World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT DIETARY PROTEIN CONCENTRATION ON GROWTH AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE GRASSCUTTER (THRYONOMYS SWINDERIANUS)

Korankye Okyere, Clement Gyeabour Kyere*, Asamoa-Bonsu Afua Sarpong and Patrick Atta Poku Jnr

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of different dietary protein concentration on growth and reproductive performance of the grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus) for a period of 17 months. Thirty-six (36) dams, 12 bucks and their 115 offspring fed six different dietary protein concentrations (10%, 12%, 14%, 16%, 18% and 20% CP). The animals were assessed for growth, body weight reproductive performance. The dams and the bucks were mated in six groups of three females to a male in two batches in concrete cages. Completely randomized design was used and data collected was analysed using Generalised Linear Model (GLM) Type II procedure of SAS (2008). Increasing dietary protein concentration increased birth and weaning weights, preweaning growth rate, litter size at birth (P<0.01), but not sex ratio (P>0.05). Pregnancy rate, litter weight at birth, litter size at weaning, kid survival rate, number of days of exposure of male to female and dam weight loss at lactation were significantly influenced by the treatment(P<0.01). This study concludes that adequate dietary protein concentration (10%-18%) is required for optimum reproductive performance of captive grasscutters.

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