Key Technical Points for Feeding and Management of Nutria During Lactation

The focus of feeding and management during lactation is to ensure normal milk secretion in the female nutria and normal growth and development of the young, and to improve the survival rate of the young.

(1) To promote milk production in the female nutria, manual plucking of the mammary hair and the use of Chinese herbal galactagogues can be adopted to promote mammary gland milk secretion. Manual plucking can be carried out 7-10 days before parturition, as this can stimulate mammary gland development and milk secretion; especially for first-time female nutria that do not pluck their own hair, manual assistance has an obvious effect. Chinese herbal galactagogues involve selecting one or several Chinese herbs, such as an appropriate amount of Viola philippica, dandelion, or plantain, or lettuce stems, stalks, and leaves, washing them clean, and putting them into the pen for the animals to eat freely; semi-cooked soybeans can also be steamed and cooked in water until swollen, then 50 grams per meal can be added to pellet feed for feeding.

(2) Strengthen nutritional supply.

(3) Pay attention to cleanliness and disease prevention. To ensure the health of the mother and young, attention should be paid to the cleanliness and hygiene of the pens and feed. The small chamber, exercise yard, and water pool should be cleaned daily, disinfected and sterilized regularly, and vaccinations should be given.

(4) Pay attention to preventing mastitis. When the female nutria suffers from mastitis, it should be treated promptly. Ichthammol salicylic acid ointment can be applied, and a small amount of feed with relatively high nutritional value can be fed, or 0.5-0.6 grams of urotropine or 0.3-0.5 grams of sulfanilamide can be administered orally each day.