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hunting expeditions. However, the high exploitation of cane rats in the wild has not had a serious effect on their numbers, and in fact some researchers believe that their populations may actually be increasing due to deforestation and changing land use patterns in West Africa as they have adapted to
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have also encouraged farmers to rear these rodents in rural and peri-urban areas. Research carried out over the last two decades has allowed the selection and improvement of stock for captivity and much of the knowledge and techniques for cane rat breeding has been determined from work carried out at
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Cane rats range in body length from 35–60 centimetres. They attain weights of around 3-6kg and in some cases up to 10kg. They are heavily built rodents, with bristly brown fur speckled with yellow or grey. They live in
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the Benin-Germany breeding station, which was established in the mid-1980s. Practical information is now more readily available for farmers interested in cane rat breeding, but training is still advised.
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Females give birth to litters of 2–4 young at least once a year, and more frequently in some areas. Cane rats are sexually mature and able to reproduce at 6 months of age.
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Cane rats are not the most prolific of rodent species, but the high demand, attractive market price, and the small amount of investment required makes cane rats a suitable mini-
536:, people have traditionally captured wild cane rats and fattened them in captivity. More recently, intensive production of cane rats has been undertaken in countries such as
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Cane rats are widely distributed and farmers expend substantial energy fencing the rodents out of their fields, but they are also valued as a source of "
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There are areas where they have been over-hunted, and savanna habitat is often at risk during the dry season from
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activity for income generation in many parts of West and
Central Africa.
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deforested areas and occur in close proximity to farmlands and people.
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Mathews, Jaman (January–February 2008). "The value of grasscutters".
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Bishop, Ian (1984). "Cavy-like rodents". In
Macdonald, D. (ed.).
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Mammal
Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference
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627:(3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1545.
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862:(Squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, susliks and prairie dogs)
525:; it is also appreciated for its tenderness and taste.
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60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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984:(Zokors, bamboo rats, mole rats, blind mole rats)
422:(red), with overlapping ranges in stripe pattern
482:areas and along river and lake banks, and are
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120:Learn how and when to remove this message
695:. New York, NY: Facts on File. p.
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544:and agricultural extension services in
27:Genus of rodents resembling guinea pigs
959:(Jerboas, jumping mice and birch mice)
613:Woods, C.A.; Kilpatrick, C.W. (2005).
923:(Kangaroo rats and mice, pocket mice)
682:
680:
654:
652:
7:
58:adding citations to reliable sources
25:
465:, meaning a "rush" or "reed" and
743:British Broadcasting Corporation
735:""grasscutter" rearing in Ghana"
237:
34:
1474:Taxa named by Leopold Fitzinger
1469:Extant Eocene first appearances
222:A man with a greater cane rat (
45:needs additional citations for
1:
1000:(Malagasy rats and relatives)
1199:(Spiny rats, coypus, hutias)
570:Democratic Republic of Congo
494:, making them a significant
1223:(Chinchillas and viscachas)
1016:(House mouse and relatives)
691:The Encyclopedia of Mammals
659:Gruber, Karl (2015-12-07).
615:"Infraorder Hystricognathi"
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1141:(New World hystricognaths)
454:, the only members of the
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780:Extant families in order
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234:Scientific classification
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1008:(Hamsters and relatives)
709:– via Archive.org.
505:Relationship with humans
592:, which are lit during
420:Thryonomys swinderianus
414:Reconstructed range of
392:Thryonomys swinderianus
225:Thryonomys swinderianus
1459:Rodents by common name
1175:(Agoutis and acouchis)
1151:(New World porcupines)
1098:(Old World porcupines)
621:; Reeder, D.M (eds.).
513:" in West and Central
416:Thryonomys gregorianus
381:Thryonomys gregorianus
365:Aulacodus swinderianus
1464:Hystricognath rodents
1431:Paleobiology Database
1207:(Degus and relatives)
992:(Mouse-like hamsters)
434:, also known as the
54:improve this article
584:Conservation status
1090:(Laotian rock rat)
1070:("Porcupine-like")
1033:("Anomalure-like")
976:(Oriental dormice)
974:Platacanthomyidae
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1418:Open Tree of Life
1241:Taxon identifiers
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846:(Mountain beaver)
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834:("Squirrel-like")
722:. pp. 23–24.
