Nutrient analysis of less common invertebrate prey items
Citation
May S, Reppert A, Ward A, and Coslik A. 2019. Nutrient analysis of less common invertebrate prey items. In Brooks M, Freel T, Koutsos E Eds. Proceedings of the Thirteenth Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition, Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition Foundation and AZA Nutrition Advisory Group, Saint Louis, MO.
Abstract
A total of 11 different types of invertebrate prey items [Banded crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) (¼ and ½ inch), harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex occidentalis), termites (Reticulitermes flavipes) (workers), bloodworms (Chironomus plumosus), red wigglers (possible mix of E. foetida and E. andrei, Lumbricus rubellus, and/or Aporrectodea caliginosa), tobacco hornworms (Manduca sexta), bean beetles (Callosobruchus maculatus), and fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila hydei)] were analyzed by the Fort Worth Zoo. The selection of invertebrates encompassed different species and sizes that are increasingly fed to insectivorous animals at the Fort Worth Zoo, but for which there is minimal published nutrient composition information. Items were analyzed for proximate, mineral, and vitamins A and E content. The resulting data were compared to published values for similar items and to estimated target nutrient ranges for amphibians. These less common invertebrate prey items showed considerable variation in nutrient content between and within species compared to published data. The majority of nutrients, including Ca:P ratio and vitamins A and E, of the prey items did not achieve the proposed nutrient levels, which reinforces the rationale for supplementation of invertebrate prey items to meet estimated nutrient targets.
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