Scientific Name: PSAMMOMYS OBESUS External features: Head and body length is 85-130 mm and tail length is 50-110 mm. The upper parts are reddish brown, reddish, yellowish or sandy buff. The underparts are lighter. The tail is fully haired and has a terminal, black  tuft. The external from is stocky. The ears are pigmented, not very big (10-15 mm), thick and rounded and lay against the head. The eyes are almond shaped. The nails are black. Distribution: Libya, Egypt, coastal Sudan, Palestine and Saudi Arabia. Habitat: Fat sand rats are mainly diurnal and live in sandy areas with scant vegetation. They construct complex burrows with several entrances and food storage chambers and a chamber containing a nest of finely cut vegetation. Their preferred food are plants from a certain family which contain a lot of water but also a high amount of salt. Reproduction: In the wild they seem to reproduce throughout the year. The gestation period is about 25 days, litter size is 2-5 young, weaning ocures at around 3 weeks. Maintenance and behaviour in captivity: Because of their very specific diet-requirements it is very hard to keep fat sand rats! They are very docile, though.

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