Zoo database

Sloth bear

Melursus ursinus

Natural diet Sloth bear

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.

Fruits
Fruits
Insects
Insects
Nectar
Nectar

Feeding advice Sloth bear

Feed quantity per day

5-10%

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 = 1.450 g insects and other invertebrates
0,1 x 5 kg = 500 g concentrates
0,6 x 5 kg = 3.000 g other vegetables
0,01 x 5 kg = 50 g other

Diet Suggestions

Recommended

Variety of vegetables

Variety of insects

Concentrates

In moderation

Honey

Seeds or nuts

Not recommended

Fruits

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

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).