Description
Scientific name: Muntiacus reevesi
Life span: Up to 10-13 years
The muntjac deer is a small-sized and strong deer that is roughly the size of a medium-sized dog. It has short, single antlers, a light-brown color, a light underbelly, deeper facial stripes, and a brown appearance. Muntjac males have a set of large and sharp canines. They reproduce all year long, although females typically only give birth to one young at a time. Due to their dog sounds, they are sometimes known as “barking deer.”
Native Region/Habitat
The muntjac deer are endemic to Sri Lanka, India, Asia, Myanmar, the Indonesian islands, Southern China, Vietnam, and Taiwan. They inhabit rainforests, dense vegetation, monsoon forests, farmlands, and moorlands.
As Pet
Behavior/Temperament
The muntjac is mostly solitary and territorial, and they utilize smell more frequently to communicate. Additionally, they have two huge glands known as preorbital glands that are situated directly in front of their eyes. These are regularly licked by muntjac with their lengthy tongues, perhaps to assist them to identify their own scent. These glands could be opened and rubbed on twigs during times of excitement like courting or while peeing and fecating. Males leave more smell traces than females do, and dominant males leave more traces than subordinates.
Care/Grooming
Muntjac deer may be maintained both indoors and outside and require little maintenance. If you reside in a location where the winters are chilly, it is better to keep them indoors during that time. Because they are readily taught to use a litter box and also don’t nibble or leap on furniture while kept indoors, they may be let to wander freely. If your floors are tiled, set up rugs as walkways for them to use. If maintained outside, they must have access to a refuge and a sufficiently big enclosed space. Muntjac deer need to have a bed that is the right size. The bed must be disinfected frequently, but something that smells like deer should constantly be left in the bed so that the deer feel at home there.
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