Grasscutter farming in Nigeria is on the rise, providing income for many people. Grasscutter, also known as cutting grass or cane rat, is a microlivestock with the scientific name Thryonomys swinderianus. In Yoruba language, they are called Oya.
Grasscutter meat is acceptable to most religions and societies, and a large proportion of the grasscutter consumed in Nigeria are hunted in the bush. One kilogramme of grasscutter can cost about twelve times the cost of 1kg of cow meat (beef), ten times the cost of goat meat and eight times the cost of chicken.
A male greater cane rat in captive breeding program in Gabon.
Grasscutter Characteristics
Grasscutter is a heavy animal species, although small in size. It is an animal covered with coarse bristly fur. The upper fur is brown while the under is light brown and that of the belly is white. The body length is between 20cm to 75cm. The adult body length is 60cm to 75cm while the body length of the day-old is 20cm to 25cm. The edible meat in Grasscutter is about 80% (including the head and entrails which are usually eaten).
Greater cane rats can measure in head-and-body length from 43 to 60 cm (17 to 24 in) with the tail measuring 16 to 19.5 cm (6.3 to 7.7 in). Typical weight is 3.2 to 5.2 kg (7.1 to 11.5 lb), in males averaging some 4.5 kg (9.9 lb), and females at 3.4 to 3.8 kg (7.5 to 8.4 lb). In some cases, greater cane rats can weigh to approximately 7 to 9 kg (15 to 20 lb). They are considered one of the largest rodents in Africa, behind only the Hystrix porcupines. It has rounded ears, a short nose, and coarse bristly hair.
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Grasscutters are harmless animals. They live in groups and don't burrow but can use holes dug by other animals. The grasscutter in the bush is more active at night.
Cane rats live in small groups led by a single male. They are nocturnal and make nests from grasses or burrow underground. Individuals of the species may live in excess of four years.
Habitat and Diet
Grasscutter is adaptable to most tropical vegetations. They are found in mangroves, swamps, rainforests and savannas. Grasscutters love to dwell in farmlands, sugarcane plantations, oil palm plantations and in creeks.
Important forages eaten by grasscutters are elephant grass, guinea grass, sugarcane, giant star grass, gamba grass, blue stem, maize stem, wild rice etc. The food crops that are consumed by grasscutters include cassava roots, maize grain, guinea corn, millet and rice. Grasscutters can also be fed with supplements including grower mash concentrate, pellet and salt lick. Grasscutter can be fed twice or thrice per day.
As humans expanded into the cane rat's native habitats, the cane rats likewise expanded from their native reeds into the plantations, particularly the sugar cane plantations from which they derive their name. Their tendency to adopt plantations as habitat, where they feed on agricultural crops such as maize, wheat, sugar-cane and cassava, often earns them the label of agricultural pest. However, the peoples of the region also utilize the cane rat as a food source (as bushmeat), considering the meat a delicacy.
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Grasscutters love to dwell in farmlands, sugarcane plantations, oil palm plantations and in creeks.
Housing for Grasscutters
Housing is very important for the production and management of grasscutter. The type, size and quality of housing are important factors. The housing consists of roofed building containing wood with wire hutches. The housing must be well illuminated and properly aerated.
The general principle of constructing hutches is that the sides and floors should be made of strong wire net.
Cage Dimensions:
- For family cages, the dimension should be 1.6m by 0.6m by 0.45m( length, breadth and height).
- For individual grasscutter cage, the dimension should be 0.5m by 0.5m by 0.4m.
- For holding cages, the dimension should be 12-14cm by 12-14cm by 34-38cm.
- In transfer cages, the dimension is 80cm by 40cm by 30cm.
Parent animals i.e. Doe (female) and Buck (male) with four offsprings can also be kept in one hutch. Generally, grasscutter of the same sex and about the same age can be reared together in the house.
Always ensure to keep your grasscutters dry and don't move them frequently from cage to cage. Cages must be far away from bushy environment to prevent snakes and other pests from attacking them.
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Breeding and Reproduction
1. Grasscutter for stocking and the subsequent replacements should be docile, healthy and well-developed.
2. Breeding stock should not be directly from the bush but must be from a reputable and well established grasscutter farm.
3. The live weight records of the grasscutter to be used for breeding should be between 5kg and 8kg.
4. Female grasscutter should be mated at 6 months old while male should not be mated less than 8 months old.
Gestation period in grasscutter is 152 days. After 3 months, the pregnancy will become visible because the abdomen will bulge out when she lies down. The teats will be longer and bigger than in the non-pregnant female. When palpated, one would feel the presence of developing embryos. Parturition is the act of giving birth or offspring bearing in animals. About one week to parturition, the female grasscutter will look nervous and restless. Also, her movements within the hutch will be slow and her hair coat will stand erect. The offsprings are born with eyes opened and well developed teeth. At birth, the male grasscutter is always bigger than the female.
Male and female Grasscutters reach sexual maturity at 5 and 7 months respectively and are fully mature after 10-12 months. A Grasscutter colony is small and typically led by a male with 3-5 females as his entourage. The gestation period is 5 months which means that female Cane Rats can give birth twice a year.
The young grasscutter feeds on milk from the Doe until six weeks when it is weaned. The young grasscutter, however, shortly before weaning, nibbles at the feed given to adult grasscutters.
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Common Diseases and Prevention
1. Enterotoxaemia: This is caused by the bacterium, Clostridium perfringes. The sign of the disease is the paralysis and pedaling of the hind legs.
2. Staphylococeamia: This disease is caused by bacterium- Staphylococcus aureus. The signs of the disease are discharge from the nostrils and vagina.
3. Coccidiosis: This disease is caused by protozoa of the Eimeria family.
Worm infestation comes from the feeding of wet contaminated grass and foilage of sugarcane. This can be prevented by avoiding feeding of wet forage and by allowing forage to wilt. Regular deworming should be carried out to get rid of worms.
Ticks, lice and flea are common ectoparasites of grasscutter.
Pneumonia is caused by the bacterium (Diplococus pneumonate) and it is a common occurence during cold weather. It can be also be caused by inhalation of feed dusts.
Management Practices
Adults and young males should not be kept together in order to avoid fights for superiority. Two mature males should not be kept in the same compartment to prevent fighting. Overcrowding should be avoided to prevent fighting for space and feed.
For easy handling, grasscutter should be held by the middle of the tail and then lifted up gradually.
For easy handling, grasscutter should be held by the middle of the tail and then lifted up gradually.
Grasscutter as a Food Source
Locals in Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon often eat Grasscutters and consider them to be a delicacy. They are higher in protein and lower in fat and cholesterol than conventional farm raised meat.
Grasscutter meat is a delicacy in Nigeria
Its high prolificacy and fecundity makes it a meat source of high potential to bridge the gap in animal protein deficiency which currently averages 4.82g/head/day in Nigeria as compared to a recommendation of 35g/head/day for an adult.
During the pesting activities of cane-rat, they were readily cropped in an attempt to control the pesting problems. The animals were cropped in farmlands during the rainy season and from wild land during the dry season. Fencing, trapping, dog hunting, shooting, clubbing, pitfalls, and use of charms were some of the various methods used by rural people to control pesting activities of cane-rat on farms.
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