The least shrew (Cryptotis parva) as a laboratory animal.

Wild least shrews, Cryptotis parva, have been maintained in the laboratory for 15 years. Animals were confined in small, open terraria with loam soil covering the floor. The shrews were fed mealworms and a mixture of ground meat and mink diet twice daily. Heterosexual pairing was the mating system most commonly employed. The gestation period was 21 to 22 days, and the mean litter size was 4.3 with a range of 1-9 offspring. The young were weaned at 18-20 days of age and were sexually mature prior to the age of 40 days. Periodontal disease was the only disease which threatened the colony, and it was controlled by adding oxytetracycline hydrochloride to the water. Maximum laboratory survival time was 889 days.