Brown Kelsey Lee, Ganswindt André, Steenkamp Gerhard, Tordiffe Adrian Stephen Wolferstan
Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0110, South Africa.
Centre for Veterinary Wildlife Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0110, South Africa.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Aug 31;13(17):2783. doi: 10.3390/ani13172783.
Unnatural diet composition and frequent feeding regimes may play an aetiological role in the multiple diseases prevalent in captive cheetahs. This study investigated the responses of captive-born (hand-reared) cheetahs ( = 6) to a reduced feeding frequency schedule distinguished by offering larger quantities of food less frequently. The study cheetahs were fed four once-daily meals per week during the 3-week treatment period, followed by a 3-week control period in which they were fed two daily rations six days a week. Total weekly food intake was maintained throughout the study. Variations in behaviour, faecal consistency score (FCS), and faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentration were measured. Less frequent feeding resulted in higher FCS ( < 0.01) and locomotory behaviour ( < 0.05) among the studied cheetahs. Faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentration demonstrated an initial acute stress response to the change in feeding frequency ( < 0.05) and subsequent adaptation. The results of the FCS analysis suggest that the more natural feeding pattern could have benefited the studied cheetahs' gastrointestinal health without a significant behavioural or physiological stress response overall to the change in feeding frequency.
非自然的饮食构成和频繁的喂食方式可能在圈养猎豹中普遍存在的多种疾病的病因学上发挥作用。本研究调查了圈养出生（人工饲养）的猎豹（ = 6）对减少喂食频率计划的反应，该计划的特点是不那么频繁地提供大量食物。在为期3周的治疗期内，研究中的猎豹每周喂食4次，每天1餐，随后是为期3周的对照期，在此期间，它们每周6天每天喂食2次定量食物。在整个研究过程中，每周的食物摄入量保持不变。测量了行为、粪便稠度评分（FCS）和粪便糖皮质激素代谢物浓度的变化。喂食频率降低导致研究中的猎豹粪便稠度评分升高（ < 0.01）和运动行为增加（ < 0.05）。粪便糖皮质激素代谢物浓度显示出对喂食频率变化的初始急性应激反应（ < 0.05）以及随后的适应。粪便稠度评分分析结果表明，更自然的喂食模式可能有利于研究中的猎豹的胃肠道健康，而总体上对喂食频率变化没有显著的行为或生理应激反应。
