A comparison of the faecal microflora in wild and laboratory-held Feathertail Gliders, Acrobates pygmaeus (Marsupialia: Acrobatidae).

Abstract

The major components of the faecal micron ora of Feathertail Gliders (Acrobates pygmaeus) were determined for free-living animals inhabiting eucalypt forest in the Dandenong Ranges region of Victoria and for animals obtained from the same area but kept on an artificial diet in laboratory facilities. Acrobates pygmaeus in the laboratory were fed an homogenate consisting of baby food supplemented with vitamins and honey. The wild A. pygmaeus had access to the normal dietary items available in late winter in this part of their natural range. Faecal samples obtained from both groups of animals were analysed using standard procedures to assess the numbers of total aerobes and anaerobes, yeasts, and aerobic and anaerobic streptococci. The A. pygmaeus fed artificially had a denser faecal microflora than the free-living A. pygmaeus. Each gram of faeces from the artificially fed animals contained about 108-109 colony forming units (cfu) of total anaerobes,108-109 cfu of aerobes and 105-106 cfu of yeasts. Corresponding numbers for the free-living animals were 103-105, 105-107 and 103-105. The two groups differed in the relative proportions of gram-positive bacilli and cocci in their faecal samples. The availability of food appears to innuence the faecal micronora of free-living A. pygmaeus.