Naked Mole Rats | Part 2 Set-up Overview

[@sparrow838_]

It has been SO cool to watch the set up process for this exhibit, and to see the naked mole rats enjoying their new home!

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

So glad you enjoyed it! Its been a fun yet challenging build and the animals are using it well so far!

[@reeryy_]

i love naked mole rats!! the enclosure you built is incredible, they are extremely interesting creatures and i'm excited that your going to make a video to educate people about them :) more people should love these little guys!

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

Thank you so much! We are so excited to have them! Definitely tune in next week to learn more about our colony and we give a Queen pregnancy update! 🎉😍

[@christinehysteria689]

I remember seeing Mole rats on the secret life of the Zoo & thourgt they were fasonating creatures , Absolutly love the burrow you have created for them x

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

They are just mind-blowing - definitely tune in next week to learn more about these fascinating creatures!

[@tazzy3469]

So interesting, thanks for the video. Lucy is very talented 👏👏👏

[@katiegray7239]

Dont think ive ever heard of a naked mole rat before! Theyre not the cutest looking animal, but i cant wait to see them! Finally caught up on all the videos now, theres been alot happening since i was last there, cant wait to visit again soon!

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

So glad you have caught up Katie - missed hearing from you! The naked mole rats are amazing, you’re going to love them!

[@1969longshanks]

Very interesting animals

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

They are amazing! Be sure to catch next weeks video to learn more about them! 😍

[@lynnmcardle5249]

Fantastic video. I love watching them. The little backwards shuffle down the pipe was so sweet. Cant wait to learn more about them next week. Just goes to show that you dont have to be fluffy to be cute. Hope you all have a lovely Christmas ❤

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

Merry Christmas to you too! Naked Mole Rat video will be out on Friday 🥰

[@graffic13]

Idk if you can find excavator clay made for reptiles but it would be cool if you could let them burrow naturally.

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

Definitely - that is something we are working on right now 😎

[@lbcmi]

What an amazing setup. Wouldn’t want to get bitten by those teeth

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

Definitely not!

[@TheMightyN]

A very own modern day "Rynchosaur".

[@Mark-s8e7i]

They are cute

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

They are fascinating and the noises they make are super cute!

[@FredaGriffiths]

This is another animal I look forward to seeing when I next visit. They seem very organised with their burrow / boxes. The staff have made a super job of the exhibit and the mole rats seem very settled into their new abode. This is another species brought from our local zoo here in the NW. Looking forward to next week when you tell us all about your colony. Do we know how long it will be before the Queen of the group gives birth? Is it the same as pet mice?

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

They are incredible and very organised, I’ll explain more next week and I also may or may not have some little feet news too! ☺️😍

[@christysank7705]

this is awesome and cant learn more about them and the another species

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

They are mind-blowing creatures, be sure to catch next weeks video! 🙏🏻 thanks for watching!

[@christysank7705]

@NorthumberlandZoo can't wait and yes they are so cool creature I love all the animals

[@sunshinem.7741]

This is a really cool setup, but I'm really hoping there's a dirt area underneath for them to burrow. A bit pointless to be a ground dweller with no ground, yeah? Mama was so rotund! Can't believe she's caring for all those young ones. Having never seen one preggo, it's definitely odd to see all the baby lumps lol

[@nickilambert6575]

🤣 Can't make my mind up yet whether I love them or loathe them. Will reserve judgement till I pop in to see them. Certainly looking forward to learning more about them 😊

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

Its hard not to like them when you see them, they are just so unusual and special in their own weird little way. Tune in next week for the Queen update! 🎉

[@tallulah7243]

Interesting to see the enclosure building process! It's not good to pick up mice and rats by the tail, is it different for naked mole rats? I understand wanting to avoid getting bitten by those chompers!

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

That is the safest way to handle this species, by the base of the tail as it would be very stressful to ‘handle/hold’ them, its also safest for us too! Glad you enjoyed it! Tune in next week to learn more!

[@sondertwig]

How is the mock rock holding up to the mole rats? Have they been chewing? So curious! Great video!

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

They have been chewing a little bit! We are going to build another set of boxes which has a harder cement ratio and will see how well that holds up!

[@sondertwig]

@@NorthumberlandZoo Thank you! Please keep us posted! They are such cool animals!

[@tinafry1740]

Their ears look somewhat vestigial... Can they hear? Or is hearing gradually going, as sight has gone? Or perhaps it's just so they don't get mud etc in their ears?

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

Their senses of hearing and sight are very diminished, they rely almost fully on vibrations! So the earholes are very much disappearing. It is interesting though, certain individuals ‘open’ their eyes, whilst others have them shut all the time. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@elizabethmaxson1274]

at about 9:23 that at rat looks like they are sharpening their teeth against each other?

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

Yes it does look a bit like that, but they might also be ‘cleaning’ them a bit too. If you look closely, you can see that the two teeth next to each other actually move independently as well! 😱

[@nanuqo2006]

W rats

[@pixie706]

Those teeth look ominous 😮 Are they omnivores.

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

They are omnivorous yes! They eat mainly root vegetables but wouldn’t say no to a worm or something that they come across.

[@antonimartinez9961]

What is that? That freaky thing? (Yes, that's right, it's a naked mole rat)

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

😂 if only they knew what we said about them 🫣

[@Xatrene]

In their natural environment, they are rarely exposed to light. However, under laboratory conditions they display nocturnal activity, suggesting that they are sensitive to changes in ambient illumination. I hope you will take into consideration the amount of light you let through for the sake of 'viewing'...as opposed to their own wellbeing... It could be an idea to use sparse lighting, even on the 'visitor's side' of the glass... just saying....

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

Great point raised! They have a circadian cycle, which means they aren’t nocturnal or diurnal, they are active on and off through a 24 hour period. In our set-up, the lights are on for 8 hours of the 24 hours, so 1/3 of their day. It would be an interesting research project to see how light affects their behaviour as they still eat, breed and carry out normal behaviours with the lights on. Thanks for watching! 🙏🏻

[@LouciferFlump]

They do have eyes, though? But they can’t see anything, right? In that case, I’m wondering why they have eyes..🤔 They’re super cute🥰

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

I think they are evolving to lose their eyes slowly.. they are just getting so small. Its interesting though, some of them, like the Dominant Male, walk around with their eyes ‘wide’ open and others just don’t bother at all. Weird 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@LouciferFlump]

@ yea I noticed this in the video!

[@KiwiFlopsHere]

I don’t know they look really weird and also really really cute at the same time but Kim possible lied to me. They do not look super cute. They look more like I don’t even wanna say it.

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

🫣😂

[@infinityswifty3271]

Looking forward to seeing these would be great if you could get some sloths 🦥 and when will the red squirrel be ready ??

[@NorthumberlandZoo]

Red Squirrels will be open in February when we re-open, they are settling in nicely!