Weasel (scientific name: Mustela sibirica), commonly known as weasel, is 280–400 mm long and females are 1/2-1/3 smaller than males. The skull is elongated and narrow, with a flat apex. Because of its brownish or orange-yellow body, it is called the weasel in zoology. It is a small carnivore. Its natural habitats are plains, swamps, river valleys, villages, cities and mountains. Nocturnal, feeding mainly on rodents, occasionally eating other small mammals, mating in estrus from March to April. Choose hidden places such as firewood and grass stacks, embankment caves, cemeteries, rock piles, tree holes, etc. The gestation period for females is 33-37 days. Usually, litters are born in May, with 2-8 litters per litter. Like many ferrets, they have stink glands that expel odor and paralyze enemies when threatened. Feeding mainly on rodents, but occasionally eating other small mammals, folk proverbs say "weasels give chickens a New Year's greeting – no peace of mind", in fact, weasels rarely feed on chickens. The fur of the weasel is suitable for making watercolor or oil painting brushes, Chinese called wolf millimeters.
It is mainly found in the Siberian region of Russia, Thailand and other places, tibet and many other regions in China.
Appearance characteristics
Weasel
Weasels are 28–40 cm long, 12–25 cm long at the tail and weigh 210–1200 g. Medium in size and slender in body. The head is thin and the neck is long. The ear shell is short and wide, slightly protruding from the hairy bushes. The tail length is about half the length of the body. In winter, the tail hair is long and fluffy, and in the summer and autumn, the fluff is thin, and the tail hair is not scattered. The limbs are short, all with 5 toes, the toes are sharp, and there is a small skin membrane between the toes. The glands are developed. The base of the male's penis expands into nodular shapes and the ends are hooked.
The coat color of the weasel ranges from light sand brown to yellowish brown, and the color is lighter. The hair is relatively thin and short, the needle hair is 25 to 29 mm long, the hair is 15 to 18 mm long, and the needle hair is 118 to 130 microns. The dorsal hair is slightly darker; the abdominal hair is slightly lighter, and the limbs and tail are the same color as the body. The base of the nose, forehead and eye area are light brown, slightly resembling facial lines. The base of the nasal pad and the upper and lower lips are white, and there are often white spots on the throat and under the neck. But the variation is so great that even in the same place, some individuals are absent. Some have large-shaped spots, while others extend from the larynx to the chest.
The skull of the weasel is narrow and elongated, with a flat apex. The nasal, maxilla, frontal and parietal bones are completely healed, and no bone sutures are visible. The cheekbones are narrow. The hearing bubbles are oblong-oval. The sagittal crest and herringbone crest of the male are distinct, and the interorbital width is wider than the anterior cranial anterior part of the skull after the posterior orbital process.
The tooth type of the tooth is: 3·1·3·1/3·1·3·2=34. The upper incisors are lined up in a horizontal row, and the second lower incisors are slightly behind. The canine teeth are long and straight. There is a distinct small tip on the medial anterior margin of the upper cleft and in the posterior lobe of the lower cleft. The upper molars are transverse, with the inner lobe larger than the outer lobe. The inner lobe has a prominent central cusp, and the outer lobe has two small tips.
Habitat
It inhabits mountains and plains, found in forest edges, river valleys, shrublands and grass mounds, and is often found near villages. Dwell in a stone cave, tree hole or under a fallen wood.
Habits of life
Weasels are nocturnal, especially in the early morning and dusk, and sometimes during the day. Usually acted alone. Good at running, can lean on the ground, drill through gaps and caves, can also swim, climb trees and walls, etc. Except for the breeding period, there is generally no fixed nest. It is usually hidden under piles of firewood, rock piles, wall holes, etc. The sense of smell is very sensitive, but the vision is poor. Fierce in temperament, often hunting prey that exceeds its food intake.
In winter, weasels often follow the migration of rats and sneak into the vicinity of villages, building nests in stone and tree caves. They are adept at climbing and swimming in the water, and they can also jump high and low, and lightning chase predators in the rocky piles of dry ditches. The weasel is highly alert and on high alert at all times, and it is difficult to sneak up on the weasel unexpectedly. Once chased by dogs or men, when there is no way to retreat and no escape, the weasel will launch a fierce counterattack on the attacker, appearing fearless and fierce. The weasel and other members of its family also have a weapon to retreat from the enemy, that is, a pair of soybean-shaped stink glands located on both sides of the anus, which can burst out a stinky secretion from the stink glands while running away. If the pursuing enemy is shot in the head by this secretion, it will cause poisoning, and the light person will feel dizzy, nausea and vomiting, and in severe cases, he will fall to the ground unconscious.
