# Baby dunnarts



## Moclobe (Aug 3, 2005)

A while ago I posted some pic of my fat tailed dunnarts and some people showed intrest in them so I thought I would post some pic of their babies.

I think there are 5, but she is very protective of them at the moment so it is difficult to get a good count.

They will be attached to her teats for another few weeks and will be weened at about 60 days old.

Regards David


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## SLACkra (Aug 3, 2005)

could we get some shots of the parents? they are for advanced wildlife licence people only right. a shot of the enclosure would be nice too,

cool animals

andrew


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## Reptilegirl (Aug 3, 2005)

> could we get some shots of the parents? a shot of the enclosure would be nice too,



i'd be interested too..
we have dunnarts (but not the same kind) all around our place... interesting little fellas..
i'd be interested in keeping native mammals but were only able to keep 2 kinds in NSW.. the spinifex hopping-mouse (Notomys alexis) and the plains rat (Pseudomys australis) have you got either of these david?? or just the dunnarts? congrats on breeding them.. is this the first time or are they fairly easy to breed? how much do they sell for??
Megz


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## craig.a.c (Aug 3, 2005)

How much are you selling a pack of frozen fuzzies for? I'm running low on rats. 

Nice pics, you will have to post more when they aren't suckling?


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## Moclobe (Aug 3, 2005)

Slackra in vic that can be kept on a basic licence don't know about other states.

Reptilegirl, I only have the dunnarts st the moment but when I have more money and space I will definitly getting more mammals, reptile, birds, amphibians, insects, arachnids, etc. 

This is the first time I have bred them and it appears to be quite easy, I just put them together and they did te rest.

craig.a.c, they would make for some of the most expensive fuzzies you have ever feed your reptiles. I let you have a pair for about $300.


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## spooky (Aug 3, 2005)

Oh how cute.....I want one!!!!


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## SLACkra (Aug 3, 2005)

what do they feed on! more info Moclobe! are they handlable? enclosure size? do they require any special temps?

andrew


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## Moclobe (Aug 3, 2005)

OK here goes.

They are a carnivorous marsupial that belong to the same family as tasmanian devils (Dasyuridae).

Mine get fed a diet of crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms, wombaroo small carnivore mix, boiled egg, wet and dry cat food(no seafood) and pinky rats and mice.

They look cute but when you see them start in on a pinky rat I am glad that they are so small. They can be handled but mine tend to be a bit skittish so I only handle them when necessary. 

My female is very aggressive at the moment and actually attacked me the other day when I was trying to remove her water bowl. They have very sharp small teeth but don't do any damage when they bite, but it is still not pleasant.

They require no heating or special lighting and they tend to poo in one area so they are easy to keep clean and they don't have that strong smell like rodents do.

The recommened minimum enclosure size for a pair is 50cm x 50cm x 40cm (lxwxh) and the male needs to be seperated from the female after breding as they have a tendancy to eat their young.

I hope this has answered your questions slackra, but i will be happy to answer any other questions you might have.

Regards David


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## alby (Aug 3, 2005)

ohh man there awsome they would be good to keep


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## bronzwing (Aug 3, 2005)

dumb question? do you need to have a licence to keep them in N.S.W.
i would like to get some... how much are they ??? how much does the basic tank setup cost? are they hard to obtain? what is there average life span?


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## SLACkra (Aug 3, 2005)

thanks mate that answered all my questions! you should try to hand rear one! little cute fuzy pets, and best of all their native!

andrew


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## Moclobe (Aug 3, 2005)

Bronzwing, I don't know about licencing in NSW. 
My pair cost me $390 and the tank setup cost are minimal. 
They are not all that common in captivity but are becoming more so. 
The in captivity life span is between 29-51 months.


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## Hickson (Aug 3, 2005)

Cannot be kept in NSW as pets.



Hix


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## jimbo (Aug 3, 2005)

Bronzwing, as Reptilegirl and Hix said we can only keep 2 kinds of native mammals in NSW...I looked into native mamals that we could keep in NSW a while ago but we can only keep 2 kinds  and i dont think they would be as good as Dunnarts


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## SLACkra (Aug 3, 2005)

> 29-51 months



WOH jeese! talk about your non long time commitment pet! Moclobe have you ever hand reared any to see if they become tame and friendly?


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## Reptilegirl (Aug 3, 2005)

hey david
they are cute little fellas.. expensive fuzzies though :lol: :wink: 
i just read in my "what mammal is that" book that the fat tailed dunnart normally rear's two litters each year... so you may be up for another lot  



> Moclobe have you ever hand reared any to see if they become tame and friendly?



from the sounds of it i dont think he could get it away from the mother :lol: 
nah i recon it could be done but my guess is it would take a bit of hard work and alot of time feeding.. just like any other baby mammal i guess 
Megz


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## Nephrurus (Aug 3, 2005)

> captivity life span is between 29-51 months



Is this for both sexes or just the females? 

-H


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## Moclobe (Aug 3, 2005)

Yes they are short lived but when they can have 10 babies per litter, 2 litters a year and are sexually mature at about 6mth you can get quite a large number of dunnarts in a very short time.

If you start handling them from the time that they are weaned then they can become quite tame, but as for hand raising them I don't think that it is possible and I have not found any info that indicates that it has been done successfully. 

One article I read about an attempt to hand raise phascogales (related species of daysuridae) indicated that they young started to lose condition and they decided to foster them out to another female. After fostering the young thrived. 

Regards David


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## Moclobe (Aug 3, 2005)

Nephrurus, the life span is for either sex.


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## Hickson (Aug 3, 2005)

Unlike Antechinuses, where the males (in the wild) have a life expectancy of 12 months. They are born, grow up, have an absolute orgy with as many females as possible, then die - probably from exhaustion. In captivity, some males have lasted for a second season.



Hix

smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge smudge


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## saxon (Aug 4, 2005)

where are they from? I mean what locality. I think my mother killed some baby ones thinking they were mice . alas she didnt ask the question untill it was to late [/img]. there are still quite a few of the critters around though. Dungog NSW is the location.


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## Nephrurus (Aug 4, 2005)

> Dungog NSW is the location



It was most likely Antechinus stuartii. There is a really high density of Antechinus in that area, throughout the Chichester State Forest and Barrington Tops Nat Park. Heres a pick of an Antechinus stuartii gnawing on my finger. This one is from the uni property near Marulan. 












-H


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## saxon (Aug 4, 2005)

thanks alot ive been trying to work out what they were for a while. the farm is just near chichester. ive seen them but the adults seem to realy move and i dont get a close look. where do they nest usually? goround or trees?


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## foxysnake (Aug 4, 2005)

So, I guess this kind of helps the preservation of our native wildlife than? The dunnarts look amazing and cute!


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## herptrader (Aug 4, 2005)

That is two to four years... probably longer than your average rodent.

... and they breed like Dunnarts!



SLACkra said:


> > 29-51 months
> 
> 
> 
> WOH jeese! talk about your non long time commitment pet! Moclobe have you ever hand reared any to see if they become tame and friendly?


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## herptrader (Aug 4, 2005)

I once worked on a software project that wanted to name its releases after Australian animals. They started with "A" and worked through the alphabet. The two "A" choices were Antechinus and Avocet. Avocet was chosen because it was thought bad luck to name the first release of a software project after an animal that essentially bonks itself to death ;-)

(Male Antechinus die soon after mating.)




Nephrurus said:


> > Dungog NSW is the location
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Robbo (Aug 4, 2005)

very cool looking critters
might have to keep them in mind for later
my daughter want me to get a suger glider first


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