it grows new fur coat with a long white pile - this is not only salvation from winter frosts, but also excellent camouflage, allowing Laska to be invisible against the backdrop of snowdrifts. This is where the Latin name for Weasels comes from - Mustela nivalis - which translates as " snowy".

Strong, short paws with sharp claws allow Weasel to climb trees well and tear apart mouse holes, but she has to move by jumping, arching her back high, and to look around, she has to stand on her hind legs and look out from behind the tall grass.

Where does Laska live?

Weasel does not have a permanent shelter; it uses secluded places to rest: rock crevices, spaces between roots and thickets of bushes; it rarely climbs trees.

Weasel widespread in the Northern Hemisphere. It can be found in forests, in open areas among bushes, and in overgrown clearings, in the tundra, steppes, and alpine meadows.

What does Weasel eat?

Weasel is not at all whimsical in choosing habitats; the main condition for Weasel’s residence is an abundance of food: voles are the basis for a healthy Weasel food, although she can diversify her diet with gape birds, bird eggs, large rodents, lizards and frogs, fish, and even snakes and rabbits, Weasel does not disdain insects.

Weasel Habits

In ancient times it was believed that meeting with Laska brings misfortune and such a belief did not appear out of nowhere. The weasel is a curious and impudent animal, it is not at all afraid of people and can easily steal a piece of kebab or a catch caught while fishing - it will do this quickly, efficiently and unnoticed. Her tricks are so quick and sudden that you don’t even have time to get angry.
There was also the opposite opinion that Caress brings happiness and good luck. Weasel in a short period of time is capable of exterminating a large population of rodents that cause considerable harm agriculture- thus it brings invaluable benefits to humans.

Laski's Lifestyle

The weasel can be active at any time of the day, but prefers to hunt at night.
With the onset of evening twilight Weasel goes hunting, her long slender body allows her to easily get into mouse holes, and her sharp claws easily cope with larger game.
With quick and deft movements, Weasel explores its hunting grounds, running more than 1 km per day.

IN winter time year, Weasel prefers to move in voids under thick snow, and if a lot of snow has fallen, it may not appear on the surface for a long time.
Weasel is very prudent and thrifty beast, in good time she stocks up, putting mouse carcasses in a secluded place - such a stash will be useful to her in times of famine.

The area of Weasel's hunting area depends on the number of rodents that live on it: if there is enough food, Weasel can live in a small area for a long time, and when there is less food, it moves to places richer in food.

Each Weasel marks its territory a special odorous substance that is secreted by glands located under the tail. Weasels do not tolerate neighbors and when they meet each other they start a fight with squealing and showdown. Occasionally, the hunting grounds of a male and female may overlap along the perimeter

Reproduction of Weasels

The biorhythms of Weasels are closely related to the number of voles - the main food of Weasels: if there is a lot of food, then Weasels will produce offspring without interruption, 3-4 litters per year, and the number of puppies in a litter increases to 10 pieces, instead of the usual 4-5 puppies .
But if there is not enough food, then the number of puppies in the litter is reduced, and the number of pregnancies per year decreases.

Usually Weasel breeding season occurs at the end of spring, the male can run far beyond the boundaries of his territory in search of girlfriends. Having mated with one female, he goes in search of a new one, not participating in caring for the babies and completely avoiding paternal responsibilities.

Weasel's pregnancy lasts a little more than a month, 30-35 days.
Before the puppies are born, Weasel mother builds a cozy nest, which it places in a hollow, between the roots of trees, as well as in other people's holes, from which Laska drives the residents out. Weasel himself does not know how to dig holes. Weasel lines the floor and walls of the nest with dry grass, leaves, wool and moss - in such a nest children will be warm and safe, because they are born blind and helpless and weigh about 1.5 g.

For the first weeks of life, babies feed on mother's milk and remain in the nest. Only when they are fully strengthened do they begin to leave the nest and follow their mother, learn to eat adult food and acquire hunting skills.
3-4 months after birth, babies become completely independent from their mother and independent.