634:978-0-8018-8221-0
469:meaning "mouse".
446:found throughout
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71: –
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65:Find sources:
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43:This article
41:
37:
32:
31:
19:
1248:
1213:Abrocomidae
1191:(Tuco-tucos)
1189:Ctenomyidae
1165:Cuniculidae
1139:Caviomorpha
1128:
1123:(Dassie rat)
1096:Hystricidae
1088:Diatomyidae
1045:(Anomalures)
828:Sciuromorpha
816:Superorder:
810:Infraclass:
738:
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690:
668:. Retrieved
623:
619:Wilson, D.E.
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440:grasscutters
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357:Type species
341:
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307:Infraorder:
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64:
52:Please help
47:verification
44:
1353:iNaturalist
1273:Wikispecies
1197:Echimyidae
1181:Dinomyidae
1131:(Cane rats)
1006:Cricetidae
998:Nesomyidae
982:Spalacidae
896:Castoridae
889:Castoroidea
534:West Africa
517:. Like the
492:plantations
317:Parvorder:
1453:Categories
1293:Thryonomys
1279:Thryonomys
1249:Thryonomys
1183:(Pacarana)
1115:(Blesmols)
1106:Phiomorpha
1051:Pedetidae
957:Dipodidae
950:Dipodoidea
913:Geomyidae
906:Geomyoidea
860:Sciuridae
670:2021-08-14
601:References
568:, and the
519:guinea pig
484:herbivores
431:Thryonomys
428:The genus
342:Thryonomys
321:Phiomorpha
297:Suborder:
80:newspapers
69:"Cane rat"
18:Thryonomys
1157:Caviidae
934:Myomorpha
898:(Beavers)
854:(Dormice)
852:Gliridae
792:Kingdom:
720:World Ark
590:bushfires
578:livestock
523:livestock
496:crop pest
488:sugarcane
436:cane rats
348:Fitzinger
257:Kingdom:
251:Eukaryota
137:Cane rats
1397:13400086
1258:Wikidata
1159:(Cavies)
1082:(Gundis)
1014:Muridae
967:Muroidea
812:Eutheria
806:Mammalia
800:Chordata
798:Phylum:
794:Animalia
782:Rodentia
739:BBC News
643:62265494
594:bushmeat
546:Cameroon
532:area of
511:bushmeat
373:Species
327:Family:
291:Rodentia
281:Mammalia
271:Chordata
267:Phylum:
261:Animalia
247:Domain:
1371:1068674
1345:2437634
1264:Q852804
1167:(Pacas)
804:Class:
566:Senegal
562:Nigeria
530:savanna
528:In the
337:Genus:
287:Order:
277:Class:
94:scholar
1423:692681
1384:584609
703:
641:
631:
515:Africa
480:marshy
463:thryon
456:family
452:Sahara
448:Africa
444:rodent
350:, 1867
96:
89:
82:
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67:
1436:42027
1410:10168
1366:IRMNG
1358:46277
1332:41996
617:. In
558:Ghana
554:Gabon
538:Benin
101:JSTOR
87:books
1405:NCBI
1379:ITIS
1340:GBIF
1319:7WDS
1306:3162
1301:BOLD
701:ISBN
639:OCLC
629:ISBN
542:Togo
540:and
148:PreꞒ
73:news
1392:MSW
1327:EoL
1314:CoL
1288:ADW
697:703
665:BBC
490:in
467:mys
438:or
56:by
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741:.
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679:^
663:.
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498:.
399:)
228:)
198:Pg
773:e
766:t
759:v
745:.
673:.
645:.
395:(
388:)
384:(
203:N
193:K
188:J
183:T
178:P
173:C
168:D
163:S
158:O
153:Ꞓ
123:)
117:(
112:)
108:(
98:·
91:·
84:·
77:·
50:.
20:)
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