Transcript Rabbits

Rabbit and Rodent
Nutrition
N. Matthew Ellinwood, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Spring 2010
Rabbits
• At least 45 breeds of rabbits
• Serve as:
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pet animals
meat producers
fur and hide producers
research subjects
• Differ from rodents in having 2 sets of upper
incisors
Rabbit GI Anatomy
• Non-ruminant herbivores with simple
(glandular) stomach
• Shorter sm. intestine than most species
• Enlarged cecum for enhanced forage use
– Don’t digest fiber well (15-17% optimal)
– Do digest starch and recycle protein
• Lg. Intestine sorts food based on components
& size
– Fiber continues to colon for excretion
– Fluids and soluble particles transferred back to
cecum for further digestion
Rabbit digestive tract
Coprophagy/Cecotrophy
• Ingestion of feces (“normal”)
– Hard and soft feces produced
– Soft feces ingested directly from the anus
as excreted in early morning (night feces)
– Not a problem if housed on wire cages
– Similar to rumination due to path: cecum
mouth stomach…a “recycler”
– Provide vitamins B and K and increase
forage use
Feedstuffs
• Hay
– Alfalfa--high in protein and calcium
– Most forages are low in phosphorus
– High fiber (cellulose) will have limited digestion
by cecal fermentation or coprophagy
– Grass--significantly lower in protein and
digestibility
– Timothy--now being seen as basis of pelleted
diets
Feedstuffs
• Garden vegetables
– Good sources of vitamins
– High in moisture/low in dry matter
– Fibrous materials--help with digestive function
– Not exceptionally good sources of protein
– Enrichment
Feedstuffs
• Grains
– Generally good sources of energy and
phosphorus
– Poor sources of calcium and fiber
– Grain byproducts also acceptable
– Prefer oats and barley to corn
Feedstuffs
• Protein supplements
– Commercial pelleted diet ~ 15-19% CP
– Plant based
– Oil content increases energy
– Generally only needed for max. growth
Feeding Tips
• Pelleting common
– Reduces feed sorting/wastage
– Cereal grains utilized…especially oats
• Avoid moldy feeds
• Often nocturnal feeders
• Avoid overfeeding calories
– Use higher forage/vegetable matter formula
– Meal feed superior to “free choice”
Feeding Tips cont’d
• Atony and hairballs reduced with 22% fiber in
diet
– Rabbits unable to vomit
• Concern: although fermentation followed by
coprophagy is significant, dietary essential
amino acid requirements still exist
• Fat addition common for grower rabbits
• Gnawing toys also good
Nutrient
Recommendations
Nutrient:
Growth
Maintenance
protein, %
16
12
10-12
14-22
2
2
fiber, %
fat, %
•Fiber
-Reduces hairballs
-Reduces chance of obesity
-Helps w/ GI function
Special Considerations
• Calcium
– Very efficient absorption. . . and excretion
– Alfalfa higher in calcium than other grasses
– Leads to: cloudy urine, urine sludge, bladder
calculi
• Enteritis/enterotoxemia
– Major problem with high concentrate diets
– Clostridial organisms flourish in presence of
overconsumption of energy…especially in young
rabbits
• Also a concern with antibiotic administration
Chinchillas
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Originated in S. America
Desire for pelts nearly led to extinction
Longer life span than other pet rodents
Require dust baths for coat quality
Generally eat at night
Monogastric herbivore w/ large
cecum--“hind gut” fermenters
www.brandywinezoo.org/chinchilla/html
Chinchillas
• Normally coprophagic
• Susceptible to constipation
– Prevented by having adequate crude fiber
• Susceptible to dietary changes (diarrhea)
– Make changes slowly
• Absolute requirements not known
– Most commercial diets are higher in fiber and
lower in protein than conventional rodent diets
• Enjoy veggies, fruits, and grains as treats
(limit to one to two raisins per day)
Guinea Pigs
• Domesticated in S. America; some wild cavies
still found there today
• Produce large amount of feces
• Females must be bred before 7 mo. of age
Guinea Pigs
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Food preferences established early
Normally coprophagic
Provide free-choice timothy hay
Green veggies make great snacks and
supplement Vit C requirements
• Like rabbits, subject to antibiotic induced
enterotoximia
Guineas & Vitamin C
• Must have diet formulated for Guinea pigs or
otherwise supplemented with Vit C
– Most diets fortified with Vit C (ascorbic acid)
– Approx half of initial amt. of Vit C is oxidized within
90 days of mixing
• 15-25mg / day required
• Clinical signs (joint bleeds) can occur as soon
as 2 weeks on Vit C deficient diet
• Scurvy caused by Vit C deficiency is leading
cause of death in guineas
Gerbils
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More active than hamsters
If escape cages, often return to them
Excessive burrowing and tunneling
Prone to stress induced epileptic seizures
http://br.geocities.com/gerson_cs/gerbil.html
Gerbils
• Standard rodent diet acceptable
– 4-5% fat
– 16% protein
– Generally block-style pellets
www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=5286
• If fed seed diets
– Will select more palatable, fatty seeds
• Ex: Sunflower seeds (low calcium and high fat relative to
requirements)
– Provide seeds only as a treat
• Do NOT practice coprophagy
Hamsters
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Nocturnal
Least hardy of all small rodents
High metabolic rate due to small size
Will chew on most everything
Possess cheek pouches and utilize them
frequently when feeding
• Classified as granivorous
www.animalnetwork.com/critters/profiles/hamster/default.asp
Hamsters
• Normally coprophagic
• Higher protein requirement than
standard rodent chow
– 17-23%
• Susceptible to Vit E deficiency
– Fresh milled diet (< 6 months)
– Muscle weakness
Rats & Mice
http://www.pitt.edu/~biohome/Dept/Img/graphics/mice.jpg
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/images12/RatHoodedRatMouseCatPics145.JPG
• Rats relatively intelligent, but prone to obesity
• Mice exhibit Whitten and Bruce effect
• Standard rodent chow (block-style) will be
sufficient
• Vigorous digestive tracts
• Diets well formulated due to extensive use as
research animals
Summary
Characteristics
CP
Vit.
Enrich
Animal
Copr.
Rabbits
X
15-19%
Chinchillas
X
12-14%
C(?)
X
Guinea Pigs
X
16-18%
C
X
Gerbils
X
16%
Hamsters
X
17-23%
Rats & Mice
X
16%
X
E
X
X
Inbred mice breeds
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)
Dr N.A Namvar Asl (D.V.M)