Three key points to master in muskrat farming

1. Pen construction

The pen consists of three parts: a nest chamber, an exercise area and a pool. The pen is about 1.5×1×0.5 m in length, width and height, and can house a pair. The floor of the pen (including the nest chamber, exercise area and pool) can be built with cement to prevent muskrats from digging into the soil and burrowing, the surrounding walls are built with bricks, and the top is covered with wire mesh, but an access door must be left for feeding; the nest chamber is divided into inner and outer parts, which are connected, the entrance of the outer chamber connects to the exercise area, the floor of the nest chamber should be slightly higher than the exercise area, sloping upward at 25 degrees from the pool toward the exercise area, so that the muskrats can go to the exercise area at any time to feed and move about. The pool is about 20 cm deep, and a drainage hole must be left at one end of the pool bottom for easy drainage.

2. Feeding

Muskrat feed is mainly green grass, vegetables, melons and fruits, plant roots and stems, supplemented by grain concentrates and a small amount of protein feed. One muskrat can eat 250-400 g of plant-based feed per day. In summer, green grass is the main feed, and the forage should be fresh and tender; in winter, vegetables are the main feed, supplemented with green hay, generally fed in the morning and evening. The concentrate is made by mixing cornmeal with a small amount of fish meal, soybean meal and salt, steaming it, and then feeding it. In winter, the feed should be appropriately increased, and feeding should be done at fixed times and in fixed amounts every day. Regular feeding can maintain the muskrat's vigorous appetite and good digestive function. The feed must be clean and fresh, and feeding contaminated or spoiled feed must be prevented.

3. Breeding

Muskrats reach sexual maturity at 100 days. When pairing, it is best to pair 1-2 year old adult muskrats that are strong and disease-free, weigh more than 500 g, have dense, glossy fur, a good appetite and are lively. When pairing, put the selected pair of breeding muskrats into the same cage, separated by a wire mesh partition. After 1-3 days, if there is no sign of hostility, they can be placed in the same nest chamber to be raised together. Muskrats generally begin mating from April, mostly in water. During the mating period, the environment should be kept quiet, and the pool should often be filled with clean water. During pregnancy, the muskrat's feed should be mainly animal protein and calcium, with a diverse variety of green and succulent feed. The female's pregnancy generally lasts 27-29 days. After giving birth, do not lift the nest to inspect it, to prevent the female from being frightened and causing the death of the young. The young grow very quickly; generally they begin to eat tender grass at 10-15 days, leave the nest and swim in the water after 20 days, and after 30 days the young can be separated into batches and into different nests. After separation, the young should be fed more tender grass to facilitate their feeding and digestion, and at the same time a small amount of concentrate should be provided, such as steamed corn bread, but food must never be moldy.