Preliminary preparation for Muskrat Culture

1. Preparation of the venue:

At present, the vast majority of muskrats raised in captivity are raised in outdoor enclosures. there are flat enclosure, vertical enclosure, building enclosure, young rat enclosure and simple enclosure and so on. Some of them are raised in indoor cages. Outdoor enclosure feeding is more economical and practical, easy to be raised in rural areas, but it covers a large area, and the pool used for raising is easy to freeze in winter. The density of indoor cage breeding is high, so it is suitable for urban or experimental breeding.

When using outdoor enclosure breeding, there must be a breeding ground, there must be a fence around the site, the site should be covered with a simple shed to protect against rain, snow and sun exposure, and inside the shed there should be a cage for raising muskrats. Breeding grounds should be selected in places with sufficient water sources, leeward, quiet environment, free from human and animal interference, and far away from the road. From the overall structure, the enclosure is mainly composed of three parts: (1) the nest room: it is the place where muskrats rest and give birth to cubs, it is divided into two parts: inner chamber and outer chamber, which is larger and smaller. (2) playground: a place where muskrats move, eat and mate. (3) Pool: it is a place for muskrats to bathe and mate, and it must be a watertight container. The upper cover of both the nest and the enclosure must be covered with barbed wire and set aside small doors or holes for feeding, capture or observation, and their size shall prevail for easy operation.

Second, technical preparation:

The cultivation of muskrats needs professional skills, which can be studied through books, newspapers and magazines, and can also be studied in the columns of "Muskrat knowledge Lecture" and electronic publication "Muskrat Technical Literature", which can be combined with practice to constantly improve and enrich the breeding technology.

3. Preparation of feed:

Muskrat has a wide range of feed sources, which is cheap and easy to obtain. Concentrate is mainly cereal, such as corn flour, barley flour, bean cake powder, wheat bran, etc.; root types are carrots, radishes, beets and potatoes; melons such as pumpkins, horn melons; vegetables such as cabbage, cabbage, green vegetables; in addition, a variety of fresh aquatic plants such as horseshoe grass, catweed, Reed, paspalum and other weeds, wild vegetables, tender leaves can be used as green fodder. Of course, rats in captivity should also add a certain amount of animal feed (fish meal, milk powder) and yeast powder, bone meal, salt and so on, in order to ensure the nutritional needs of each stage of development.

IV. Preparation for introduction

In the natural distribution area with wild muskrat resources, the wild muskrat can be captured and purchased directly, and can be introduced to the producing area where there is no wild resource distribution. Before introduction, it is necessary to have a comprehensive and multi-faceted understanding of the source of seed supply, to master the basic knowledge related to selection, to go to the principle of purchasing from qualified units of seed and seedling management, to adhere to the principle of comparing quality, price and service, and to adhere to the principle of nearby purchase. Good quality, price and structure.