Naked Mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) Fact Sheet: Managed Care

Zoos, general

• Common in zoos, worldwide (Maree and Faulkes 2016)

San Diego Zoo and Safari Park

• June 1992: naked mole-rat exhibit opens at Children’s Zoo (Scharf 1992; Courtney 1993)
  • 17 individuals transferred from Philadelphia Zoo
  • Inspires Naked Mole-rat Appreciation Days at the Zoo
    • Included San Diego Zoo Naked Mole-rat Appreciation Days
  • Husbandry notes
    • Housed in acrylic plastic tubes and chambers that mimic natural habitat
    • Music used to reduce disturbance from outside noise
      • Noisy environments cause stress
• 2010s: Colony of bachelor males used as animal ambassadors (Kym Janke, personal communication, 2019)

(Kym Janke, personal communication, 2019)

General

• Very active animals
• Chew on objects continuously
• Easy to handle

Shelters and enclosures

• Prefer warm, humid burrow conditions
  • Temperature
    • About 27 to 29°C (80 to 85°F)
  • Humidity
    • 45 to 85%
    • Humid air keeps skin moist and flexible
• Bedding
  • Materials
    • Paper towels, moistened
    • Cardboard
    • Wood shavings (untreated) (e.g., pine)
  • Naked mole-rats shred bedding for nests
    • Often move nesting material
• Required structures for artificial burrows
  • Latrine chamber
  • Nest chamber
  • Tunnels
• Strong teeth; chew through acrylic tubes provided for burrow system
• Enclosure maintenance
  • Only water used; cleaning agents disrupt colony scent

Social interactions

• Life of colony structured by scent
• Colony members must be kept together
• Individual cannot be away from group longer than about 4 hours (e.g., if requires medical treatment)
  • Loss of distinct colony scent results in rejection by other colony members

Diet in managed care

• Mainly produce and root vegetables
  • Lettuce, cabbage
  • Yam
  • Jicama
  • Eggplant
  • Tomato
  • Frozen peas
• Also beans
  • Pinto and garbanzo

Enrichment and training

• Materials/objects to shred and chew
  • Wood, untreated
  • Tubers wedged in tunnels
• Cardboard boxes
• Hides; often chew them
• Digging

Live camera feeds

• Smithsonian's National Zoo
  • Also see Highlights video

Naked mole-rats are very active animals.

In managed care, they need tunnel systems to run through and objects to gnaw on.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.