Is the hog badger a protected animal? Detailed explanation of its diet, price, and differences from the Eurasian badger

The hog badger, also known as the sand badger or mountain badger, is a mammal commonly found in hilly and broad-leaved forest mountainous areas. Because of its high value, it is farmed as a special agricultural project. Many people now breed it artificially, so is the hog badger a protected animal? What does it eat to grow up? What is the general price per jin? What is the difference from the Eurasian badger?

Is it a protected animal?

Yes. The hog badger's population distribution is not fragmented, and it is very common in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Thailand, the high mountain areas of Sumatra in Indonesia, and the southwestern and eastern regions of Cambodia. In Myanmar, the reduction in sightings indicates that the species' abundance has generally declined. Research shows that the population trend of the hog badger may differ across its range, but the overall population is declining. It has been included in the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

What does it eat?

It has an omnivorous diet and especially likes animal-based food, including earthworms, frogs, lizards, loaches, rice-field eels, mole crickets, longhorn beetles and rodents, etc. It also eats plant-based food, and sometimes steals crops such as corn, wheat, sweet potatoes and peanuts. Of course, it can also be raised on feed formulated by oneself.

Plant-based feed includes: peanuts, soybeans, corn, millet, dried melon, various tubers, and melons, fruits and vegetables, etc.; animal-based feed includes: meat of various livestock and poultry, frogs, rodents, insects, etc. In choosing feed sources, local conditions should be taken into account, with plant-based feed as the main component and animal-based feed added appropriately. On the premise of meeting nutritional needs, whole grains and food-processing scraps can all be used as raw feed materials for badgers, and the cheaper the price, the better. When feeding, it is best to combine plant-based feed and animal-based feed reasonably. During the non-breeding period of badgers, carbohydrate feed should be the main component, with an appropriate amount of protein feed added.

Latest price:

According to market surveys, the price of hog badger is about 15-30 yuan per jin, while wild ones are about 100 yuan. Due to regional differences, hog badger prices may vary.

Differences from the Eurasian badger:

The Eurasian badger looks like a small dog but is fatter than a small dog, while the hog badger has bare skin between its nose pad and upper lip, and its muzzle and nose are narrow, long and round, closely resembling a pig's snout. The Eurasian badger's four legs are longer than those of the hog badger, its head is narrower than the hog badger's head, its canine teeth are longer than the hog badger's, and its paws are more compact than the hog badger's, not as flat as the hog badger's, and more like dog paws, with claws that are not as curved and long as the hog badger's.

Breeding technology:

1. Site and enclosure construction

Choose a flat, sheltered, sunny, quiet place with good drainage to build the enclosure. In a relatively secluded place, build a 15-20 sq m plot, with a 2 m high wall built around it using stones or cement bricks. Inside the wall, use stones to make a rockery, and build several caves around the rockery; the upper ends of the caves must be sealed tightly to prevent water leakage. Place some soft dry grass or leaves inside the caves. The enclosure area, rockery size and number of caves depend on the number of badgers being raised. Set up food basins and water drinkers inside. Since badgers have strong survival ability, they do not need strict warmth preservation; it is only necessary to protect them from wind, snow, rain and direct sunlight, and adding a roof over the enclosure is enough.

2. Feeding

Follow the “three fixed” rules: First, fixed time. Feed once a day, generally from 6 to 8 p.m.; second, fixed amount. It changes with age, and adult badgers are fed about 300 grams per day; third, fixed water. Provide enough clean water so badgers can drink freely.

3. Strengthen the rearing of cubs

Mainly pass the “four checks” well: First, the temperature check. Cubs are generally born in April. Although early summer has arrived, the weather in the north is not suitable for the temperature required by cubs, so the temperature in the birthing box should be kept at 25°C-30°C; second, the mother's milk check. Because cubs rely on mother's milk for growth and development, and cubs grow quickly, the daily nutritional level of the mother badger must be increased, with animal-based feed reaching 50%-55%, to avoid the mother badger carrying or eating the cubs; fourth, the grouping check. Cubs grow quickly. At birth they have no hair on their bodies; at 6 days old they weigh about 60 grams, at 10 days old 100 grams, at 14 days old 135 grams, and at 60 days old they can live independently. Therefore, cubs are separated from the mother badger at 60 days old for rearing.

4. Strict management and epidemic prevention

Badgers have relatively strong disease resistance. In management, prevention should be the priority, combining prevention with epidemic control. First, feed should be fresh and free of contaminants; second, the rearing site should be cleaned frequently, kept dry and hygienic, and disinfected regularly; third, the rearing farm should remain quiet, and strangers should be prevented from entering. At the same time, attacks by domestic dogs and wild dogs must also be prevented. Fourth, treat illness early. Badgers have strong immunity, but under artificial domestication conditions, common diseases such as enteritis and pneumonia have been found, and they should be treated promptly once discovered.

5. Growth and reproduction of the hog badger

The fertilized egg of the hog badger has a diapause phenomenon, and cubs are born between March and April of the following spring. Each litter has 3-4 cubs, and the lactation period is 3 months. The young reach sexual maturity at 2 years old. The lifespan is about 10 years.

Under artificial rearing conditions, female badgers reach sexual maturity at about 1 year old, and male badgers at about 1.5 years old. They reproduce once a year, generally mating from late July to early August, and giving birth from March to April of the following year. The gestation period is 210-240 days, with 3-4 cubs per litter. Newborn cubs weigh 15 grams, with a body length of 13 cm and a tail length of 3 cm. Newborn cubs have white fur, open their eyes at 33-38 days old, and live together with the mother badger in the cave for 3-4 months. By autumn, the young badgers have basically grown up, with a body shape the same as the mother badger.