Trialling nutrient recommendations for slow lorises ( Nycticebus spp.) based on wild feeding ecology

Slow loris (Nycticebus spp.) captive diets have been based on routine and anecdotesrather than scientific fact. The growing body of evidence contradicts the high fruit dietsupported by such anecdotes. Non-humanprimate nutrient requirements are groupedinto new (based on the common marmoset Callithrix jacchus) or old world (based onrhesus macaques Macaca mulatta) primates. Slow lorises are known to suffer frommany health ailments in captivity such as dental disease, obesity, wasting and kidneyissues all of which have been linked to diet. This study aimed to estimate nutrient intakefrom free-rangingslow lorises and to determine whether this intake can be usedas nutrient recommendations. We collected data of nutrient intake, food passage rateand digestibility of captive slow lorises on three diet treatments 1: current captivetype diet which is mostly fruits, 2: wild-typediet made only of food items from theirnatural diet, 3: new diet made to reflect wild slow loris nutrient intake. In order to validateour nutrient recommendations, diets 2 and 3 would have to be significantly differentto Diet 1 in terms of nutrients, but not different from each other. Captive dietswere significantly higher in soluble carbohydrates and lower in minerals and fibre fractionsthan both diets 2 and 3. Diets 2 and 3 led to a significantly increased food passagetime and to more effective fibre and calcium digestion compared to Diet 1. Wealso observed obese individuals lost weight and underweight individuals gainedweight. Our nutrient recommendations have been validated by our trials, and new orold world monkey nutrient recommendations are not consistent with our results. Dietsshould be high in protein and fibre and low in soluble carbohydrates and fats. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2018 Feb;102(1):e1-e10. doi: 10.1111/jpn.12694. Epub 2017 Apr 26