Jerboas of the Moscow Zoo woke up from their sleep

The jerboas woke up after the traditional winter hibernation, which they spent in the refrigerator, where a comfortable low positive temperature is maintained for them.

“They are placed in the refrigerator in personal houses covered with foam rubber to soundproof and smooth out vibrations. It looks harsh, but in fact, in approximately the same conditions, they sleep underground in nature - without soft bedding and food supplies, ”the Moscow Zoo said in its Telegram channel.

As experts explained, jerboas have a very deep hibernation - a real suspended animation, during this period the animal's body temperature drops from 38 to 4 degrees Celsius, and the heart rate decreases from 300 beats per minute to 5-6.

“But at the same time, if you look at the jerboa for a long time, you can see how it moves its paw and even breathes,” the zoo noted.

During the hibernation of jerboas, employees do not forget about them, surrounding them with care.

“Every week, zoologists check to see if the animals are all right. Jerboas are weighed, checked to see if they have enough mass to sleep through until spring. If it suddenly turns out that the weight has dropped a lot, the jerboa is woken up and fattened (this rarely happens),” the message says.