Zoo database

Cassowary

Casuarius spp.

Natural diet Cassowary

Fruits
Grain / seeds
Insects

Cassowaries are omnivorous flightless birds. Their diet primarily consists of fruits and seeds. Occasionally, they may also consume insects or small animals like snails, lizards, and rodents.

Feeding advice Cassowary

Feed quantity per day

5-20% of body weight

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 50 kg and eats 10% of its body weight, it will get

50 x 0.1 = 5 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

5% Concentrates
45% Leafy and cabbage vegetables
45% Other vegetables
5% Other

Proportions (fresh product)

0.05 x 5 kg = 250 g concentrates
0.45 x 5 kg = 2250 g leafy and cabbage vegetables
0.45 x 5 kg = 2250 g other vegetables
0.05 x 5 kg = 250 g other

Diet suggestions

In moderation

Grain mix

Insects

Not recommended

Bread

Fruits

Additional advice

Divide the “Feed quantity per day” over at least two feeding moments per day.
Supplement the diet with around 5% grain mixture.
Cassowaries can be quite selective, and often reject partially ripe or overripe fruits/vegetables.
Supplement the diet with ad libitum soluble grit as a source of calcium (read more about grit).
Insoluble grit is not required if they go outside, as they will ingest small stones.
Although present in their natural diets, feeding fruits might lead to gastro-intestinal disturbances because of the high sugar level and low fiber level in cultivated fruits compared to wild fruits (read more about nutritional values of (wild) fruits and vegetables).
Avoid feeding bread and other high starch products as this may cause gastro-intestinal disturbances.
Stimulate foraging behaviour by using feeding puzzles and 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:

Limb deformities
Vitamin E deficiency
Vitamin A deficiency
Polyneuritis
Osteopyplasia
Impaction
Obesity
Coprophagy
Feather pecking

Species within this group

Southern cassowary
Northern cassowary
Dwarf cassowary

Feed quantity per day

Sample percentage calculation

Feed composition

Proportions (fresh product)

Ratites Pellets (rheas, emus and ostriches) (5 mm) 5054

Ratites Maintenance Pellets

Multigrain Chicken

Stomach Gravel (for Poultry) 4211

Hennie de Boer