Congleton, Cheshire, United Kingdom
DLlE
I grew up on a farm and became used to having animals around, dogs, cats, sheep, cattle, rabbits and fowl of every kind. As we hand-reared many of the animals this gave a different perspective than on many farms.
Since then I have always been a pet and animal owner, having some strange breeds (rodents are some of my favourites). I think just having animals around makes people happier.
I am a scientist, with a PhD in Clinical Medicine, but these days I write recipe books and work on my website: www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/
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, with their large heads and breasts that project beyond the neck.<br><br>They have a bit of a reputation for being flighty and the cocks can be aggressive. You can see their gamefowl heritage when they squat down, ready to spring and attack. But they soon lear who is feeding them and will even run towards you when you call. <br><br>In Scotland this was the traditional crofter and smallholder's bird, being very hardy and able to take care of themselves. They are very active scratchers and foragers. From what I have seen, this would be an ideal bird for a new garden or a patch of ground where you want to clear the pests, slugs and snails.<br><br>Though quite heavy birds (they can reach 3kg) they do take to the wing readily and will fly short distances. If possible they like high perches and can be trained to clamber or half-fly up to a coop set well above the ground.<br><br>They are quite regular (if not particularly prolific) layers, but they are expert at hiding their eggs and you may have a bit of a treasure hunt on your hands if you want to find all of a day's clutch.<br><br>This is a free range bird and they can become destructive if confine. At the very least, they need to be allowed to roam freely during the day.<br><br>From what I have seen, the breasts are quite narrow and I am told they have quite a gamey flavour (another reason for getting them). So I look forward to increasing the flock to be able to raise for meat and eggs whilst also helping to keeping this rare breed going.){kind=link}
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 and that's partly because they are hard to breed.<br><br>They are cute and fluffy, love to burrow and are surprisingly good climbers. To keep them you need large tanks (at least 1m for a pair and 2m if you want to breed). They are desert animals, used to ranging widely for food.<br><br>I was told that they are sociable, but have only actually seen pairs together myself. The love to burrow an a mix of wood shavings and straw is a good substrate for them. Make sure it's deep enough that they can burrow into the substrate and hide themselves if needed. <br><br>They are surprisingly clever and playful and you have to be on the watch-out with them as they will escape from their homes at the slightest notice. What surprised me about their behaviour the first time I saw them was their love of climbing. Make certain that they have plenty of stones, branches and rope to climb on in their tank.<br><br>A nesting box can also be a good idea, particularly if you want them to breed. They will also use the nesting box to keep cool if the day is too warm. Straw or fine hay is a good bedding material.<br><br>Persian Jirds are notorious food hoarders. They do well on commercial hamster mix that should be supplemented with occasional fruit and vegetables. We also gave them mealworms and crickets for protein.<br><br>They will need water. The best way to give them liquid is using a bottle suspended from the tank lid (anything you place on the substrate will tend to get buried, including water bowls). Another feature of this rodent is that they are very loyal to their mates and do not easily pair up with another animal if they have been paired before.<br><br>They are nocturnal, but very inquisitive. They will investigate any sounds and though nervous (like most rodents) they are not particularly afraid of humans and are quite amenable to being picked up and gently stroked.<br><br>I liked these very much, but do not get them if you are a light sleeper as they can be very active at night and might well keep you up.){kind=link}