Zoo database

Sloth bear

Melursus ursinus

Natural diet Sloth bear

Fruits
Insects
Nectar

Sloth bears primarily consume insects in the wild, which make up for 95% of their diet. Next to this, they will also supplement their diet with some fruits. When food is scarce, sloth bears will also consume carrion. Besides all this, they have a special craving for honey.

Feeding advice Sloth bear

Feed quantity per day

5-10% of body weight

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 100 kg and eats 5% of its body weight, it will get

100 x 0.05 = 5 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

29% Insects and other invertebrates
10% Concentrates
60% Other vegetables
1% Other

Proportions (fresh product)

0.29 x 5 kg = 1450 g insects and other invertebrates
0.1 x 5 kg = 500 g concentrates
0.6 x 5 kg = 3000 g other vegetables
0.01 x 5 kg = 50 g other

Diet suggestions

In moderation

Honey

Seeds or nuts

Not recommended

Fruits

Additional advice

Divide the “Feed quantity per day” over at least three feeding moments per day.
DK Insectivore and DK omnivore can be fed together.
To promote the oral health, it is important to offer the soft food first and then the hard food such as bones and skin.
Unlike most other bear species, sloth bears do not hibernate.
Bears have different nutritional needs every season, the diet should be adapted accordingly to the activity levels to avoid obesity (read more about seasonal fluctuations and hibernation).
Although present in their natural diets, feeding fruits might lead to 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).
Stimulate foraging behavior by hiding, stacking or hanging the feed (read more about feed enrichment and foraging behaviour).

Common diseases

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

Arthritis and Skeletal Disease
Dental Disease
Urolithiasis
Hepatobiliary cancer

Feed quantity per day

Sample percentage calculation

Feed composition

Proportions (fresh product)

DK Insectivore diet

DK Omnivore diet

Buffalo worms bulk

Crickets

Marloes van Steendelaar

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