Lesser Egyptian jerboa Jaculus jaculus

Animals in our sanctuary

Jack was seized along with a host of other animals during a transport check. The animals were on their way from Germany to England without any valid documents. They were probably meant to be sold as illegal pets.

Jerry was seized along with a host of other animals during a transport check. The animals were on their way from Germany to England without any valid documents. They were probably meant to be sold as illegal pets.

Willy was seized along with a host of other animals during a transport check. The animals were on their way from Germany to England without any valid documents. They were probably meant to be sold as illegal pets.

Occasionally it occurs that an animal arrives pregnant. This was the case with the group of jerboa. Naturally, the littles ones can also stay at De Zonnegloed.

Occasionally it occurs that an animal arrives pregnant. This was the case with the group of jerboa. Naturally, the littles ones can also stay at De Zonnegloed.

MORE INFO

Appearance
The jerboa looks a bit like a small kangaroo due to its very long hind legs and tail. It also moves around in the same way. It can jump as far as 3 metres in a single jump.

Behaviour
The jerboa is mostly active at night. During the day to escape the heat and predators, it lives in elaborate tunnel systems. This underground complex has several chambers, each with its own function such as food storage, hibernation and nesting chambers. During summer, it will start closing the entrance to their burrow to keep as much heat out and moisture in as much as possible.

Reproduction in the wild
They reproduce twice a year. It is the males who try to woo the females by standing in front of them, high on their hind legs, and slapping them a bit with their short front legs.
A litter usually consists of 4 to 5 young, which reach adulthood after8 to 12 months.

Trivia
The jerboa drinks virtually nothing. It gets all the water it needs from food.
To find food, it sometimes roams up to 10 kilometres a day. Among other things, it is a big fan of desert truffles.

Threats
The lesser Egyptian jerboa is not considered endangered by the IUCN, although it is actually not known whether wild populations are increasing or decreasing either.