How to Raise Marmots (Groundhogs) and the Preparations Required

Groundhogs look extremely adorable, and in recent years many people have kept groundhogs as pets, which has brought farmers a new business opportunity, but large-scale groundhog farming is not easy at all, so “how do you raise marmots” (groundhogs)? What preparations are needed?

1. Farming Preparations

Before raising groundhogs you need to make thorough preparations; especially for a novice farmer, thorough preparation is the first step to success. First, choose a quiet site with convenient water, electricity and transportation that suits groundhog growth and set up the farm there. Then prepare the cages, food bowls, drinkers, bedding, temperature control equipment, humidity control equipment, ventilation equipment and vaccination and disease prevention equipment needed for farming. Finally, once everything is ready, introduce the breeding stock and start raising them.

2. Selecting Breeding Stock

You can visit licensed breeding bases, compare prices, and then choose a relatively affordable breeding base to select your stock. When selecting groundhog breeding stock, do not choose inbred animals; pay attention to the groundhogs’ feeding behaviour and choose those with a good appetite that are fairly lively yet relatively docile, which makes later management easier. Find out whether there is any epidemic in the local area and check whether the groundhogs are infected with disease; choose robust stock free of disease infection.

3. Feeding Management

Feeding management is the key factor determining success or failure in raising groundhogs. Groundhogs are herbivores and mainly eat green feed; for example, vegetables and fruits such as cabbage, greens and apples are all fine. Generally, feeding three times a day is enough, and the amount should be reasonably controlled according to the size of the groundhog. After they finish eating, remove the leftovers, otherwise they will keep eating them when they have nothing else to do, which seriously affects the groundhogs’ health. During the raising process you also need to provide plenty of drinking water to prevent dehydration. Also pay attention to indoor temperature management to avoid heatstroke and catching a chill or cold, and ventilate for a certain length of time every day to keep the indoor air fresh.

4. Points to Note

When raising groundhogs there are many things to pay attention to. First, replace the bedding irregularly, mainly according to the humidity of the bedding and the amount of droppings. Regularly clean and disinfect the rearing room to avoid bacterial infection. Carry out vaccinations strictly according to the farming vaccination and disease prevention schedule. No other living creatures may be present in the farm, otherwise the groundhogs will suffer stress reactions. Although groundhogs are not demanding about food, you must still ensure the quality of the food and, according to their different growth stages, reasonably adjust the feed ratio to ensure balanced nutrition.

The above is Tuliu.com’s explanation of groundhog farming methods. Groundhogs are not very easy to raise, and the challenge is very great for novice farmers, so generally novice farmers are not advised to raise them.