Weasels are very heterogeneous, feeding on rats and hares in the wild, although the hares run fast in short distances, but under a long period of high-speed chase, they will always be caught up and bitten off their necks due to fear and exhaustion, and become victims under the mouth of the weasels. It also eats bird eggs and young chicks, fish, frogs and insects; near the house, it often sneaks up on poultry at night, first sucking their blood, then eating internal organs and bodies, and sucking blood. Use stink glands to release stinky gas for self-defense. According to the survey, each weasel can prey on 6 to 7 mice overnight.
Distribution range
World distribution
It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Japan, South Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Distribution in China
The distribution map of the weasel is distributed in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Taiwan, and distributed in the following protected areas: Paradise Village, Songshan (Beijing), Numlin, Wuyishan (the junction of Fujian and Jiangxi), Daiyun Mountain, Xinglong Mountain, Nanling, Nankunshan, Heishiding, and the Yellow River Gudao Wetland in northern Henan , Dinghu Mountain, Daming Mountain, Dayao Mountain Water Source Forest (Guangxi), 100,000 Mountains Water Source Forest, Daozhen Dasha River, Chishui Quetzalcoatl, Mayang River, Lei Gong Mountain, Xi Shui, Foding Mountain (Shiquan), Fanjing Mountain, Maolan, Dongzhai Bird, Jiyuan Macaque, Jigong Mountain, Baotianman (Inner Township), Honghe, Liangshui, Xingkai Lake, Jiugong Mountain, Shennongjia, Houhe, TaoyuanDong, Hu bottle mountain, Badagong Mountain, Dongdongting Lake, Suoxiyu, Bamian Mountain, Mangshan, Momog, Poyang Lake, Yanquan, Taohongling, Jinggang Mountain, ShuangtaiHekou, Lao Bald Dingzi, Baishi Gongzi, Luoshan, Baiqitan, Baiqitan, Liupanshan (Ningxia), Pangquangou, Taibaishan, Foping, Wanglang, Wolong, Jinyunshan, Jinfoshan, Mount Everest, Cangshan Erhai, DaweiShan, Nujiang, Gaoligongshan, Tongbiguan, Nanji Islands, Qingliangfeng, Tianmushan (Zhejiang), Gutianshan, Wuyanling, Sanjiang (Heilongjiang), Wawushan, Dawuling, Nandongting Lake Wetland and Waterfowl, Saihan Ula, Zhujiashan, Anxi Yunshan, Xiaoxi, Yellow River Delta, Ejina Poplar Forest, Nanjing South Asian Tropical Rainforest It is distributed in the following mountains and lakes: Changbai Mountain, Zhongtiao Mountain, Dabie Mountain, Yulong Snow Mountain, Dupangling Mountain, Gaoligong Peak, Guandi Mountain, Helan Mountain, Xiaoxing'anLing, Xiangshan, Wutai Mountain, Liupan Mountain, Luya Mountain, Taiyue Mountain, Qingliangfeng, Qinling, Altai Mountain, Funiu Mountain.
Breeding methods
Mating in estrus from March to April of each year. Females in the later stages of pregnancy move cautiously and slowly. Before giving birth, choose to nest under the firewood and grass stacks, embankment caves, cemeteries, rock piles, tree holes and other hidden places. The gestation period for females is 33-37 days. Usually, litters are born in May, with 2-8 litters per litter. The newborn pups are covered in white fetal hair, their eyes are closed, and they lie on their sides. Sexual maturity is reached at 9-10 months of age. The life expectancy is 10-20 years.
economic value
Weasels prey on rodents in large numbers and are natural predators of rats. It is estimated that a ferret can eat 1500-3200 rats a year. The weasel's fur can be made into a fur coat after processing, but its skin is not valuable in summer, and it is expensive to have heavy snow and light snow after winter. China uses its tail hair to make a brush, called wolf millimeter. Ferret skin and ferret hair are traditional Chinese wild fur animal export project commodities.
Culture technology
1. Cage facilities
The cage consists of a wire cage and a nest box connection. Wire cages are places of eating and moving, 70 cm long, 40 cm wide and 40 cm high, welded into a frame of steel or angle steel, surrounded by barbed wire, with a mesh diameter of 1-2 cm. A door is set up on the top of the cage for feeding and cleaning, and a hole is left at the bottom of the side of the cage to penetrate the nest box for the weasel to enter and exit. The nest box is used for weasel rest and calving, slightly smaller than the cage, made of hard thick wooden planks, and a door on the box for cleaning and inspection. The cage site should be dry, ventilated, sunny, hygienic and quiet, try to avoid human interference, large-scale breeding or conditions, you can set up a canopy on the cage to cover the rain and sun, and build a wall with masonry or tin.
