Patterns of Feeding, Defaecation and Digestion in the Tammar, Macropus Eugenii, Under Laboratory Conditions.

Abstract

Tammars given lucerne hay pellets needed at least 4 h per day to eat enough to maintain body weight. They scattered some food with their forepaws, so they could not be held to a constant ration. The amount of faeces excreted per day fluctuated, with a coefficient of variation of 10-20%, so that long collection periods were needed for reliable estimates of digestibility. Within days, the rate of faeces excretion was greatest around feeding time, due to the influence of the preceding day's meal. Animals fed continuously from a moving belt also showed a daily rhythm of defaecation. In periods with a high rate of faeces excretion the dry matter concentration in the faeces fell, presumably because of less opportunity for water absorption.