General Care
I keep pairs in 10gal aquariums and provide them with tubes, hideaways and a wheel to keep themselves busy. Each pair has a standard wooden finch nest box. The bedding I use is aspen, which is low on dust on easy on the respiratory tract.
The dietary needs of Roborovski's are quite easy to meet. I feed mine a premium quality rodent seed mix as the standard of their diet. I supplement this with a bit of cat kibble about once every other week for extra protein. I find they will also nibble on rodent blocks so always have a couple available for them. About once a week they get some fresh veggies, usually carrot, apple or broccoli.
Breeding
Healthy pups start with healthy parents, which is why it is so important to make sure that breeding animals are maintained in top condition through proper diet and care. All of my breeding pairs are unrelated to one another. Inbreeding is not a sound practice and I do not recommend it to prospective breeders. Inbreeding degrades the immune system of the offspring, making them more prone to disease and over generations steadily decreases life expectancy.
Roborovski's are seasonal breeders, usually producing litters between April and September even in captivity. They will have 1-3 litters in a season and then not generally breed again until the next year. A female should not be bred for longer than 2 years or bear more than 5-6 litters within that time. The male is a very attentive father, who will bring food to the female in the nest, guard the nesting area and keep the young warm when the mother is out foraging.
Raising the Pups
The pups, when born, are left undisturbed for the first 8-10 days in their nest. From the day their eyes open, which is usually at 11-13 days old, they are handled for a few minutes each day. This gets them accustomed to humans and to being handled so they will not be fearful of their owners upon being adopted. I wean pups at 4 weeks old, when they are moved to a weaning tank and handled more regularly. While this makes them less fearful of handling, they are still fast and don't like to sit still for very long. I don't recommend them as pets for children under 12 years old.
