The Greater Cane Rat (GCR), a wild hystricomorph rodent found currently only in Africa, is widely hunted for meat and other economic benefits. This has led to its depletion in the ecosystem and has increased the drive for its domestication. However, there is a paucity of information on its reproductive biology.The traditional method of pregnancy diagnosis with digital abdominal palpation has been commonly reported and there is no record of the use of ultrasound detection of pregnancy in these rats.This study therefore described sonographic features of gestation in the GCR. Eleven pregnant greater cane rats (GCR), gestational ages ranging between 10 - 130 days, underwent abdominal ultrasonography using a portable ultrasound machine.The GCR were examined in dorsal recumbency following parenteral injection of 2mg/kg of Xylazine and lOmg/kg of Ketamine. The gestational sac, embryonal sac, crown rump length, bi-parietal diameter, foetal length and foetal diameter were measured. The presence of foetal heartbeats and/or movements were also noted. Gestational sacs detected at day 20 post-mating were the earliest sonographic feature of pregnancy in GCR. Sonographic features of embryos were first detected at day 50 post-mating. Embryonal sac lengths rangedbetween 10mm and 14mm, while embryonal sac diameters ranged between 14 mm and 20mm. Foetal structures with recognizable foetal limbs and organs were observed from day I 10 post mating. It was concluded that brightness mode ultrasound is reliable for early detection of pregnancy in greater cane rats. Measurements obtained from this study will serve as baseline sonographic parameters that would be useful in the determination of gestational length in these rodents.
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