Raising bamboo rats can generate hundreds of millions of dong in income each year.

With his guinea pig farming model, Mr. Nguyen Long Phi earns hundreds of millions of VND in revenue each year.

Thanks to his bamboo rat farming model, Nguyen Long Phi (34 years old, residing in Thuan Tay 1 hamlet, Thuan Thanh commune, Can Giuoc district, Long An province) earns several hundred million dong in profit annually. Having started bamboo rat farming at the age of 28, he has accumulated considerable experience and is willing to share it with those who want to learn about and try raising this animal.

Initially, he faced many difficulties in building and managing the enclosures, but with a thirst for knowledge, he diligently researched the techniques and succeeded with his guinea pig farming model.

His farm currently has about 80 breeding pairs of bamboo rats. He both supplies breeding stock and guarantees the purchase of the finished product from breeders. He provides technical guidance and support to breeders when they encounter difficulties, especially in the initial stages. Unlike other livestock, raising bamboo rats requires stricter techniques: the food must be dry; the cages must be well-ventilated, have a moderate temperature, and be regularly cleaned and disinfected once a month to prevent skin diseases, infections, pneumonia, or diarrhea.

The cages for raising bamboo rats are designed simply and don't require much space; just 50 square meters is enough to raise a maximum of 300-400 individuals. Each cage contains one pair of breeding bamboo rats, commercial bamboo rats, or a few newly separated young bamboo rats. The initial cost to raise bamboo rats is approximately 40-50 million VND for building cages and purchasing breeding stock.

Mr. Phi shared: “Bamboo rats are rodents that prefer darkness, and their main food source is bamboo stalks, sugarcane, corn, potatoes, etc. On average, the cost of food for each adult bamboo rat is about 1,500 VND/day. There are three types of bamboo rats: spotted bamboo rats, peach-cheeked bamboo rats, and mutated bamboo rats, of which mutated bamboo rats are often purchased for pet keeping. Bamboo rat meat is fragrant, delicious, and highly nutritious, so it sells very well. Currently, the price of bamboo rats on the market is quite high; commercial peach-cheeked bamboo rats sell for 900,000-1,000,000 VND/kg, and large spotted bamboo rats sell for 700,000-750,000 VND/kg.”

The rearing period for bamboo rats is also quite short; from birth to about 45-60 days, they can be sold as breeding stock. For commercial purposes, bamboo rats are raised for 5-6 months for the spotted bamboo rat and 7-9 months for the peach-cheeked bamboo rat.

This is a new, high-income livestock farming model that can be replicated in the future.

Chi Dang

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