Apparent digestibility of dry matter and apparent digestible energy of native fruits consumed by tepezcuintles (cuniculuspaca) in captivity

Abstract

Eight adult male tepezcuintles (Cuniculus paca) were subjected to consumption tests of orange fruit (Cítrus sinensis), corn (Zea mays), papaya (Carica papaya) and Huaya (Talisia olivaeformis), to measure the apparent digestibility of dry matter (ADDM) and digestible apparent energy (ADE). The tepezcuintles were fed for periods of seven days with each food. Food consumption and feces production were measured during each period. The results showed that the tepezcuintles presented ADDM values from 81.1 to 97.5% with significant differences (P <0.05) and the ADE was from 74.6 to 92.7%. A simple linear regression model was fitted between ADDM and ADE of the four foods (P <0.05, R2 = 90.76). It is concluded that specimens of C. paca in captivity show high ADDM and ADE through a direct and significant relationship between both, with fruits of the four native plant species.