Camacho, I. N., Schultz, C. 2009. A rational approach to enriched nutrition for nonhuman primates. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 543 (Abstract #PS38).

Obesity is a concern with nonhuman primates (NHPs) housed in captivity for extended periods of time, mostly due to overfeeding and lack of exercise. This is often compounded by environmental enrichment programs that include different types of food. That is because such food is usually high in calories and added to the diet without a concomitant reduction in the number of standard chow biscuits provided. These additional foods may not meet an animal’s daily nutritional needs and could result in nutrient deficiencies if not balanced with compensatory foodstuffs. Consequences of all of the above include not only obesity and related complications, such as type-2 diabetes, but also unintentional effects on the animal model that may adversely affect research data. To avoid these problems, we developed an algorithm and spreadsheet to easily determine the caloric needs of individual NHPs based on calculated basal metabolic rate and activity level. Using input variables such as body weight, activity, and dietary nutrient values, one can calculate the resultant current caloric requirements and the number of biscuits required to meet daily nutritional needs. If other foods are involved, a balanced feed ration model was incorporated to account for fruits, nuts, and miscellaneous treats, in order to better match the animal’s nutritional needs and intake with the nutrient content of the various foods offered. The anticipated advantages of this approach include NHPs in better body condition and health and lower feed and labor costs by avoiding wastage.