___________________________________________________
Copyright notice
This information has been translated from a French web site which is no longer available and the copyright to use it here has not been cleared. If you own this copyright and do not wish it to be available in this form please email kali_talk@btinternet.com and it will be removed.
___________________________________________________
Farming the Giant Rat
Often called ‘Palm Rat’ in Gaboon, this highly-prolific rodent, weighing about 4lb when adult, has been reared successfully both in Benin and in the Congo. It is at present the subject of the pilot phase of a research programme at Libreville.
General Notes
Distribution
There are two species of Giant Rat. C Gambianus, which lives on the wooded grasslands of sub-Saharan Africa, and C Emini, which inhabits the dense forests of Central Africa and the Ivory Coast. This rodent is also called ‘Gambian Rat‘, ‘Palm Rat‘ (incorrectly) and ‘Emin's Rat‘
Description
The Giant Rat looks like a large rat. It measures from 12 to 16 inches from its nose to the base of the tail, which is bi-coloured, the tip being white. The tail is longer than the body. The colour of the back varies from grey to rusty-brown. The belly is paler. In C Emini the change from dark to pale is quite sharp. In C Gambianus it is more gradual. Another difference is that C Emini has a bare patch behind the ears, and is more long legged. Average weight of adult males is about 4.5lb. Giant Rats live in burrows which are sometimes very deep, with several bolt-holes. It is nocturnal in habit. In the wild, males only visit the burrows of females for mating.
Housing
This must take account of the nocturnal habits of the rat, and its need for coolness. The cage must have a dark compartment into which it can take refuge. It will arrange a hiding-place somewhere in there. The shed must be kept as dark and as cool as possible.
Giant Rats have a tendency to leave their droppings in their drinking-bowls. You must therefore clean them regularly, or else use feeding-bottles or some other non-foulable system.
Equipment
You will need:	For feeding:	drinking-bowls, food bowl
For cleaning:	broom, brush, wheelbarrow
For hygiene:	spray-gun, disinfectant
For breeding:	scales, notebook, isolation cage, transport cage.
Diet
Fruit and roots are particularly enjoyed. Palm-nuts are eaten a lot. Little bones, and insects, have been found in Giant Rats' stomachs, so they are clearly omnivorous, but with a strong tendency to vegetarianism. Tridax Procumbens and Triangular Talinum are among the plants which are eaten. 
At DGEG, the Giant Rats are fed on tubers (sweet potatoes, manioc (cassava)) various sorts of fruit (papaya, raffia, palm-nuts), stale bread, amaranth (eg Love-lies-bleeding), peanuts, and a little ‘complete-food-for-rabbits‘). Total daily allowance of dry matter about 3/4 oz.
Reproduction
How male and female Giant Rats interact socially is not yet fully understood. I some cases, a male has been put in with several females, with no problems. You can take the male to the female, or vice versa. Whatever you do will sometimes be crowned with success, at other times will result in a violent scrap! There are at present no established rules.
Normally you will put a pair together, and leave them for three weeks, after which the female is isolated until the birth, or for 35 days maximum. Gestation is around 21 days, with from one to five young per litter. Pups are born maked, blind and deaf, weighing between 22 and 35 grammes. Weaning takes about a month. 
Sexual maturity is achieved at about 24 weeks.
Diseases
Captured Giant Rats have a specific parasite - Hemimerus talpoides. They are also infested by ticks. Treatment is by immerion in a suitable solution of Biocid. (c). Abcesses are common. 
Regular disinfection of cages and sheds will help keep the mortality rate down to nearly zero. The Giant Rat is very hardy.
Marketing
Giant Rat meat is highly appreciated by connoisseurs. However, particularly in the towns, its resemblance to the common rat means that it is not often seen on the menu. It is also the subject of various taboos, and some people accordingly will not eat it - notably, pregnant women.
Technical Data Sheet
Classification
Order: Rodents; Fanily, Cricetidae; Genus: Cricetomys; Species: Gambianus, Emini
Scientific Names
Cricetomys gambianus (Waterhouse, 1840) - grassland
Cricetomys emini (Wroughton, 1910) - forest zone
Common Names
French:	Gambian Rat, Emin's Rat, Palm Rat (Central Africa)
English:	Giant Rat
Others:	Congo Rat, Fang Rat
Data
Gestation Period	31 days
plus or minus 4 days
Litter Size	1 to 5
Sex Ratio	1:1
Sexual Maturity	(First breeding assignment) 23 weeks 
plus/minus 12 days
Reproduction Method	Copulation
Weight, Adult Males	2 kg
Weight, Adult Females	1.7 kg
Weight, at birth	21 to 36 grammes
Diet	Palm nuts, tubers, insects, fruit, cereals, leaves (love-lies-bleeding, sweet potato)
Carcase Utility	Apart from the fur, the whole animal is eaten
Rearing Guidelines
Daily rations	total 22 grammes
dry weight, per adult
Growth rate	up to 8 grammes per day
Fattening-up period	from 5 to 7 months
Litters per year	up to 5 per female
Weaning	between 26 and 35 days
Mortality rate	pre-weaning - 2%
post-weaning - 2%
Housing density	3 or 4 adults per square metre
Selling price at Libreville	1000 to 2000 francs per kilo liveweight [2002].
___________________________________________________
Downloaded from http://www.btinternet.com/~ratatak
___________________________________________________