First Prosimian Husbandry Workshop 2009 - Cleveland Metroparks ...

They are omnivorous and have a longer digestive tract, therefore gut transit time (7 to8 hours) is
slower. Cecum is similar in size to the ruffed lemur cecum, this is where fiber is broken down by
bacteria. Volatile fatty acids are produced by breakdown of fiber in cecum and are absorbed by the
mucosal wall. Because of their longer gut, they can be fed high-fiber diets.
Sifaka:
This is a folivorous species with a very long gut. Fiber fermentation occurs in the cecum and gut
transit time is 24-48 hours.
Question: (Monica Mogilewsky) Are crowned lemurs closer to ruffed and mongoose closer to ringtailed?
Answer: They are all very similar to the ring-tailed gut morphology.
Comment (Karen Weisenseel): Gut transit time studies have been done in mongoose lemurs.
Comment (Chris Kuhar): We have been trying to use dye to identify vomit in a ruffed lemur, short
transit time may be the reason we have had issues with this.
Moderator (Cathy Williams): Ruffed lemurs can utilize a lot of simple sugars, if you give the sifaka
simple sugars you will switch the bacteria population in the gut. This can cause diarrhea.
Necropsy of folivorous animals fed high sugar diets, have died quickly.
Question: (Monica Mogilewsky) What about feeding Varecia fiber?
Moderator (Cathy Williams): There can be benefits to doing this. Humans don’t have a cecum, but
still need fiber for water balance, stool consistency, transit time, colon health, slows rate of sugar
entering bloodstream. However, ruffed lemurs cannot get energy from the fiber.
Question: (Jessica Franke) If an animal has been fed a bad diet, can they develop the good bacteria
if their diet is changed?
Moderator (Cathy Williams): Yes, over time it will shift.
Question: (Jessica Franke) What happens during the initial switch-over?
Moderator (Cathy Williams: There is time where they have to get used to new diets. Best way to
do this is through gradual change which helps animals adjust better.
Question (Megan Elder): Are probiotics helpful?
Moderator (Cathy Williams): No data on this. Probiotics are in the lactobacilis family, they are not
the same bacteria in the intestinal tract of the lemur. Probiotics are not cellulose or fiber digesting
bacteria. It shouldn’t hurt or benefit lemur diets.
Question: Can we process carbohydrates by cooking to create simple carbohydrates i.e. yams?
This can be a cheaper alternative.
Moderator (Cathy Williams): Problem with simple carbs is that they cause a spike in the glucose
which over time is not good, even for ruffed lemurs. The effect is more negative. If they are
getting enough nutrients, they do not need this many simple carbs.
Question: Where is the preference to get the simple carbs from?
Moderator (Cathy Williams): All simple sugars are absorbed easily without much processing along
with starch. When you start binding the glucose into hemicellulose etc., this takes time to process
and slows down the absorption of the carbs into more of a steady peak.
Question: Can you tell us anything about intestinal tracts of Asian nocturnal prosimians?
Moderator (Cathy Williams): Jenny Campbell has studied this. Intestinal tracts and cecums were
very small and more associated with a high protein, insectivorous diet. No info on gut transit time.
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