The smallest furry predatory animal- this is a caress. Possessing a completely calm appearance and a kind look, he also has aggressive qualities. He is a mouse hunter, which is where he got his name from Latin.

Hand caress

Long gone are the days when people kept familiar pets such as cats and dogs at home. The animal weasel, a description of which can be found in almost any special sources, is not tame by nature. But the growing interest in everything new and unusual is forcing people to acquire various exotic animals and tame them. Almost any representative of the animal world is successfully kept at home by many exotic lovers, as this is at the peak of popularity today. If you start taming animals from infancy, then a predator such as a weasel will become your favorite pet. The animal at home shows very friendly feelings towards humans. It willingly sleeps in the same bed with its owner, has difficulty leaving him even for a short period of time, and actively plays with other pets. A tamed weasel can live up to 7 years, while in the wild, due to constant danger, she only lives for about a year.

Weasel appearance

According to their own external characteristics The weasel is very similar to the ermine and has an elongated and very flexible body. The size of the weasel animal in length varies between 18-28 centimeters, including the tail. Moreover, the length of the latter does not exceed 9 centimeters. The weight of an adult can range from 40-115 grams.

The weasel's fur is short, close-fitting and silky. The length of the hair is approximately 1 centimeter.

Depending on the season, weasel fur tends to change its color. The picture below shows a snow-white weasel (animal). The photo was taken in the winter season. Here the animal is completely white.

At other times of the year, its color changes to brownish-brown. Only the color of the lower body remains unchanged - this unique feature available from limited quantity predators, one of which is the weasel (animal). The photo shows that the paws on the inside, abdominal area, chest and throat are preserved white, and the rest of the skin has a brown tint.

Weasel habits

The weasel animal is quite dexterous and agile, and is distinguished by courage and audacity. In order to hunt rodents, it adapts to almost any living conditions, overcomes bodies of water without any difficulties, and deftly penetrates various holes and crevices. It exhibits the greatest vital activity during twilight and at night, but does not lead quiet life activities during the day, being on the move most of the time, exploring its own territory for the presence of tasty prey. Prefers to be in an artificially protected space rather than in an open area. During an approaching danger, the weasel animal will stubbornly defend its nesting site, while risking its own life. When urgently needed, it carries its cubs to a safe place, and if attacked, it can gnaw the throat of even a larger predator.

What to feed your weasel at home

Living in nature, weasels literally hunt for their food, that is, they do not just get it among forested and desert riches, but chase after it. In order to provide themselves with food, they catch various mouse-like rodents and frogs, so domestic weasels are animals that need to be provided with a diet as similar as possible to the one they adhere to while living in the wild. Also on the animal's menu natural conditions there is poultry meat - larks, chickens, pigeons, as well as various seafood that is washed ashore by the surf, for example small fish. The weasel needs such portions that it can get enough of its fill in one meal. On average, the animal's daily food intake is approximately 30-40 grams. In addition to animal products, weasels can be fed with special dry vitamin food that ferrets eat. It can be purchased at any pet store.

Conditions for keeping weasels at home

The domesticated weasel is not very different in how it is kept at home from other animals. Her constant presence in the apartment space can aggravate her health condition and change her behavior in ways that are not intended for her. better side. That is why the best option would be to create the most similar living conditions in the house to the conditions that she needs due to her natural nature. When your weasel walks around your home, you must close all doors and windows through which it could escape into the street. If the animal runs away, there is a high probability of losing it forever.

Petting house

In order for the weasel animal to feel free and comfortable, in no case should its freedom be limited in the owner’s living space. But at the same time, he must have his own separate house - a cage. It is quite easy to set up a cage for a weasel; you need to equip it with various driftwood so that she can climb on them, cover the bottom with straw, build various shelves in it, put a sippy cup with clean water and definitely a litter tray. The bars of the petting cage should be dense so that she has no opportunity to escape from there. Constantly keeping a weasel in a cage is not recommended; such confinement can cause the animal to become aggressive.

