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Effects of diet on captive black‐footed ferret ( Mustela nigripes ) food preference
Author(s) -
Vargas Astrid,
Anderson Stanley H.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2361(1996)15:2<105::aid-zoo1>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - prairie dog , biology , cynomys ludovicianus , food preference , olfactory cues , cafeteria , predation , zoology , ecology , olfaction , medicine , food science , pathology
Black‐footed ferrets ( Mustela nigripes ) are both habitat and prey specialists that depend on prairie dogs ( Cynomys spp.) for food and utilize prairie dog burrows for refuge. In this study we investigated the effects of captive diet during early development on adult black‐footed ferret food preferences. To test the hypothesis that early diet affects the food preferences of adult black‐footed ferrets, we exposed 22 kits (divided into three experimental groups) to different quantities of prairie dog in the diet: no prairie dog, prairie dog three times per week, and prairie dog daily during the assumed sensitive period for olfactory imprinting, i.e., between 60–90 postnatal days. At age 5 months, kits were individually tested in a food choice cafeteria trial. Results indicated that higher amounts of prairie dog in the ferrets' early diet led to a higher preference for this food item when ferrets reached adulthood. These results have important implications for black‐footed ferret recovery and have been considered in the reintroduction protocol. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.