Moles in Captivity

animalszoos

animalszoos

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Which collections currently house moles (including marsupial moles but excluding mole rats)?
How well do moles cope in captivity?
How are they housed and what are they fed?
Have any moles been bred in captivity?
 
As “LaughingDove” mentioned the British Wildlife Centre sometimes has European moles although I have never been fortunate enough to actually see any on my visits there (and none are currently listed as being there according to Zootierliste).

The only captive mole that I’ve ever seen was back in the autumn of 1990 when I saw a star-nosed mole at the National Zoo in Washington. Richard Weigl’s book Longevity of Mammals in Captivity (2005) lists the longevity record for a star-nosed mole as 2 years 6 months; this was an individual that lived at the National Zoo, Washington, from 8th July 1988 until 13th January 1991 – so this is possibly the animal that I saw (although I don’t know how many specimens Washington Zoo had about this time).
 
Tim May said:
As “LaughingDove” mentioned the British Wildlife Centre sometimes has European moles although I have never been fortunate enough to actually see any on my visits there (and none are currently listed as being there according to Zootierliste).

The only captive mole that I’ve ever seen was back in the autumn of 1990 when I saw a star-nosed mole at the National Zoo in Washington. Richard Weigl’s book Longevity of Mammals in Captivity (2005) lists the longevity record for a star-nosed mole as 2 years 6 months; this was an individual that lived at the National Zoo, Washington, from 8th July 1988 until 13th January 1991 – so this is possibly the animal that I saw (although I don’t know how many specimens Washington Zoo had about this time).
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This is really interesting, Tim. Do you remember how the mole at the National Zoo was exhibited? Was it in one of the terrariums in the small mammal house?
 
DavidBrown said:
This is really interesting, Tim. Do you remember how the mole at the National Zoo was exhibited? Was it in one of the terrariums in the small mammal house?
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Glad you found this of interest, David.

It was almost twenty-seven years ago but, as I recall, the star-nosed mole was kept in a small dark vivarium with artificial burrows made of narrow transparent tubes. After waiting patiently for some time, I recall the mole’s star-shaped nose suddenly materialising from one of the tubes and grabbing a worm.
 
Tama Zoo in Japan has a Mole House but I CANNOT find any pics of the mole house online, the only thing I've seen is some random post on Instagram and it showed a shrew(?) or some similar animal through a series of pipes. I WISH we could get more pics of this interesting building.
 
I am reviving this 5 year old thread.

Maine Wildlife in Gray, Maine, while reported once to house a Mole in their nocturnal house, no longer houses them there.

I am asking to all if you know of any facilities that may house this beautiful type of creature. For once in my life I wish to gaze upon it's decrepit eyes that millions of years have caused them to vanish and be nothing but two, humble dots.
 
Leaf Productions said:
I am reviving this 5 year old thread.

Maine Wildlife in Gray, Maine, while reported once to house a Mole in their nocturnal house, no longer houses them there.

I am asking to all if you know of any facilities that may house this beautiful type of creature. For once in my life I wish to gaze upon it's decrepit eyes that millions of years have caused them to vanish and be nothing but two, humble dots.
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I haven't come across any, even in nature centers :(
 
splendens said:
Never been there but in the galleries you can see pics of tamas mole house which has kept japanese mole mogera wogura and small japanese mole mogera imaizumii
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Yeah it's really cool with how the exhibit work and it really show you can make a good exhibit out of basically every animal in the world. Hope more zoo can learn from them and keep them more.
 
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