Weasel care

The weasel is a completely independent animal, so caring for it will not be difficult. Mandatory conditions are:

Regular feeding and varied diet.
Walking on fresh air and in an apartment outside the cage.
Periodic consultations with a veterinarian regarding the health of the animal.

If a weasel gets dirty while walking outside or turns over a bowl with some contents on itself at home, you can bathe it. To do this, you need to create the condition of a reservoir, for example, simply fill the bath with water. The weasel will willingly swim, and at the same time clean its fur of unnecessary elements. During seasonal molting If you are an animal, the carpets and furniture in the house need to be vacuumed and cleaned more often. But combing the animal’s fur is not at all necessary, but if you particularly desire, you can remove the falling hairs from the weasel’s fur with wet hands using light massage movements. If the veterinarian identifies any abnormalities in the health of the weasel, immediate measures must be taken to ensure its recovery. It is necessary to follow the recommendations of a specialist, and everything you need can be purchased at a special veterinary pharmacy or pet store.

Weasel is a predator, the smallest representative of the order of carnivores! Despite the fact that the size of the weasel is very modest, it is a serious and even cruel hunter. In places where it is not pursued, the weasel hunts both day and night. The weasel is very dexterous and agile, runs fast, climbs and swims well, is distinguished by great courage and aggressiveness and is a dangerous enemy for all small animals.

Weasel, or common weasel (lat. Mustela nivalis) is a predatory mammal of the mustelidae family, a species of the genus Weasels and ferrets (Mustela). Found on all continents of the Northern Hemisphere.

From Latin, the name of the animal – nivalis – is translated as “snowy”: in winter, the weasel’s fur coat turns snow-white.

Description

Weasel is the smallest representative of the order of carnivores. Body weight of males is 60-250 g, females 30-108 g, body length of males is 160-260 mm, females 114-212 mm, tail length in males is 12-87 mm, in females 17-64 mm. Moves in leaps 25-30 cm long.

The structure of the long, flexible body and the color of the fur are very similar to the ermine, but differ in its small size and shorter, and most importantly, one-color tail; She does not have a black tassel on her tail. The body of the weasel, like that of the ermine, is thin and long, with short legs armed with very sharp claws, an elongated head, small round ears, and a blunt and slightly forked nose at the end. At the base of the tail there are glands that secrete a liquid with an unpleasant odor.

In summer fur, the top of the head, back, sides, tail and outer sides of the paws are uniformly brownish-brown. The throat, edge of the upper lip, chest, belly and inner surface of the legs are pure white. Behind the corners of the mouth there is a brown spot. The density of fur is the same in summer and winter, but summer hair is shorter and finer than winter hair. In autumn, the weasel, with the exception of some southern areas of its habitat, changes its brown summer plumage to pure white winter fur.

Weasel habitat

Found in Europe North Asia and North America. In Russia it lives everywhere, even in the north.

You can meet weasel in almost all landscape areas. The animals inhabit forests and tundra, steppes and forest-steppes, deserts and semi-deserts, the banks of reservoirs and the outskirts of fields; in the mountains, their distribution reaches alpine meadows. She also lives in major cities. It is not found only in the polar desert and in mountain belts, covered with snow.

The species is divided into several subspecies, differing greatly in size. The smallest weasels live in cold northern regions: northern Europe, Siberia, Far East and in North America. Larger subspecies inhabit hot, arid regions: the Mediterranean, Central and Western Asia.

Each Weasel marks its territory with a special odorous substance, which is secreted by glands located under the tail. Weasels do not tolerate neighbors and when they meet each other they start a fight with squealing and showdown. Occasionally, the hunting grounds of a male and female may overlap along the perimeter

Shelters for the animal are the homes of mice and moles, piles of brushwood and stones, stacks, wood buildings, and tree hollows.

Weasels often form colonies.

Nutrition

The weasel can be active at any time of the day, but prefers to hunt at night.

