Behaviour and feeding

feeding enrichment

providing feed to a domestic or captive animal in different ways to help stimulate their mind, provide correct nutrition and encourage natural behaviour - all aid in animal welfare

main types of animal diets

herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, insectivore, piscivore

herbivore

plants

carnivore

meat

omnivore

plants and meat

insectivore

insects

piscivore

fish

types of feeding behaviours

striking, prey capture, stalking prey, burrowing, rooting, browsing, filter feeding, scavenging, selective grazing, foraging

prey capture feeding behaviour

capturing prey animal during hunting

stalking prey feeding behaviour

observing and monitoring the prey animal during hunting

burrowing feeding behaviour

burrowing into their food, e.g. eating and tunneling

rooting feeding behaviour

using the snout to burrow or dig in the ground in search of food

browsing feeding behaviour

feeding on leaves, fruits and shoots that are high up

filter feeding behaviour

filtering small organisms through an (aquatic) animal’s system

scavenging feeding behaviour

consuming already dead plant or animal material

selective grazing feeding behaviour

selecting particular plants when feeding on grass or pasture

foraging feeding behaviour

searching across an area for food

striking feeding behaviour

making a sudden, violent action towards a prey animal, to stun or kill

prey capture feeding behaviour example species

wolves

stalking prey feeding behaviour example species

lions

burrowing feeding behaviour example species

moles

rooting feeding behaviour example species

pigs

browsing feeding behaviour example species

deer

filter feeding behaviour example species

flamingos

scavenging feeding behaviour example species

hyena

selective grazing feeding behaviour example species

goats

foraging feeding behaviour example species

baboons

striking feeding behaviour example species

snake species e.g. Texas rat snake

example of an alternate enrichment technique for animals that naturally hunt vertebrate species

e.g. captive lions can be provided with meat-filled structures, or meat can be hung high up

in the UK, can invertebrate species be supplied as food items?

yes

in the UK, can vertebrate species be supplied as food items?

no

how to feed snakes pre-killed rodents?

warm them up

make them look alive by moving them around with tongs