Fat-tailed Dunnart
Fat Tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata)
The Fat-tailed Dunnart is a species of mouse-like marsupial from the same family as little red kaluta, quolls, and the Tasmanian devil. It has an average body length of 60-90mm with a tail of 45-70 mm. The fat tailed dunnart scientific name Sminthopsis crassicaudata is the most commonly kept dunnart in Australia. There are more than a dozen types of dunnarts all completely carnivorous and marsupials. As the name suggests fat tailed dunnarts are able to store a body fat in their tails, which helps them survive the winter months in the wild. The fat tail dunnart is a small species with an average of 20 grams in body weight, they live in areas in the southern part of Australia in habitats such as open woodlands, saltbush and farm lands. In certain areas they were once common, but are now endangered due to feral cats and foxes.
They should be housed the in a well-ventilated enclosures, one per enclosure. They must be kept in enclosures or fish tanks with a foot print of 2x18 or larger as they need room to roam and explore.
Dunnarts should be fed a varied diet in their feeding regime; Mealworms twice per week, crickets and woodies twice per week on alternate days. Feeding good quality cat food with whiskers is a favorite. A meat formula consisting of: 500 grams of heart smart lean beef mince, 2 raw chicken eggs, 1 cup of wombaroo insectivore mix and ½ teaspoon calcium supplement, this is mixed well and frozen into 1 table spoon portions. Feeding this meat formula is easy as one portion is defrosted per pair and any that is left over the following morning is discarded.
Fat Tailed Dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata)
The Fat-tailed Dunnart is a species of mouse-like marsupial from the same family as little red kaluta, quolls, and the Tasmanian devil. It has an average body length of 60-90mm with a tail of 45-70 mm. The fat tailed dunnart scientific name Sminthopsis crassicaudata is the most commonly kept dunnart in Australia. There are more than a dozen types of dunnarts all completely carnivorous and marsupials. As the name suggests fat tailed dunnarts are able to store a body fat in their tails, which helps them survive the winter months in the wild. The fat tail dunnart is a small species with an average of 20 grams in body weight, they live in areas in the southern part of Australia in habitats such as open woodlands, saltbush and farm lands. In certain areas they were once common, but are now endangered due to feral cats and foxes.
They should be housed the in a well-ventilated enclosures, one per enclosure. They must be kept in enclosures or fish tanks with a foot print of 2x18 or larger as they need room to roam and explore.
Dunnarts should be fed a varied diet in their feeding regime; Mealworms twice per week, crickets and woodies twice per week on alternate days. Feeding good quality cat food with whiskers is a favorite. A meat formula consisting of: 500 grams of heart smart lean beef mince, 2 raw chicken eggs, 1 cup of wombaroo insectivore mix and ½ teaspoon calcium supplement, this is mixed well and frozen into 1 table spoon portions. Feeding this meat formula is easy as one portion is defrosted per pair and any that is left over the following morning is discarded.
