Zoo database

Squirrel monkey

Saimiri

Natural diet Squirrel monkey

Fruits
Insects
Leaves

Squirrel monkeys are omnivorous primates that eat both plants and animals. Their diet is very diverse and may consist of fruits, seeds and other small insects and animals.

Feeding advice Squirrel monkey

Feed quantity per day

20% of body weight

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 1 kg and eats 20% of its body weight, it will get

1 x 0.2 = 0.2 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

40% Insects and other invertebrates
10% Concentrates
40% Other vegetables
10% Browse

Proportions (fresh product)

0.4 x 0.2 kg = 80 g insects and other invertebrates
0.1 x 0.2 kg = 20 g concentrates
0.4 x 0.2 kg = 80 g other vegetables
0.1 x 0.2 kg = 20 g browse

Diet suggestions

Not recommended

Fruits

Additional advice

Divide the “Feed quantity per day” over at least three feeding moments per day.
Although present in their natural diet, feeding fruits might lead to abnormal fermentation in the hindgut because of high sugar levels in cultivated fruits compared to wild fruits (read more about nutritional values of (wild) fruits and vegetables).
Supplement a diverse selection of vegetables (read more about differences between vegetables).
Provide less palatable food in the morning, when hunger is greatest.
Feeding in bowls is not recommended.
Stimulate foraging behaviour by hiding, stacking or hanging the feed. Examples can be feeding puzzles, tubes, hanging boxes and/ or scatter feeding (read more about feed enrichment and foraging behaviour).

Common diseases

An unbalanced diet may result in one of these more commonly occurring diseases/conditions:

Periodontal disease
Reproductive failure
Cardiovascular disease
Diabetes mellitus
Gastrointestinal problems

Feed quantity per day

Sample percentage calculation

Feed composition

Proportions (fresh product)

Primate Soft Flakes With Insects

DK New World Primate

Birch Leaves - 10-20kg bag

Willow Frozen - ca. 300kg

Marieke Post

Manager R&D & QA