The weasel is very dexterous and agile, runs fast, climbs and swims well, is distinguished by great courage and aggressiveness and is a dangerous enemy for all small animals; its food consists of brownies, field and forest mice, shrews, voles, rats, moles, young rabbits, hamsters, chickens, pigeons, as well as lizards, copperheads, snakes, even vipers, frogs, insects.

They often raid human homes and exterminate poultry - chickens, ducks and others. In such places, weasels are not liked and are often hunted.

In places where it is not pursued, the weasel hunts both day and night. By exterminating mice, it brings great benefit, which, in any case, outweighs the harm it sometimes brings to chicken coops. Weasels sometimes successfully fight off even relatively large birds of prey(for example, kites).

In the winter season, Weasel prefers to move in voids under thick snow, and if a lot of snow has fallen, it may not appear on the surface for a long time.

The weasel is a very prudent and thrifty animal; when it is well-fed, it makes provisions by storing mouse carcasses in a secluded place - such a stash will come in handy in times of famine.

Weasel lives on different sources, 1-3 years; strong males sometimes live up to 6 years (as a rule, animals of the same size as weasels live no more than 8 years).

Reproduction

The biorhythms of Weasels are closely related to the number of voles - the main food of Weasels: if there is a lot of food, then Weasels will produce offspring without interruption, 3-4 litters per year, and the number of puppies in a litter increases to 10 pieces, instead of the usual 4-5 puppies . But if there is not enough food, then the number of puppies in the litter is reduced, and the number of pregnancies per year decreases.

Typically, the Weasel breeding season occurs at the end of spring; the male can run far beyond the boundaries of his territory in search of mates. Having mated with one female, he goes in search of a new one, not participating in caring for the babies and completely avoiding paternal responsibilities.

Laski's pregnancy lasts a little over a month, 30-35 days.

Before the birth of puppies, the mother Weasel builds a cozy nest, which she places in a hollow, between the roots of trees, as well as in other people's holes, from which Weasel drives out the residents. Weasel himself does not know how to dig holes. Weasel lines the floor and walls of the nest with dry grass, leaves, wool and moss - in such a nest children will be warm and safe, because they are born blind and helpless and weigh about 1.5 g.

For the first weeks of life, babies feed on mother's milk and remain in the nest. Only when they are fully strengthened do they begin to leave the nest and follow their mother, learn to eat adult food and acquire hunting skills. 3-4 months after birth, babies become completely independent from their mother and independent.

Why was the weasel called weasel?

The bloodthirstiness of this small predator. Why was he given a name inappropriate for his character?

It turns out that these animals are easily tamed and turn into affectionate and loyal friends. They follow their owner like dogs.

Another version of the origin of the name is known. Exists ancient belief, according to which witches who use female charms to distract attention often turn into weasels.

In ancient times, it was believed that meeting Weasel brings misfortune, and such a belief did not appear out of nowhere. The weasel is a curious and impudent animal, it is not at all afraid of people and can easily steal a piece of kebab or a catch caught while fishing - it will do this quickly, efficiently and unnoticed. Her tricks are so quick and sudden that you don’t even have time to get angry.

Residents Ancient Rome and early medieval Europe used the weasel as a pet for hunting mice. But when Old World inhabited by large gray rats, which are difficult for small animals to cope with, weasels have been replaced by ferrets and cats.

If you decide to get a pet, please note that babies are easier to tame, they will require careful care and you will have to tinker with feeding them. Therefore, in practice, adult animals are more often caught and gradually tamed. But in the process of taming, your hands will be bitten more than once. If you are willing to spend a lot of time adapting to the animal, then it will become a loyal and reliable friend.

You will have to feed your pet fresh and high-quality meat and eggs. The animal must always have clean water.

The weasel will choose its own place to rest. She can take the place of another pet. In addition, she easily takes food from cats and dogs.

Your weasel can cause a lot of problems if your neighbors have poultry. She will destroy all these birds, turning your neighbor into a fierce enemy. But if the bird lives with you, the weasel will not touch it, since it does not hunt where it lives.