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Zoology in the Middle East, vol.22, no.1, pp.17-24, 2001 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
The preferred food of the Fat Dormouse, Glis glis orientalis, in captivity consists of hazel nuts, fresh hazels, sunflower seeds, chestnuts, acorns, grapes, and apples. The gnawing patterns shown on the nuts are different from those of some sympatric rodent species such as Sciurus anomalus, Apodemus flavicollis and A. sylvaticus. Fat Dormice consumed 2.0–26.1 g food per day in the hibernation season and up to 52.0 g in the warm season. Fat dormice are not aggressive against each other, and males and females live together in the same cage without interference. Lactating females suckle the newborn of other females. The species hibernated in captivity as single individuals in holes under the ground surface. Waking from hibernation takes about 50 minutes. Reproduction was never observed in the laboratory over five years. © 2001 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.