Abstract: Durian ground squirrel (Spermophilus dauricus), a typical hibernating animal, has aroused more and more attention in the research of hibernation physiology and obesity pathology. Captive breeding populations possess clear life history characteristics, which is the ideal object of related researches. However,  in previous studies reproductive success and offspring survival rate from captive breeding both were extremely low. In order to establish captive breeding populations of Daurian ground squirrel, we improved fodder richness, raised male animals in warm conditions for about 2 weeks after arousal, and employed a "two-cage pair” method. A total of 21 pairs of squirrels were matched and 18 pairs produced offspring, for a reproduction success rate of 85.7%. 67 out of 78 offspring were still alive when they were 3 months old, for a survival rate of 85.9%. We concluded, from the experiment, that the main measures for the improvement of Daurian Ground Squirrel captive breeding were as follows: (1) Apart from commercial rat feed, dog food and carrots were added to the food list of perinatal parents and nonage offspring as nutritional supplements. (2) Males, after arousal, were temporarily transferred into rooms with a temperature of 18^o C for 2 weeks, which contributed to gonad development and reproductive success. (3) A "Two-cage pair” method was used in order to avoid the interference of the external environment and reduce animal infanticide.

Key words: Daurian ground squirrel, Captive breeding, Two-cage pair, Reproduction

摘要：

关键词: 达乌尔黄鼠, 实验室繁育, 双笼配对, 繁殖