Under the care of the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, three orphaned Dormice have thrived and been released back in the wild!
Johannesburg, South Africa (26 February 2021) – We fell in love with three little Dormice orphans earlier this month. The orphans were rescued from a lodge in Dinokeng and taken to the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital.
They were alone, covered in a sticky stance and were showing some health problems by way of bloat and diarrhoea. Thankfully the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital team were happy to take them in and treat them.
“These Woodland dormice (Graphiurus murinus) were found near a lodge in Dinokeng with no mother around, despite keeping a lookout for her return. Upon arrival at our hospital, they were covered in a sticky substrate, and were suffering from bloat as well as diarrhoea.
Initially syringe fed, the trio became stronger and healthier, beginning to lap up their special milk formula. They also began enjoying crickets, mealworms and superworms!
Dormice are nocturnal and arboreal (tree-dwelling), and tend to search for food at night in dense tree areas to facilitate movement and potentially reduce the risk of predation. Once they are old enough to fend for themselves they will be released in a similar and safe habitat to where they were found.”
They were cared for and fed a variety of insects until they learned to catch their own. When they arrived the Dormice were tiny but they gained four times their weight. Now they are back in the wild, ready to control the insect population and explore the great wild world.
“Last week we introduced you to our tiny trio of Woodland dormice (Graphiurus murinus). They were carefully fed and cared for by core team member Ashleigh Pienaar. During their stay, they gained between 10 and 15 grams each – about 4 times their initial size! They also started catching their own insects, including small beetles and moths.
They are arboreal (tree-dwelling) and therefore their release site had to be carefully chosen. This site offers them the perfect opportunity to find new territories and to disperse naturally.”
Take a look at their release below.
The Johannesburg Wildlife Vet’s feeding programme is called “One Meal“, and it allows the public to support their various rescues by paying for one meal. Many of the meals provided to these wildlife rescues come from generous donations from the public.
Below are the various payment options for the Wildlife Vet; they rely on donations, so if you can, you can donate through the methods below.
Snapscan: https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/PXMP5766
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr… (For the USA and international-based donors)
Johannesburg Wildlife NPC
FNB Cheque account
Account nr: 62658400264
Branch code: 255355
Swift code: FIRNZAJJ
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