Breeds of nutria: description, breeding and care recommendations

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Nutria is a funny, interesting animal that provides its owners with quality meat and valuable fur. The business of breeding them is gaining more and more popularity. This is due to the fact that the business is quite profitable and at the same time not so complicated that a novice farmer could not master it. For the successful maintenance of rodents, you need to understand the conditions of their summer and winter residence, nutritional rules and possible diseases. Each breeder dealing with living beings is obliged to familiarize himself with their exterior characteristics, habits and other behavioral features. Our review provides a description of the breeds of nutria and photos of their representatives.

Separation of breeds

The coypu is the largest of all rodent species. However, compared to other pets raised for meat, the animal is still quite small. Benefits of keeping themis that these rodents are very prolific. Although the business is relatively young, a sufficient number of individuals have been artificially bred. A description of the breeds of nutria will help beginner breeders evaluate the merits of each and choose the right one. The rodents are divided into three main batches:

• standard;
• color;
• giant rodents.

Colored nutria, in turn, are divided into dominant and recessive individuals. The first group includes Azerbaijani, golden and black breeds. Recessive ones include: white, smoky, Italian, beige and mother-of-pearl. Giant varieties: white Azerbaijani and black individuals. Representatives of breeds of large nutria are valued because of the fur. After all, the more skins, the less their number is spent on tailoring one product.

Standard specimens

Find out more about this breed of nutria and (see photo of rodents below). Unlike other pets of this family, they are the most persistent and unpretentious. According to external characteristics, domestic nutrias are similar to their relatives living in the wild. Rodents are difficult to distinguish from water rats. They have the same fur of brown shades, sometimes black. The edges of the villi look bleached, on the abdomen the skin is usually lighter. The eyes are dark brown.

Adult on average weighs about 6 kg, the maximum weight is 10-12. They grow up to half a meter in length. The fur is long, tight. Due to this, a fur coat made of skins does not get wet in the rain. Waterdrips off the outer villi, leaving the undercoat dry. The only downside is that it can fall off.

The animals have a strong immune system, they are unpretentious and not picky in feeding. Reproductive abilities, as well as maternal instinct, are at a high level in animals.

Next, consider the colored breeds of nutria with a description and photo.

Rodents with black color

Black nutrias are distinguished by a luxurious fur coat, which they owe to Argentine breeders. They have a very dense fringe of a dark gray color, and the longer villi have a rich sheen. In the area of the auricles, the color of the fur is slightly different. The eyes are almost black. The body length reaches up to 70 cm, body weight - 7 kg. In purebred, thoroughbred rodents, the offspring is no worse than in standard individuals, up to five cubs. When these two breeds mate, half of the offspring are brown.

Golden

These are foreign representatives that were brought to us after 1960. They have a beautiful red color. A pronounced golden stripe is visible on the back, the underfur on the belly is a slightly different shade - cream with a pink tint. Skins are in high demand. Individuals weigh up to eight kilograms. The disadvantage of the breed is a low birth rate. To increase it, pets are mated with other varieties.

Lemons

The variety appeared as a result of crossing beige andItalian breed. The coat of the animal has a light orange color. The weight of an adult reaches up to 6 kg. Females have a good offspring (up to six cubs). With the participation of white-colored individuals, animals are born with a white and silver coat, but in any case there are lemon shades. These pets can't stand the cold and love vitamin food.

Pearl

When crossing snow and lemon with pastel-colored pets, you can get a pearl color of the skin. This is a special rare specimen, which is considered very valuable. On the back of the pet, a gray stripe with an ash overflow is barely noticeable, the inner fluff has a sandy color on the abdomen. It then fades to a creamy, somewhat silvery hue towards the back. Productivity is good, the number of cubs reaches six. The mass of adult pets is seven kilograms. The animals are demanding in care, when they are crossed within the breed, the fertility of females decreases. Mistakes when keeping pets are reflected in the quality of a beautiful skin.

Brown

The variety was obtained in the Krasnodar Territory by domestic breeders. The parents of these rodents are black and golden individuals. The color varies from bright brown to lighter, with a gradual transition to the abdomen. The underfur has a somewhat gray tint. Against the background of the general color, the tail stands out in the rodent - it is very dark. Pets are the same weight as standard medium pets.

Smoky

The breed of nutria, whose representatives do not require too much attention in care,suitable for beginners in this business. The quality of the skin is high, the productivity is good. By the number of offspring and weight, this variety is not much different from the standard breed. They even have the same color of fur, but only it is devoid of a brown tint. Interestingly, in rodents, the eyes merge with the color of the skin. They have gray-smoky, and the inner fluff is plain. To preserve the characteristics of fur, do not cross animals with standard individuals.

Sabiya

These are representatives of the recessive group. The advantage of individuals of this breed of nutria is their active reproduction. Females give birth three times a year to about 6 babies. Cubs are hardy and develop quickly. Although this variety is usually called beige, brown color prevails in their fur coat. Their color density may vary. The tone of the tide also changes - from beige to gray. The eyes are brown. Nutritionists are very fond of this variety of rodents. She is bred both at home and on an industrial scale.

