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From blackbirds and thrushes...to the gut-loaded cricket: a new approach to zoo animal nutrition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 August 2018

Mary E. Allen
Mary E. Allen*
Affiliation:
Department of Nutritional Resources, National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20008, USA
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Zoo animal nutritionists need to make decisions about diet composition for a wide variety of vertebrate species, including those with very specialized diets (dietary specialists). For some zoo species it is common to refer to the published literature on the nutrient requirements of analogous domestic animals, such as cattle, horses and cats, as well as human beings (Allen & Oftedal, 1996). When this information is combined with knowledge of natural history, feeding patterns, composition of foods consumed in the wild and gastrointestinal tract morphology, it is possible to develop a sound foundation for a successful feeding programme for many zoo animals.

References

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