Perfil hematológico, bioquímico e consumo de nutrientes de tamanduás-bandeira (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) alimentados com diferentes dietas em cativeiro

Abstract

The Anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) are insectivorous and the knowledge about their nutritional requirements is restricted. The objective of this study was to verify the influence of different feeding diets formulated for Anteaters in captivity, hematology profile and biochemistry analysis, as well as, the nutrient composition and consumption. The study was conducted with four adult animals, three males and one female, with 40.44 ± 2.58 kg weight average, at the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Zoo (UFMT) in Cuiabá-Mato Grosso, Brazil, in the period between April to July 2011. Diets used were: Diet 1 - Instituto de Pesquisa e Conservação de Tamanduás no Brasil, Diet 2 - Zoológico da UFMT, Cuiabá/MT, Diet 3 - Parque Zoológico Municipal Quinzinho de Barros, Sorocaba/SP and Diet 4 - Fundação ZooBotânica, Belo Horizonte/MG. The experiment was performed in Latin square (DQL) 4 x 4 delineation. The diets and the leftovers were analysed for composition. Animal blood collection was performed monthly for biochemical and hematological analysis. There was no significant difference (P<0.05) in hematology profiles, there remained the same within the reference values. There were significant differences in biochemical profile (P<0.05) for PPT, ALT and cholesterol variables. The diet composition can influence the fecal consistency and cholesterol levels in Giant Anteaters. The crude protein values 39.51±0.33%/MS influenced negatively the animals’ health when compared to values 26.54 ±1.27%/MS PB.