Nutrition of small herbivores

Small Mammal Nutrition

• Understanding the care of small animals begins with understanding the anatomy and physiology of small animals.
• Behavior of animal is different from what we know from dogs and cats.
• This predation-based model must be conveyed to domestic pet owners in everyday management practices. Changes in feeding and routine can alert and distress animals as they are creatures of habit.

Pain recognition: in prey species the ‘conservation-withdrawal’ reaction is the dominant behavioral pattern over the ‘fight or flight’ reaction of predators.

Herbivores

• Animals designed to eat and digest plant material which carnivores can’t digest.
• The common pet herbivores all have a similar digestive system:
  - Rabbit (large cecum holds about 60% of ingesta)
  - Guinea pig (holds about 45% of ingesta)
  - Chinchilla (smaller cecum holds about 25% of ingesta)

General physiology

• A well developed cardiac sphincter which prohibits vomiting

A look into the stomach via ultrasound

• Disruption of the pH and digestive bacteria of the cecum can result in diarrhea and soft stools.

Anatomy

• Beneficial bacteria function best: 
  - Stabilized environment
  - Consistent daily diet
• When changes are frequent..
  - Populations change
  - Beneficial gut flora die
  - Gas, bloat occurs
  - Clostridium Enterotoxaemia
• Peristalsis: the movement of food through the digestive system via muscle contractions.
  General:
  - Both forward and reverse are important
  - The "scratch factor" of hay aids this necessary contiual movement of bulk masses through the system.
• GI stasis (gastro-intestinal "stop")
  - Upset occurs when peristalsis slows down or stops. This can be fatal if immediate action is not taken.
  - Food intake decreases (hay, pellets, grass)

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