How to Raise Chinese Bamboo Rats? A Complete Guide to Breeding Techniques
The Chinese bamboo rat, also known as the bamboo rat or reed rat, belongs to the order Rodentia, family Rhizomyidae. It is plump-bodied, about 25-35 cm long, with gray back and belly, small eyes and ears, and short limbs and tail. It lives among bamboo groves and reed stems, is a burrowing animal, and feeds on bamboo, reed stems and their underground rhizomes. It is distributed in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Fujian, Hubei, Sichuan and other parts of China, as well as northern Myanmar.
Bamboo rat meat is delicious, low in fat and high in protein, and contains a variety of vitamins plus iron and zinc nutrients needed by the human body. It is a wild-food product that hotels, restaurants and ordinary eateries all like to buy, while the fur can be further processed and developed. Practice has proven that raising bamboo rats is a good way for farmers in mountainous areas to increase their income.
1. Feeding and Management
The site should be chosen in a place with good ventilation, facing south, warm in winter and cool in summer, and with fairly abundant bamboo and reed resources nearby. For indoor pool raising, a rearing pool of 50 cm × 50 cm × 70 cm can be built from red brick and cement (10 animals per sq m), with a 15 cm × 10 cm dung-discharge window in the pool, with one 6 mm small iron rod placed every 2 cm; old buildings can also be used with a reasonable layout suited to actual conditions.
Bamboo rats mainly eat various kinds of bamboo, reed stems, sugarcane, sweet potato and corn stalks. First remove the leaves of the bamboo, reed stems and corn stalks, and dry them in the air to serve as the staple food. Feed twice a day: around 8 a.m. feed a 1:9 mixture of cooked rice and corn flour or rice bran (rice 1 : corn flour or rice bran 9, mixed moist with boiled water). Feed each rat 15-35 g, depending on the size of the reed rat and on the principle of eating its fill without waste. Around 5 p.m. feed one section of fresh, clean reed stem about twice the length of the rat (about 225 g) or similar feed; never feed water. Clean once a day to keep the pool dry and clean. If rat lice are found, they can be killed with Shendi medicated pen or Heixuanfeng insecticide spray.
Bamboo rats have fairly wide adaptability and can grow normally at room temperatures of 0-30°C. When the indoor temperature exceeds 35°C, cooling is needed; when it falls below 6°C, warmth must be maintained.
2. Reproduction
Bamboo rats have strong reproductive capacity. Each female can produce 3-4 litters a year, with 2-8 young per litter. Young rats raised for 5-6 months can grow to 1-1.5 kg, and after 8 months they can be mated and bred.
1. Sexual maturity and estrus: Bamboo rats reach sexual maturity at 7-8 months of age. Females have periodic estrus; during estrus they behave restlessly, with the vulva flushed red and open, frequent urination or calling. Males in estrus appear agitated, climb the pen walls, bite iron and grind their teeth, frequently protrude the penis, lose appetite, and chase females in estrus. Because bamboo rats have the trait of induced ovulation, breeding must involve repeat mating (2-3 days) to increase the conception rate.
2. Mating method: Mate one male with one female at set times. According to a male-to-female ratio of 1:4 and a selective mating plan, place the female in estrus in the male's pen, and return her to her original place after mating. Do this for two consecutive days. In summer and autumn, the suitable mating times are 8-10 a.m. and 6-9 p.m.; in winter and spring, 9-10 a.m. and 2-4 p.m.
3. Pregnancy and birthing: The period from the female's last mating to giving birth (generally 45 days) is the gestation period. After conception, the female must not be allowed to mate again. For 1-2 days after giving birth, the female is weak in constitution and has poor appetite, so she needs supplemental nutrition and should be given appropriately more concentrated feed (high-quality, palatable, fresh, easily digestible feed). This plays a key role in the survival of the young. Therefore, feeding and management of the female should be strengthened during lactation to ensure an adequate nutrient supply. From birth to 10 days of age, the young are nursed on breast milk and need no special management. At 45 days of age they must be weaned; a few that grow poorly may be weaned a few days later. Weaned young rats can be kept in separate pens according to sex, constitution and age. Each pen can hold 10-15 animals.