Among the variety of artificially bred individuals, there are other breeds. Domestic nutritionists are familiar with the following: silver, snow, mother-of-pearl, cream, pastel. As well as individuals with a white coat: Azerbaijani, Italian. Of these, there are large varieties that also deserve consideration.

Giant Rodents

The largest rodents are white and black. Compared to ordinary individuals from this family, their weight can reach up to 14 kg. There were cases when, with a good content of suchfarmers also achieved indicators in standard pets. However, meat breeds of nutria are designed to be such. Giants among domestic rodents can be considered Azerbaijani with a white color and some black ones. Growing them for meat, you can have a big profit on pet coats. After all, the size of the skin corresponds to the parameters of the animal.

Regardless of how much you are going to run your business, it would be good for every beginner to know all the existing breeds of nutria. Breeding, maintenance and care also need to be mastered so that in the process of farming it is easier for you to navigate in case of unforeseen difficulties.

Contents

Rodent maintenance begins with home improvement. It is necessary to organize enclosures or cages for them. In case of bad weather, animals must be provided with reliable shelter. If cage maintenance is planned, then it is necessary to insulate them to protect them from severe cold. Comfortable houses are built in the enclosures so that nutria can easily climb there. It is impossible that they freeze, the lowest allowable temperature is +15 o С.

It is important to remember that pets cannot exist normally without water. Therefore, the main condition for their maintenance is the presence of an artificial reservoir. It needs to be arranged in an aviary so that the animals always have access to it.

Regardless of breed, nutria love cleanliness. It is important to regularly clean the aviary or cages, take away food, change the water in the pool in a timely manner. In hot weather, this should be done at intervals of four hours. Place in winterthe pool is covered with snow.

Recommended by experienced breeders

As practice has shown, not only the acquisition of giant rodents allows you to get a good profit from the business. The main thing is to choose cubs from a good litter, the female and babies must be he althy. Therefore, the purchase of individuals must be done in verified farms.

Bad conditions have a negative impact on the immunity of pets, as a result of which they are exposed to all kinds of infections. Beginning breeders need to be aware that some rodent diseases are incurable. Therefore, it is better to keep the nutria houses clean, make the menu correctly and provide them with proper care. It is necessary to regularly disinfect cages and aviaries. The bedding at the entrance to the animal's dwelling should be soaked with a solution of creolin and moistened periodically.

It has been observed that water procedures contribute to building muscle mass, and this, in turn, affects the weight of pets. If it is not possible to organize a pool, then you can install another capacity so that the animals can swim regularly.

In well-lit and heated rooms, rodents survive the winter well and do not die.

Rodent owners should also be aware that rodents can bite. Although all breeds of nutria look pretty funny in the photos, you need to behave calmly with them. In case of aggressive behavior of the animal, you must be careful and hide your hands.

Diet

In terms of diet, there are no differences between representatives of different breeds of nutria. They are happy to eat green and other feed prepared for sheep and rabbits. The rodent menu includes: roughage, succulent plants, compound feed, fresh grass or hay. It is recommended to rinse any food thoroughly before feeding pets so that they do not have to suffer from bloating. Cereal crops need to be steamed. Bran, wheat, oats are suitable for this purpose. Instead of cereals, you can give concentrated feed in granules.

The diet in the summer consists of fresh grass, tree branches (birch, poplar, willow). From vegetables, nutria should be given zucchini, cucumbers and cabbage. In winter, rodents have to limit themselves to hay; they also like dry millet bushes. Carrots and beets are good vegetable supplements.

The daily feeding norm for one adult is: 250 g of root crops and green plants, 35 g of grass meal and hay, 200 g of industrial feed.

Cubs under five months of age have a menu with a low concentration of herbal supplements. During mating, rodents need to increase the rate of grass flour. Its content in the feed should be 23-25%. To have beautiful skins, pets need wheat bran, barley, flaxseed meal, grass flour.

Excessive feeding, like malnutrition, is reflected in the presentation of the fur.

As you can see, there is not much to know about the breeds, breeding and keeping of nutria. It's not hard at all to deal with them. You just need to remember whichpets cannot be bred with each other, lest they lose their original characteristics.

Childbirth and care of young animals

Pregnant females are separated from the family. This period lasts 4 months. They need a pool and free space to move around. Otherwise, females will start to overeat and have problems with childbirth. At this time, they need to be given fish oil. Mothers cope with the birth process and care for the cubs on their own. The task of the nutritionist is to ensure that the offspring have a clean litter. In the early days, it is very important to keep warm.

Small animals are immediately transplanted to the rest of the available young, so that other females do not reject them. And the nutria-parturient at this time should be released into the aviary for half an hour. During this period of time, kids adapt to the environment of the family. Already in the first days of their lives, they swim, frolic and eat. Nutrition should be vitamin, with the presence of protein and minerals. If it is scarce, then the kids will score each other. Vitamin A is especially important.