Zoo Nutrition Flashcards

1
Q

How do we classify herbivores?

A
  • Grazers vs browsers
  • Atriodactyla v Perissodactyla
  • Monogastric vs foregut vs hindgut fermenters
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2
Q

Describe grazers?

A

relatively larger and more developed rumen and omasum than browsers but smaller reticulum

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3
Q

Describe browsers?

A
  • Shorter food retention times & longer foraging times
  • Salivary glands secrete tannins to help neutralize toxins
  • Their liver are larger to detoxify noxious substances
  • Don’t have rumen stratification - particles of browse are polygonal in shape compared to longish fibre length particles in grass
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4
Q

Rumen stratification grazers vs browsers?

A
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5
Q

What categories does atriodactyla include?

A
  • Foregut fermenters -> Ruminants (4 stomachs), Pseudoruminnts ‘(3), and non-ruminanting foregut fermenters
  • Also include suids (monogastrics)
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6
Q

What diets for Atriodactyls?

A
  • Forage should be the main component of the diet
    and offered on an ad lib basis
  • This should be supplemented with a commercial
    concentrate pellet and / or mineral lick to balance
    micronutrients

Grazers: high level fibre rq
Browsers: higher protein content with yopugn leaves & shoots

Monitor energy, protein and fat to avoid obesity

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7
Q

describe GIT of perissodactyla

A
  • Less effective digestion compared to ruminants, hence require more bulk
  • Large amounts of time spent feeding - designed to process high volumes of low-quality material
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8
Q

How do we cater to nutritional and physiological rq when designing a diet?

A
  • Provision of nutrients in correct amounts - supp with mineral licks
  • Bulk & roughage - good quality provision of supp forage (hay & lucerne) in addition to natural provisions
  • Ensure adequate diet for dentition
  • Feeding height?
  • Seasonality? changes in BCS accordingly?
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9
Q

How can we provide for bhvr rq through diet?

A
  • Forage main component of hoofstock diet - engagement with it important
  • Creating opportunities for inc feeding & foraging times -> dec stereotypes etc
  • Food presentation methods? group structure & hierarchy
  • Dietary variation
  • Paddock access
  • Browse
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10
Q

Problem with browse?

A

PROBLEM: we don’t have enough of it
- Sourcing enough browse year round challenge
- During summer barrel browse for silage to be fed over winter
- Lucerne hay next best substitute but still doesn’t compare to browse

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11
Q

How has diet of captive hoofstock evolved?

A
  • Zoo moving away from inapprorpiate ingredients like grains
  • Greater focus on forage and browse & food presentation/ bhvr stim
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12
Q

Hippo diet?

A
  • Low metabolic rate = prone to obesity when captive
  • Potentila for overgrowth of canines and injuries to oral mucosa, poss due to insufficient tooth wear & inappropriate food components
  • Risk of acidosis
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13
Q

Carnivores nutrition?

A
  • Don’t eat meat they eat animals -> range of nutrients from bones, skin, fur, organs, muscle etc
  • Single monogastrics
  • typically fed horse meed historically
  • Cull & feed back in
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14
Q

GI dx in captive cheetas?

A
  • Positive correlation between whole carcass feeding and reduced incidence of gastritis
  • Higher rate of gastritis when fed horse meat
  • Commercially prepped diets -> higher prevalence fo loose faeces
  • Ribs & long bone feeding 1x weekly ass with lower odds of vomiting
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15
Q

Captive carnivore diets?

A
  • Focus on whole carcass
  • Meat only needs supp - e.g. Ca:P balance
  • fibvre- digestive health
  • Metabolic bone dx & skeletal abn
  • Taurine - essential aa
  • hypervit A
  • Bhvr needs
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16
Q

Describe Primate nutrition?

A

Different modes of digestion e.g. ruminant like tract of colobines
Many different foods depending on seasonal availability

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17
Q

What key considerations of captive primate diets ?

A
  • Wild diet composition & feeding strategy
  • Digestive system and anatomy
  • Ingredient selection – suitable and available
  • Dietary variation – reduce risk of boredom & stereotypies* Life stage and how requirements may change
  • Fibre content – help prevent GI disturbances
  • Micronutrient balance: Ca:P ratio
  • UV lighting provision – Vitamin D synthesis
  • Disease susceptibility – e.g. iron storage, diabetes
  • Obesity risk
  • Dental health
  • Seasonal dietary changes
  • Food presentation & behavioural needs
  • Group hierarchy and social feeding
18
Q

Primates functional considerations .?

A
  • Flat nail on hallux used for grasping?
  • Chimpanzee mollars feeding on tough fracture-resistant leaves and molars for softer fruits
  • Tail used for locomotion and food acquisition
  • Tails & limbs adapted to arboreal life
19
Q

Captive diets must satifsfy: (3)?

