Green Acouchi
The green acouchi is found in the east of the Andes in southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, northern Peru, and the Amazon Basin of Brazil. Tropical forest, cool damp lowland forests, grassy stream banks, think brush, high dry hillsides.
Green acouchi
Green acouchis usually have slender bodies, and their limbs are elongated and thin. Acouchis are reddish to blackish green above, yellowish below, with a bright color (orange, yellow, or red) on the head. Body Length: 80-320 mm
Reproduction
A green acouchi’s gestation lasts about 99 days. One to four extremely precocial young are born that are capable of eating green vegetation within an hour of birth. Puberty occurs in 9 months. Estrus ranges from 24 to 62 days. These animals may breed seasonally or throughout the year depending on local conditions. The life span in captivity is 13 to 20 years.
Behavior
Green acouchis are diurnal (but may become nocturnal when disturbed), cursorial, and solitary (Anderson and Jones, 1984). When food is abundant they carefully bury some foods for use in time of scarcity. This behavior is important in dispersing the seeds of many species of forest trees. Vocalizations produced by green acouchi mothers during interactions with their offspring have been observed. Infants showed more following of their mother when she vocalized as compared to when she was quiet. It is believed that the mother’s vocalization is a way to inform the infant of the mother’s location. When courting, the male follows the female with its forelegs trembling violently as if it had a convulsion, and gives off high-pitched, short sounds. Sometimes, the male gets up on its hind legs and splashes the female with urine. Also, when pursuing a female, males frequently mark the ground, or ground elevations, with their anal glands by dragging their hindquarters across the ground or branches.
Food Habits
Green acouchis are herbivores that feed on a wide variety of forest fruits, nuts, succulent plants, leaves, stems, and roots. They also have been observed to eat cassava and peanuts grown on agricultural gardens. In captivity they should be offered a complete diet of rodent lab blocks, and rat or mouse mix, with bits of fruit or veggies regularly. Cheerios or wheat bread are great treats, in small quantities. Do NOT feed chocolate, fried foods, salted foods, candy or junk food! They may enjoy crickets and mealworms if they are captive bred, never feed wild insects as they may carry parasites. Vitamins, like Nutri-Cal are a good addition to their diet, and added calcium during nursing and growth due to demands on their systems at those times, but take care not to overdo it. Water bottles should be used to proved constant, clean water. Ceramic or stoneware food dishes work well for keeping seeds or fresh foods off the floor, and a wire mesh hopper that allows them to eat the lab blocks through without extra waste.
