Zoo database

Banteng

Bos javanicus

Natural diet Banteng

Banteng are herbivorous grazers that have a diverse and adaptable diet. Therefore, they can thrive in various habitats including forests, grasslands, and agricultural lands. Their natural diet consists of grasses, leaves, shoots, and fruits. In scarcity, banteng are also known to consume bark, stems, and woody vegetation.

Grasses
Grasses
Herbs
Herbs
Leaves
Leaves

Feeding advice Banteng

Feed quantity per day

2-4%

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 600 kg and eats 3% of its body weight, it will get
 
600 x 0,03 = 18 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

15% Concentrates
65% Grass, alfalfa, roughage
20% Browse

Proportions (fresh product)

0,15 x 18 kg = 2.700 g concentrates
0,65 x 18 kg = 11.700 g grass, alfalfa, roughage
0,2 x 18 kg = 3.600 g browse

Diet Suggestions

Recommended

Grass hay

Pellets

Salt lick

In moderation

Variety of browse (willow, oak, chestnut or lime)

Not recommended

Fruits

Common diseases

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

  • Obesity
  • Intestinal worms
  • Rumen acidosis
  • Bovine viral diarrhea

Additional advice

  • Divide the “Feed quantity per day” over at least two feeding moments per day.
  • Supplement the diet with ad libitum roughages (read more about browsers and grazers).
  • In nature, the fraction of grasses is highest during the wet seasons, while the browse fraction increases during the dry season (up to 75%). In captivity, this can be mimicked by incorporating some browse in the diets.
  • The browse used in the diet can be a mixture between dried and fresh browse.
  • In the winter months, either dried, frozen (thawed) branches or leaf silage should be provided.
  • 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 behaviour by hiding, stacking or hanging the feed (read more about feed enrichment and foraging behaviour).