Biological characteristics to understand before farming bamboo rats
Biological characteristics before farming bamboo rats
The bamboo rat, also known as the meng rat, belongs to the class Mammalia, order Rodentia, family Rhizomyidae. The wild species in China include three kinds: the bamboo rat, the Chinese bamboo rat, and the hoary bamboo rat. They are mainly distributed in Southeast Asia and East Africa, and are also a special wild animal of the mountainous areas of southern Hunan.
The bamboo rat has a stout, cylindrical body. Adults measure about 38cm in body length and weigh 1—3kg. The head is bluntly rounded, the muzzle is relatively large, the eyes are small, and the ear shells are hidden in the fur. The limbs are short and stout, and the tail is short and small. The fur color of the adult's back is grayish-brown and bears white-tipped needle hairs; the fur on both sides is slightly paler, and the fur on the ventral surface of the body is relatively sparse, so that the pink skin can be seen through the fur. Spots may appear on the chest of some individuals. The color of the back of the feet and the tail hair is grayish-brown. The fur color of juveniles is darker than that of adults, and the entire body is dark gray.
Living habits: Bamboo rats like to live in a quiet, clean, dry environment with suitable light and fresh air. In the wild they are mainly found on mountain slopes among grasses and in bamboo forests, living underground in burrows. They are nocturnal animals with a gentle temperament, and males and females are inseparable. Their living temperature is —8—40℃, and the suitable temperature is 11.7—28.5℃.
Diet: Bamboo rats are herbivorous animals, feeding mostly on bamboo roots and underground stems (bamboo rhizomes), grass roots, and plant seeds and fruits.
Growth pattern: Bamboo rats grow relatively quickly. From birth to weaning, about 40d, the young rat can reach a body weight of 0.25kg. After 2 months of artificial rearing, the body weight can reach 1kg, at which point it can be sold as a commercial rat.
Reproductive habits: Young bamboo rats reach sexual maturity at 4—5 months of age and can then reproduce. They produce 4—5 litters per year, with 4—8 young per litter, and sometimes more than 10. The gestation period is about 2 months. After giving birth, the female mates with the male within 12—36h, with a conception rate of 50%—60%; non-pregnant females come into estrus again around 45d during the lactation period and reproduce on their own. When giving birth, the female must not be startled, and the young must especially not be handled by hand, otherwise the female will not nurse her own young and will let them starve to death. After 25d from birth, the young rats have opened their eyes and can crawl; besides nursing, they can eat tender plant roots, stems, and so on, and under artificial rearing they can be fed feed.