Animal Keeper's Association of Africa

NUTRITION

Being a carnivore, they need meat but as captive carnivores fat should be limited or controlled. Quality must be discussed with your local vet for best nutrition. Calcium is also important and often the meat we provide lacks calcium. Calcium can be provided in the form of powder sprinkled over their food. Also different kinds of 'food' should be presented as often as possible. things such as avian (chicken, duck etc), rodent (guinea pig, rat etc), large carcass meat pieces (horse, cow, donkey etc). Written by R. Ingle-Möller 2007

ENRICHMENT

Carnivores by nature need to be curious to survive, it is this trait that you can exploit to enrich their lives. Carnivores are also sporadic feeders, in other words they do not continuously eat like hoof stock animals. Carnivores carfully go through a process before actually eating. They (if social or solitary) have to 'be aware of their hunger', they then begin scanning or finding their food (learning the behaviours and ways of their prey) before placing themselves into position to pounce, chase, ambush etc.

To enrich a carnivore especially small carnivores as a caracal is the following ideas can be implemented. a) pulley systems are very easy and cost effective ways to enrich the play or hunt behaviour in caractal. Simply hang a rope down just in reach and place your food or enrichment item off that. You then pull the pulley and make the item 'move' for the cat to then see, reach and hunt to kill. Always allow the animal a victory, never remove its win away unless it is causing danger to the animal.

b) Scent is also a great idea, as cats usually smell not only eachother but for information about their environment. Scent in the form of your own sweat can give information. Placing strategic amounts into the camp can allow the animal to explore 'new information' and act upon it appropriately, whether it be scent marking (reclaiming his territory) to flemming (Question: do you mean phlegming (if that is a word)?) to deciding that this threat is just to much. Thus the need to always keep the scent to a minimum.

c) Novel items are great as they are a different shape, different smell, different colour, different weight, different size and as such can be very enriching indeed. Boxes, card board tubes, large fruits, pile of leaves, baskets etc are always fun.

TRAINING TECHNIQUES

ENCLOSURE NEEDS

NATURAL HISTORY

VETERINARY NEEDS

OTHER