Raising bamboo rats with pretty pink cheeks, Thai people in Son La sell for 800,000 VND/kg

Mr. Duy’s cage for raising peach-cheeked rats is built next to his house. Each small cage is surrounded by large ceramic tiles. Each cage is about 1 square meter wide. Inside each cage, relatives of the rats live silently like their own shadows.

A peach-cheeked bamboo rat is worth a hundred kilograms of pig.

Mr. Duy divides the cages into large and small ones depending on the age of each type of bamboo rat. Bamboo rat herds raised for meat are kept in large cages, each cage has from 5 to 10 bamboo rats. Bamboo rat reproduction takes place in a single cage. From a few initial mother bamboo rats, Mr. Duy's farm now has nearly 200 bamboo rats, big and small.

Mr. Cam Van Duy in Ot Luong village, Chieng Co commune, Son La city, Son La province has been successful in raising peach-cheeked bamboo rats. Photo: Thuan Viet

According to Mr. Duy, he is raising dozens of mother bamboo rats. The peach-cheeked bamboo rat (yellow-cheeked bamboo rat) is a bamboo rat species that weighs more than the large bamboo rat in Vietnam. It has a large body shape, a big and long tail, and belongs to the rodent family, similar to mice. They are very gentle. They spend all day in their cages and like a quiet environment.

Bamboo rats reproduce well and take good care of their young. Photo: Thi Men

The way to distinguish this species of bamboo rat from other bamboo rats is that it has two pink or yellow cheeks, quite plump. They give birth to 4 to 5 litters a year, each litter has 3 to 4 babies. The bamboo rat breed he raises is the peach-cheeked bamboo rat. Compared to our bamboo rat, the peach-cheeked bamboo rat reproduces more strongly and their adult weight is 2-3 times that of our bamboo rat. The selling price of 1kg of peach-cheeked bamboo rat is 800,000 VND. Selling a 5kg adult bamboo rat is equivalent to a hundred-pound pig.

Peach cheeked bamboo rats are easy to raise and sell for a good price.

Mr. Duy has been raising bamboo rats for 3 years. Previously, he raised pigs, geese, and chickens, but they were not effective. Since switching to bamboo rat farming, his family's income has gradually increased. "Selling a 5 to 6 kg bamboo rat is worth as much as a pig. Meanwhile, raising bamboo rats costs little. Their food is only bamboo, sugarcane, and corn flour. I can proactively source this food, and I don't have to spend money to buy it," said Mr. Duy.

Peach-cheeked bamboo rats weigh 2 to 3 times more than the moldy bamboo rats. Photo: Thuan Viet.

According to Mr. Duy, bamboo rats are easy to raise, but when building a cage, it must be designed to be sturdy and solid. The requirements are that there should not be much light shining inside, it should be airy and spacious. The wall must be nearly 2 meters high, built with bricks and cement. Many fans should be installed in the cage to cool the bamboo rat cage on hot days.

The roof is made of corrugated iron about 1 meter from the wall to allow air to flow outside. Another thing to note is that you need to let some light into the cage. If you let too much light in, the rat's fur will turn yellow and the rat will get sick. In winter, you should use light to kill pathogens.

Peach-cheeked bamboo rats are easy to raise, and their food sources are easy to find, such as bamboo, sugarcane, and corn flour. Photo: Thuan Viet.

The cage for raising bamboo rats must be cool, airy, with a roof covering the entire cage, and the appropriate temperature is from 22 - 25 degrees Celsius. Bamboo rats cannot stand the heat, so if raised in that environment, you should install additional cooling fans, radiators, a metal roof, and plant lots of trees outside.

Mr. Duy's bamboo rats are growing well and providing a steady income. Photo: Thuan Viet.

Currently, Mr. Duy is gradually expanding his bamboo rat farm to a scale of 40 - 50 bamboo rats. "The bamboo rat is easy to raise, easy to care for and quickly generates income. It is suitable for the scale of households in the mountains. Many people come to visit and learn how to raise bamboo rats, and I also enthusiastically guide them," said Mr. Duy.

Source: https://danviet.vn/nuoi-loai-dui-co-doi-ma-hong-hong-xinh-xinh-chang-trai-nguoi-thai-o-son-la-ban-nhe-nhang-800000-dong-kg-van-dat-hang-20240526160244355.htm