Digestibility studies of the White-tailed rat Mystromys albicaudatus

The White-tailed rat Mystromys albicaudatus (A. Smith, 1834) has a sacculated bilocular hemiglandular stomach, with the papillated forestomach, densely packed with bacteria. Digestibility studies of different feeds varying in protein, carbohydrate, fat and fibre were carried out to determine the role of the forestomach bacteria in the digestive activity of the White-tailed rat. The Pouched mouse Saccostomus campestris (Peters, 1846) was used as a control. It has a unilocular hemiglandular stomach and a low density of bacteria in the forestomach.