A
  • Nutritional needs
  • Anatomical/ physiological needs
  • Bhvr needs
20
Q

Anatomical & physiological needs?

A
  • Digestive anatomy and physiology
  • Dentition
  • Feeding height & position
  • Size of feed items
  • Food presentation, e.g.
    dexterity
21
Q

Bhvr needs?

A
  • Maximise feeding and foraging
    time
  • Food presentation
  • Dietary variety
  • Invertebrate items
  • Whole prey
  • Paddock access
  • Browse
  • Naturalistic feeding –
    whole v chopped
22
Q

Positive life experience (PLE)?

A
  • Using food to promote natural behaviour, feeding or
    otherwise (e.g. moving at height)
  • Allowing for a prolonged foraging time in line with
    natural ecology and preventing boredom* Increasing activity levels to maintain health, fitness
    and help prevent obesity
  • Disperse aggression
  • Promote expression
    of natural behavioural
    repertoires
  • Seasonal and natural
    feeding
23
Q

Challenges of replicating natural diet?

A
  • ALmost impossible to replicate
  • Info rq -> many species no species specific info
  • Mixed exhibits
  • Selective feeding
  • Individual needs (age etc)
  • Activity budget
  • Reprod status
  • Availability of foods
  • Diet drift
24
Q

What is dietary drift?

A

Keeper drift awat from diet animal is supposed to be fed BC:
- No weight out properly
- Inadequate diet sheet
- Perceived idea of better body condition
- Anthropomorphism

25
Q

Dietary changes & transitions?

A
  • Changes should be gradual
  • SOurcing suitable ingredients
  • Possible trial of new food items
26
Q

What can help us know how good a diet is?

A
  • Body condition scoring
  • Weighing
  • Faecal scoring
  • Food intake assessment
  • Coat condition & demeanour
  • Prevalence of medical issues
  • general bhvr & activity budgets
  • Interaction with conspecifics
27
Q

What do we get obesity?

A
  • Overfeeding
  • Inappropriate nutrition
  • Low activity levels
  • Associated problems - cholesterol levels in meerkats
28
Q

Prevention of obesity?

A
  • Appropriate diet and amounts
  • Behavioural stimulation
  • Avoid ‘treats’
  • Public education
29
Q

Why can we see condition loss?

A
  • Parasite burdens
  • Reproductive status
  • Group dominance and uneven food distribution
  • Stress
  • Underlying medical issue
  • Dietary imbalance – diet too low in energy / unsuitable forage quality
  • Inappropriate environmental conditions
  • Dental issues
  • Age
30
Q

Prevention / Tx?

A
  • Check forage quality
  • Ensure enough food bowls
  • Adjust diet-> lactation, geritric, parasites
  • BCS regularly
  • Carry out faecal checks
  • Ensure efficient reporting between keepers/ vet staff to nutritonists
31
Q

Giraffe Lactation?

A
  • Peak in 2nd-3rd months
    175% that of maintenance at maximal lactation
  • Food intake 50-100% during lact
32
Q

Common nutritional problems?

A
  • Vitamin/mineral abnormalities -> deficiency, toxicity, prevention
  • Urolithiasis
  • CKD
  • Metabolic bone dx
  • Bloat
33
Q

What deficiencies can we get?

A
  • Inadequate diet
  • Digestive problems – affecting absorption
  • Species specific requirements not met
  • Vitamin E and Selenium deficiency in equids
  • Copper deficiency in oryx
34
Q

Toxicities ?

A
  • Iron storage disease in lemurs, hornbills, black
    rhino, some birds
  • Use custom feed
  • Avoid food items which contain high levels
  • Contact feed suppliers to check nutrients
35
Q

Urolithiasis?

A

o High protein diet? Aethiology not totally clear
o Otters – recent study found that provision of fish and crustaceans may have a protective effect

o Prevention
* Feed appropriate protein and fibre levels
* Check diet composition – avoid high levels of meat
* Ensure adequate water
supply

36
Q

CKD?

A
  • Often ageing animals
  • Common in felids
  • dietary link? high protein?
37
Q

Metabolic Bone dx?

A
  • Imbalance of Ca/P
  • Lack of Vitamin D3 (UV)
38
Q

Metabolic bone dx prevention?

A
  • Feeding a balanced diet (gut loading, supplementing)* Dietary Vit D3
    supplementation
  • Supplemental UV lighting
    (mounted correctly and
    checked regularly)
  • Natural UV
39
Q

What should captive diet of perissodactyls look like?

A
  • Forage should also be the main component of
    the diet and offered on an ad lib basis
  • This should be supplemented with a commercial
    concentrate pellet and / or mineral lick to
    balance micronutrients

-> high fibre rq
-> monitor energy, protein & fat to avoid obesity
- Acess to grazing may need to be managed if animals become over-conditions / prone to laminits

40
Q

What categories included in Perissodactyla

A
  • Hindgut fermenters (equids, rhinos)