What conditions are needed for bamboo rat farming?

Wild bamboo rats live in the tropical and subtropical forests, scrub and bamboo groves of eastern Africa and southern Asia, as well as under bamboo groves or silvergrass clumps on mountain slopes south of the Qinling Mountains in China. They feed on bamboo rhizomes, roots, tender shoots and stems. They like to inhabit bamboo groves, masson pine forests and grass clumps on sunny mountain slopes, living underground and dwelling in burrows. Farming bamboo rats should meet the following conditions.

1. Bamboo rats like quiet, dark, clean, dry environments with appropriate light and fresh air, and are more active at night. Their activity patterns can be divided into activity cycles and rest cycles.

2. When subjected to human disturbance, they sometimes make a tooth-grinding sound of "ge, ge...", or immediately bare their sharp, thick incisors while making a "hu hu--" cry as a display of threat.

3. Female bamboo rats have a strong protective instinct toward their young, often hiding the young under their belly, and can nurse them automatically;

4. They have no habit of drinking water. They take in most of their water from feed, but water should also be supplied in summer to make up for the shortfall in feed;

5. They are docile in temperament, males and females are inseparable companions, and they have strong resistance to stress.

6. They have the habit of killing each other and killing invading enemies. When a male bamboo rat enters a female's burrow with young, it bites the young to death before mating with the female bamboo rat. They habitually kill and even kill outright invading house rats, chicks, ducks and quails.

7. They eat little and sleep a lot during the day, and feed vigorously at night;

8. They like warmth, tolerate low temperatures but not high temperatures, and like to hide in corners with very weak light. Their living temperature is -8-35°C, with the optimum temperature being 8-28°C. They are especially afraid of direct sunlight. When exposed to direct sunlight and excessively high ambient temperatures, bamboo rats eat less, sleep with their belly facing up, appear very restless and agitated, and some die within half an hour. When the temperature is too low, they draw in their head and belly, crawl about restlessly, and make a "wa, wa, wa..." cry.