2. Reproduction
Weasels are sexually mature at 8-10 months of age, giving birth to 1 litter per year, which can be used for 3-4 years, the gestation period is 33-38 days, and the number of litters per litter is 5-10. Weasels are seasonal breeding animals, with February to April in the south and April to May in the north as the mating season. During the estrus period, male and female ferrets are active frequently, eat less, often call, and seek the opposite sex. The male ferret's testicles are swollen, rounded, and impatient, making "grunting" calls from time to time. In the early stage of estrus, the female ferret is slightly swollen and prominent, pink, and exposed; during the peak of estrus, the vulva is obviously red and swollen, red or purple-red, the labia are valgus, there is mucus, the pubic hair bundle is reversed to the sides, and the temperament is mild. In this case of mating, the conception rate is the highest, after the initial mating should be compounded 2-3 times, male-female ratio of 1:4-5 is appropriate. When the weasels are about 30 days pregnant, they nest, at which time the soft and clean hay is placed in the nest box. Female ferrets are excited before childbirth, come and go frequently, and even refuse to eat, and the calving process is 20-30 minutes. Keep the environment quiet during the breeding season to avoid frightened female ferrets from miscarrying, premature birth, difficult birth or biting baby ferrets.
3. Baby ferret feeding
Within 2 weeks of birth, the baby ferret lives entirely on breast milk. When female ferrets begin feeding mustela, nutrient-rich and vitamin D-rich feeds should be supplied. When the ferrets are free to feed, they are fed twice a day, and the feed is preferably digestible and nutritious semi-liquid or viscous foods, such as milk, eggs and chopped fresh fish, pay attention to warmth and freshness. Under normal circumstances, 30 days old can be weaned, after weaning, separate nest feeding, according to the same size of the weasel cage feeding, 2-3 per cage. In summer, do a good job of shading the cage to ensure adequate drinking water and prevent heat stroke. The utensils are cleaned and disinfected frequently, and the cage is cleaned in time. Abnormal manifestations such as mental malaise, slow movement, vertical hair, dry eyes, arched back, tail hair stained with feces, and refusal to eat are found to be timely checked and treated. After 90 days of age, it is managed according to the adult ferret. The mustela dormant of that year can be skinned in winter or put into the population to breed the following spring.
4. Breeding and management
Feed twice a day, 40% of the diet at 7-8 a.m. and 60% of the diet at 5-6 p.m. (4-5 o'clock in winter). Female ferrets during pregnancy and lactation, a small increase in the noon. Fasting once a week except winter and lactation stimulates their feeding. Daily check the mental, activity, appetite, feces and other conditions of the weasel, and treat the disease in time. Check the cage frequently and repair the damage immediately. Before feeding every evening, thoroughly clean the cage, change the mat grass, brush the food utensils, and replenish the water. Sites, cages and utensils are disinfected regularly. In summer, do a good job in heat prevention, moisture prevention and disease prevention.
5. Feed
Weasel weasel mixture strives to be diverse, nutritious and palatable. Animal feed includes livestock, poultry and rats, frogs, fish, birds, snakes, insects, etc.; grain feed includes cornmeal, bran bran, bean cake, etc.; vegetable feed includes radish, cabbage, sugar beet, etc., fresh or dry storage can be, mineral feed includes salt, bone meal, etc.
Diet formula: non-breeding period for fish, meat 30%, offal 25%, grain 35%, vegetables 10%, plus salt 0. 5 g, bone meal 2 g, yeast 2 g, cod liver oil 0. 5 g. The breeding period is 40% of fish, meat, 25% of offal, 5% of milk, 20% of cereals, 10% of vegetables, plus 0% of table salt. 5 g, bone meal 1. 5 g, yeast 2 g, cod liver oil 1 g. The diet of adult ferrets over 90 days old is 150-200 grams for male ferrets and 130-180 grams for female ferrets, so it is better to eat enough and not have leftovers.
Non-breeding animal feed is preferably chicken offal, fish and frogs, cicada pupae to ensure the need for protein and improve the quality of fur; increase fish meal, livestock and poultry heads and internal organs during the mating period to promote the development of sexual organs; in pregnancy and lactation, it is necessary to feed full-price feed, feed more frogs, live loach and other suitable feed. Vegetables should be fresh and hygienic, and not fed spoiled feed.