Zoo database

Barbary macaques

Macaca sylvanus

Natural diet Barbary macaques

Fruits
Grain / seeds
Herbs
Leaves

The barbary macaques are omnivorous animals that typically consume leaves, roots and fruit. They supplement this diet with occasional insects.

Feeding advice Barbary macaques

Feed quantity per day

5-10% of body weight

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 13 kg and eats 7% of its body weight, it will get

13 x 0.07 = 0.91 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

5% Insects and other invertebrates
10% Concentrates
20% Leafy and cabbage vegetables
50% Other vegetables
10% Browse
5% Other

Proportions (fresh product)

0.05 x 0.91 kg = 45.5 g insects and other invertebrates
0.1 x 0.91 kg = 91 g concentrates
0.2 x 0.91 kg = 182 g leafy and cabbage vegetables
0.5 x 0.91 kg = 455 g other vegetables
0.1 x 0.91 kg = 91 g browse
0.05 x 0.91 kg = 45.5 g other

Diet suggestions

In moderation

Insects

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:

Obesity
Reproductive failure
Diabetes mellitus
Cardiovascular disease

Feed quantity per day

Sample percentage calculation

Feed composition

Proportions (fresh product)

DK Leaf-eater Basic

Old World Primate

Primate Leaf eater (cold pressed)

DK Maintenance Hi-Fibre (Primate)

Wax moth larvae

Grasshoppers

Kevin Kieft

Warehouse