Specialty farming of small rodents gives farmers a business opportunity

Plump and clumsy-cute, though they are rodents, they are more endearing than traditional rats. They are gentle by nature, easy to bond with people, and can make a wide variety of calls; some people abroad call them "animal singers." Have you ever seen a "rat" like this?

Yesterday, this reporter actually saw more than 1,000 of these tailless "rats" at a farmer's breeding farm in Dadelong Village, Bailongqiao. They were black, white, yellow, and even mixed with multiple colors, and some of the "rats" were curly-haired or had fur growing backward all over their bodies, weighing at most 1 kg, making them impossible to put down.

The owner, Xiong Weifen, told the reporter that this small animal has many names: Dutch rat, Dutch pig, guinea pig. Because its whole body is covered in yellow fur, it is also called yellow guinea pig. It originated in the Peru area of South America and is a herbivorous mammal. The one whose fur grows backward all over its body is called the reverse-haired plush guinea pig. It is a new localized specialty breed developed by crossbreeding and selective breeding using original imported stock, combining fur, ornamental value, nourishment, game flavor, and health benefits in one.

In a breeding farm of more than 300 sq m, the reporter found that Xiong Weifen feeds the yellow guinea pigs only pure natural ingredients such as green grass and sweet potato leaves. "Raising yellow guinea pigs and reverse-haired plush guinea pigs is very simple. They are among the few miniature herbivores among livestock, mainly eating wild grass, wild vegetables, and tree leaves, supplemented with a small amount of cornmeal and wheat bran," Xiong Weifen said. The breeding cost is low, results come quickly, and returns are high. Under normal circumstances, they can be sold after 2~3 months of raising, with both skin and meat usable and a high utilization rate. Now his farm has grown from the more than 200 originally introduced to more than 1,000, not including those already sold one after another.

After consulting relevant materials, the reporter learned that the yellow guinea pig is a herbivorous animal with multiple uses. Its meat is tender and delicious, belonging to meat that is high in protein, low in fat, and low in cholesterol. It contains 17 amino acids and various trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Their skin contains collagen, is rich in nutrients, and has beauty benefits. The reverse-haired plush guinea pig can also be kept as a pet, and its fur can be used to make craft specimens, fur toys, fur clothing, and more.

Xiong Weifen is currently the village committee director of Dadelong Village. He used to work in rice harvesting. Whenever it was time to harvest rice, villagers would come to him and ask his harvester to help with the harvest. However, he decided to sell the harvester, switch careers to specialty farming, and actually started raising "rats." Xiong Weifen explained his original intention to the reporter.

"Rice harvesting only makes money for one person, but specialty farming is different. Fewer people raise them, and I try it first myself. If it works well, interested villagers can follow suit. The cost is low, the benefits are good, and in the future we can set up a professional cooperative so everyone can 'band together' to get rich," Xiong Weifen said. He had also thought about raising pigs and cattle, but in the end he still wanted to find a "specialty path" for himself and the villagers. He hopes even more to cultivate it into a one-village-one-product development project for the village and make Dadelong Village's specialty yellow guinea pig farming famous.

Now, Xiong Weifen has opened an online store on Taobao and also posts sales information on major websites. Online sales reach more than 200 per month, and quite a few customers also come to his door for consultations and negotiations. However, he still does not quite dare to expand into the restaurant business, because he worries, "If sales go up, what if supply cannot keep up?" He hopes nearby farmers can also try raising them and pool everyone's strength to make this market bigger.