Effect of feeding on the body development of newborn opossums (Didelphis albiventris)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1678-4456.bjvras.2024.215850Keywords:
Growth, Marsupials, Orphans, Milk replacersAbstract
Many orphaned Joey opossums are sent to Wild Animal Screening Centers for parental care. There are no studies on breast milk substitutes. Thus, this study aimed to compare two milk replacer formulations adapted from studies conducted with small animals routinely used for feeding them. For this purpose, 36 newborns of Didelphis albiventris weighing 20 and 25 grams were divided into two groups, each fed with a type of milk replacer (commercial or homemade). The groups were monitored for four weeks, and the animals were weighed and had their length measured weekly, in addition to daily individual assessments at each feeding. The stomach volume of seven animals that died during the evaluation period and were not part of the experimental groups was measured. The homemade milk replacer presented higher energy and fat levels than the commercial one, and the animals fed with it presented higher body development.
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