Should Zoo Food Be Chopped for Captive Turacos?
It is common practice for keepers in zoological collections to provide animals in their care with food that is chopped into small pieces. Anecdotally, it has been suggested that chopped food reduces wastage and reduces aggression from group-housed animals. However, there is limited empirical evidenc...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-11-01
|
| Series: | Birds |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6004/2/4/31 |
| _version_ | 1827600426350936064 |
|---|---|
| author | Beth Griffin James Edward Brereton |
| author_facet | Beth Griffin James Edward Brereton |
| author_sort | Beth Griffin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It is common practice for keepers in zoological collections to provide animals in their care with food that is chopped into small pieces. Anecdotally, it has been suggested that chopped food reduces wastage and reduces aggression from group-housed animals. However, there is limited empirical evidence to support these suggestions. To investigate the effects of food condition (chopped or whole food), a study was undertaken on White-cheeked Turacos (<i>Tauraco leucotis)</i> and Fischer’s Turacos (<i>Tauraco fischeri)</i> at two zoological collections in the United Kingdom. This study investigated the effect of food condition on turaco behaviour, the amount of food eaten, and also the amount of time that keepers required to prepare the diet. There was no significant impact on the amount of food eaten as a result of providing whole food. For Fischer’s Turacos, the whole-food condition significantly increased the prevalence of feeding and foraging behaviour, whilst significantly reducing preening. For White-cheeked Turacos, only feeding and foraging was affected by food condition: no other behaviours were significantly affected by chopped or whole food. Keepers on average saved 151 s per meal when preparing whole-food diets. Overall, this study suggests that changing food presentation from chopped to whole has a limited impact on food intake and behaviour. Providing whole-food items may also save valuable keeper time. Future studies should investigate the impact of feeding whole-food items to a wider range of zoo-housed species. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:35:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-67a0aab9d03e4ea698d91415e1fd0ada |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-6004 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:35:52Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Birds |
| spelling | doaj.art-67a0aab9d03e4ea698d91415e1fd0ada2023-12-03T13:28:43ZengMDPI AGBirds2673-60042021-11-012441542610.3390/birds2040031Should Zoo Food Be Chopped for Captive Turacos?Beth Griffin0James Edward Brereton1Zoo and Animal Science, Higher Education, University Centre Sparsholt, Westley Lane, Sparsholt, Winchester SO21 2NF, UKZoo and Animal Science, Higher Education, University Centre Sparsholt, Westley Lane, Sparsholt, Winchester SO21 2NF, UKIt is common practice for keepers in zoological collections to provide animals in their care with food that is chopped into small pieces. Anecdotally, it has been suggested that chopped food reduces wastage and reduces aggression from group-housed animals. However, there is limited empirical evidence to support these suggestions. To investigate the effects of food condition (chopped or whole food), a study was undertaken on White-cheeked Turacos (<i>Tauraco leucotis)</i> and Fischer’s Turacos (<i>Tauraco fischeri)</i> at two zoological collections in the United Kingdom. This study investigated the effect of food condition on turaco behaviour, the amount of food eaten, and also the amount of time that keepers required to prepare the diet. There was no significant impact on the amount of food eaten as a result of providing whole food. For Fischer’s Turacos, the whole-food condition significantly increased the prevalence of feeding and foraging behaviour, whilst significantly reducing preening. For White-cheeked Turacos, only feeding and foraging was affected by food condition: no other behaviours were significantly affected by chopped or whole food. Keepers on average saved 151 s per meal when preparing whole-food diets. Overall, this study suggests that changing food presentation from chopped to whole has a limited impact on food intake and behaviour. Providing whole-food items may also save valuable keeper time. Future studies should investigate the impact of feeding whole-food items to a wider range of zoo-housed species.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6004/2/4/31chopped food<i>Tauraco fischeri</i><i>Tauraco leucotis</i>Fischer’s TuracoWhite-cheeked Turacofood preparation |
| spellingShingle | Beth Griffin James Edward Brereton Should Zoo Food Be Chopped for Captive Turacos? Birds chopped food <i>Tauraco fischeri</i> <i>Tauraco leucotis</i> Fischer’s Turaco White-cheeked Turaco food preparation |
| title | Should Zoo Food Be Chopped for Captive Turacos? |
| title_full | Should Zoo Food Be Chopped for Captive Turacos? |
| title_fullStr | Should Zoo Food Be Chopped for Captive Turacos? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Should Zoo Food Be Chopped for Captive Turacos? |
| title_short | Should Zoo Food Be Chopped for Captive Turacos? |
| title_sort | should zoo food be chopped for captive turacos |
| topic | chopped food <i>Tauraco fischeri</i> <i>Tauraco leucotis</i> Fischer’s Turaco White-cheeked Turaco food preparation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-6004/2/4/31 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bethgriffin shouldzoofoodbechoppedforcaptiveturacos AT jamesedwardbrereton shouldzoofoodbechoppedforcaptiveturacos |