How to Raise Bamboo Rats After They Give Birth? Scientific Feeding and Management Methods

Abstract Clean the rat house: clean the rat pool 3 days after the mother bamboo rat gives birth; during this period, just clean up the mother bamboo rat's feces and leftover feed, and add some straw for bedding. Feeding: after giving birth, the mother bamboo rat consumes a relatively large amount of nutrients, so you can feed more protein-rich concentrated feed, such as soybeans and peanuts, and the succulent roughage should also be diversified.

I. Symptoms of the Mother Bamboo Rat Giving Birth

1. Generally, the time from pregnancy to giving birth for a mother bamboo rat is about 48 days. When the mother bamboo rat is about to give birth, it will begin to carry grass to make a nest, and some mother bamboo rats will also carry the concentrated feed into the nest to store it.

2. When the mother bamboo rat is giving birth, it will show symptoms of pain and restlessness. At this time, do not catch it or move it to another pool for raising.

II. Time of Giving Birth for the Mother Bamboo Rat

1. Although the mother bamboo rat's vision begins to degenerate, its sense of smell is still very keen. When the mother bamboo rat is giving birth, try not to frequently enter and leave the birthing room, so as to avoid disturbing the mother bamboo rat and causing it to abandon or eat its young.

2. The time for the mother bamboo rat to give birth is generally 1-2 hours. It usually bites off the umbilical cord while giving birth and eats the afterbirth, while licking clean the mucus and blood stains on the young rats, and carries the young under its belly to care for them.

III. Care of the Mother Bamboo Rat After Giving Birth

1. Some mother bamboo rats will also bleed a lot when giving birth, so it is necessary to give the mother bamboo rat a hemostatic injection; generally, etamsylate injection can be used.

2. About 7 days after the mother bamboo rat gives birth, promptly supplement brown sugar water or milk powder, which helps the mother bamboo rat recover its constitution faster. Some mother bamboo rats become more aggressive after giving birth in order to protect their young, so right after the mother bamboo rat finishes giving birth, the keeper must not catch the young.

3. Unless the mother bamboo rat has given birth to many young and they need to be fostered by another mother bamboo rat, if you want to foster the young of mother bamboo rat A to mother bamboo rat B, generally when fostering, first smear a little of mother bamboo rat B's urine on the young rats, then put the young into the foster pool.

IV. Cleaning the Rat House

1. Try not to clean the rat pool within 3 days after the mother bamboo rat gives birth, to avoid disturbing the mother bamboo rat. Wait until 3 days later, when the male and female bamboo rats' emotions are slightly stable, then clean.

2. When cleaning, only clean up the mother bamboo rat's feces and leftover feed; the straw bedding does not need to be replaced, just add some appropriately.

3. The mother bamboo rat will clear out the wet straw and put it aside, then use the newly added straw to make a nest. The cleaning movements should also be gentle to avoid disturbing the mother bamboo rat.

V. Feeding Feed

1. Generally, during the lactation period, the mother bamboo rat's nutrient consumption is also relatively large. The nutrients taken in during lactation must not only meet the mother bamboo rat's needs, but also ensure sufficient milk secretion, so feed more protein-rich concentrated feed, such as soybeans and peanuts, and the succulent roughage should also be diversified.

2. If the mother bamboo rat takes in insufficient nutrients from food, it will consume the nutrients stored in its own body to supply the needs of lactation. If this goes on for a long time, it will lead to a decline in the mother bamboo rat's constitution, and will also affect the mother bamboo rat's milk secretion, causing insufficient milk or even no milk, thereby directly affecting the survival rate of the young.

VI. Symptoms of Insufficient Milk in the Mother Bamboo Rat

1. Whether the mother bamboo rat lacks milk can be judged by the growth of the young and their feces. If the milk is relatively sufficient, the young will not crawl around and cry, and will sleep very peacefully, and their coat color will also be very glossy.

2. If the milk is insufficient, the young will constantly switch nipples and squeak, and the mother bamboo rat will also show restlessness and move around randomly.

3. Because when the mother bamboo rat has insufficient milk, the young will constantly bite the mother bamboo rat's nipples, which easily causes mastitis in the mother bamboo rat. If the young rats drink milk from a mother with mastitis, they will have diarrhea, which can easily cause death.

4. If the breeding pool is relatively damp, it means the succulent roughage is being fed excessively, or too much water is added to the concentrated feed. Therefore, it is necessary to slightly reduce the feeding of succulent roughage and reduce the amount of water added to the concentrated feed.