Bamboo rat breeding techniques: pregnancy symptoms, gestation period, and precautions before and after giving birth

The bamboo rat, also known as the bamboo cat or reed cat, is a wild animal that grows up eating only bamboo, plant stems and the like. Because of its high economic value and adorable appearance, it is deeply loved by people, and many people now breed it in captivity. So what are the symptoms of pregnancy in a bamboo rat? How long before it gives birth to its young?

1. What are the symptoms of pregnancy in a bamboo rat?

1. Look at the bamboo rat's nipples: after pregnancy, the bamboo rat's nipples will turn red, and as the days gradually increase, the color of the nipples will also change noticeably. For example, at about 15 days of pregnancy, the nipples are a rosy color; at 15 to 30 days, the nipples are pink and fairly erect, with the surrounding area beginning to swell and become round, and the hair on both sides of the nipples turning outward to form a hairless area. By 30 to 45 days, the nipples are pinkish-white, appear rounder than before, and can even express a little milk, and the belly is also much larger than before.

2. Look at the bamboo rat's behavior: after pregnancy, like other animals, it does not like to move and prefers to sleep a lot, but sometimes it is restless and moves around everywhere, frequently gathering the surrounding dry grass into a corner and arranging it into a nest in preparation for giving birth.

3. Look at the female rat's food intake: after pregnancy, just like a person, the bamboo rat's food intake increases greatly, and once full it wants to sleep, strongly disliking activity. People who do not pay attention may think the bamboo rat is sick, but that is not the case; when you see this phenomenon, the first thing to consider is that the female rat is pregnant.

4. Look at the bamboo rat's abdominal groove: after pregnancy, the bamboo rat's abdominal groove changes noticeably. Generally, when the bamboo rat is lifted up, if the abdominal grooves on both sides of the hind legs are swollen and full, it indicates pregnancy. If after lifting there is no change in the abdominal groove, it indicates no pregnancy.

5. Look at the bamboo rat's reproductive organs: after pregnancy, when lifted up, the bamboo rat will release a small amount of white mucus, indicating that it is already pregnant, but this alone cannot fully confirm pregnancy and still needs to be determined together with the above symptoms.

2. What precautions should be taken after the bamboo rat gives birth?

1. Move the male rat to another place: after the bamboo rat becomes pregnant, it will eat very little and sleep a lot in the week before giving birth, and will automatically build the nest with dry grass 1 to 2 days before giving birth, only stopping eating 1 day before giving birth. At this time, the male rat needs to be moved to another place to make it easier for the female rat to give birth.

2. Add a cover to the bamboo rat's nest: the female rat likes to give birth in a quiet environment, so one day before giving birth, try to keep the surroundings quiet and add a cover over the bamboo rat's nest chamber so that it can give birth quietly.

3. Supplement a large amount of succulent feed before giving birth: after giving birth, the female bamboo rat will bite her young because of postpartum thirst, so 10 days before giving birth or throughout the entire lactation period, give the female rat enough succulent feed to ensure the bamboo rat has enough milk and to prevent thirst.

4. Never put feed into the birthing chamber after giving birth: after giving birth, the bamboo rat is very easily startled, so when supplementing the bamboo rat's feed, do not put food directly into the birthing chamber, to avoid startling the female rat and causing her to bite and eat the young. Even looking at the young is not allowed, so during the lactation period, try not to disturb the female rat.

5. There is no need to clean the birthing chamber during the lactation period: because the bamboo rat likes quiet, and after eating the feed it will automatically push the residue and the droppings of itself or its young outside the chamber, there is no need to disturb the female rat. Even if cleaning is needed, wait until the young rats are 30 to 35 days old (after weaning) before carrying out one thorough cleaning.

6. Keep the rat nest warm: the bamboo rat generally gives birth to multiple young in one litter, so in winter, remember to keep it warm, and when feeding, try to feed some chopped dry grass. In summer, try to avoid the chamber becoming too hot and take cooling measures, so as to help the bamboo rats and their young safely get through winter and summer.

7. Move the female rat to another place after weaning: when the young rats reach 30 to 35 days old, the female rat should be moved away and the young rats allowed to live for about 10 days. If any young rats are too weak or too small, they can according to the actual situation be fed milk 1 to 2 times a day, 0.5 to 1 ml each time, to promote rapid growth of the young rats.

Some of the professional knowledge above comes from the internet.