Husbandry Manual for Grey- Headed Flying Fox - Nswfmpa.org

6.3 Presentation of Food
GHFF naturally bicker over food, with each individual coveting another’s food station
(Refer 9.2 Social Behaviour). It is therefore important to provide a number of feed
buckets (ideally one per animal) and at various locations within the enclosure. As FF’s
invert to defecate/urinate, sometimes a mis-aimed evacuation can end up in a food
bowl spoiling the food. For this reason it is preferable to only half fill the feed buckets
and to locate the food at a number of different locations (pers obs).
A simple activity such
as placing whole apples
on a piece of wire requires the animal to work for their food
(an unfurled metal coat hanger works well). The picture
above shows each apple with a small nick out of it to allow
the animal an easier initial bite into the fruit.
Another feeding aide is a wire cage, such as that used for
feeding wild birds. Placement of soft fruit within the cage,
and then suspension of the cage on the aviary roof
encourages the animal to ‘hunt’ the banana and consume
by licking, rather than gobbling it down quickly. It takes
many hours to lick a banana flat, where otherwise the fruit
would be consumed in a number of large bites.
Maintaining variety within the captive flying fox diet,
but at the same time being mindful of the need to
avoid extra work for the keeper is a difficult
compromise. Obviously it is impossible to replicate
the feeding patterns of the FF, however, it should
be possible to provide enough feeding activities to
stimulate natural foraging and hunting techniques.
(Refer Annexure 6 for suggested behavioural
enrichment activities)
Rather than placing food in stainless steel food dishes, it can be placed in plastic
buckets and suspended from the roof. The
FFs will be required to use their muscles to
reach and hang over the food buckets, rather
than just slouch on the side of the cage to
feed over a metal
D-cup. Once
familiar with this
system, the
buckets can be
suspended on thick
ropes whereby the
FFs must fly, leap
or clamber down the ropes to reach food. A rope length of a
metre is a good length.
Husbandry Manual – GHFF
Mandi Griffith - 31 -