Total Fecal Collection and Acid-Insoluble Ash as Measures of Dry Matter Digestibility by Kowari (Dasyuriodes brynei)

Citation

Trouten-Radford LM, Valdes EV, Dufresne AL, BcBride BW. 1995. Total fecal collection and acid-insoluble ash as measures of dry matter digestibility by Kowari (Dasyuriodes brynei). In Proceedings of the First Conference on Zoo and Wildlife Nutrition, AZA Nutrition Advisory Group, Scarborough, OT.

Abstract

Comparisons were made between the total fecal collection and acid-insoluble ash (AIA) natural marker methods for determining dry matter digestibility (DMD) coefficients of rations for Kowari (Dasyuriodes brynei) at the Metro Toronto Zoo (MTZ). Two rations were evaluated separately in trials of 5 to 7 days duration; a ground mice diet (2 trials) and a plain carnivore mix diet (4 trials). Dry matter intakes were determined and feces were collected daily, for each of 4 animals. Diet and fecal samples were analysed for AIA using a modification of the 2N HCL procedure of Van Keulen and Young (1977). Due to the limited sample available, the daily feces were combined within a trial for each animal. Digestibility, calculated for AIA fecal analysis versus total fecal collection were 0.8983 and 0.8440 respectively, and for the ground mice diet versus the plain carnivore diet, 0.8281 and 0.9142 respectively. Both diet and method were significant factors in determining DM digestibility (P<0.01).

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