Once an avid hunter of wild rodents for their meat, Muy Chamroeun has now become a successful breeder and distributor through his Sovann Rachana farm.

Rats are a natural food source for people in the countryside. Hunters traditionally capture them by digging holes in rice fields or forests. 

These rodents are large, with long, thick fur, and their meat is highly prized by consumers for its flavour.

Chamroeun, a resident of Suon Sla village, in Battambang province’s Kdol Ta Hen commune of Bavel district, has been rearing rats for many years. It began as a hobby, but he has combined his years of experience with experience gained from neighbouring countries and now produces the animals on a commercial scale.

“The reason I started rearing rats is because I enjoyed hunting for them to eat their meat as a child. Of course, I also have a passion for agriculture and farming, so when I saw them being farmed, I became interested in doing the same,” he told The Post.

Muy Chamroeun can sell between 50 and 100 rodents per month. Supplied

While working as a migrant worker in Thailand from 2005 to 2021, he was fascinated by similar farms and took time off work to experiment with rearing the animals, by learning from and observing local farmers.

“When I worked as a construction worker in Thailand, I saw Thai people rearing rats. I was very intrigued and began to experiment with rearing them myself in Thailand, building a hut and setting up cages,” he explained.

He returned to Cambodia with the experience he needed to establish his own operation.

“For this particular breed, we had to obtain the stock from Thailand, as there were no breeders in Cambodia,” said Chamroeun.

He prepared a water source for the animals, along with enclosed cages. The enterprising young farmer also ensures that his cages are meticulously clean, to ensure the animals' health.

Chamroeun's farm has around 150 concrete tanks. Supplied

Today, his farm is home to approximately 500-700 rodents in around 150 breeding tanks.

According to Chamroeun, rats are disease-resistant and easy to rear, provided they are adequately fed.

He claimed that rearing the animals does not interfere with his other daily activities as he does not have to constantly attend to them.

“There are no significant difficulties in rearing them. They simply require regular feeding. We feed them once in the evening. Their diet consists of rice, potatoes, corn, beans, pig feed and grass. In the morning, we supplement their feed with fresh grass,” he said.

The rats can be harvested at 2.5 to 3 months of age, when they weigh between 0.4 to 1 kilogramme, depending on care and feeding.

His farm is home to approximately 500-700 mice. Supplied

Chamroeun can sell one kilogramme of their meat for between $10 and $20. He sells between 50 and 100 rodents each month.

The success of his farm, built on his extensive experience, has attracted interest from other farmers looking to venture into rodent rearing through the purchase of his offspring.

Chamroeun is willing to sell a pair of rodents for $25 or a set of two males and one female for $35.

“Each female can produce a litter of 5 to 6 offspring,” he added.

A single female mouse can produce a litter of 5 to 6 offspring. Supplied

In addition to selling and distributing the baby rodents, Chamroeun is also happy to share his expertise in rearing the animals with other farmers who wish to do the same.

At the same time, he also assists farmers in finding markets and buys back rodents from those who have purchased breeding stock from him.

Besides selling breeding adults and fresh rat meat, Chamroeun also sells roasted rats, which can be shipped to provinces and cities around the Kingdom.

“For future plans, I intend to expand by including a kiosk for visitors who come to eat at the farm, study the operation, or simply come to see the farm for themselves,” he continued.