Zoo database

Two-toed Sloth

Choloepus spp.

Natural diet Two-toed Sloth

Two-toed sloths are herbivores that consume leaves from a wide variety of species, as well as occasionally fruits, flowers and stems. Sloths have the lowest basal metabolic rate (BMR) of any animal, which means that they require the lowest amount of calories relative to their body size.

Fruits
Fruits
Leaves
Leaves

Feeding advice Two-toed Sloth

Feed quantity per day

5-7%

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 6 kg and eats 6% of its body weight, it will get
 
6 x 0,06 = 0,36 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

10% Concentrates
50% Leafy greens and cabbages
20% Other vegetables
20% Browse

Proportions (fresh product)

0,1 x 0,36 kg = 36 g concentrates
0,5 x 0,36 kg = 180 g leafy greens and cabbages
0,2 x 0,36 kg = 72 g other vegetables
0,2 x 0,36 kg = 72 g browse

Diet Suggestions

Recommended

Variety of vegetables
Variety of browse (willow, aspen, birch, rowan)

In moderation

Calcium-rich products
Phosphorus-rich products
Vitamin D-rich products

Not recommended

Fruits
Starch-rich products

Common diseases

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

  • Hypercalcemia
  • Bloat
  • Soft tissue mineralization
  • Ruminal acidosis
  • Renal disease
  • Urinary tract disease

Additional advice

  • Divide the “Feed quantity per day” over at least two feeding moments per day.
  • Two-toed sloths are diurnal. Therefore, feeding moments should be spread out during the 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).
  • The diet must have adequate large particles size to maintain the fiber-fermenting microbes.
  • Sloths are sensitive to calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D. Therefore, concentrates should fed accordingly.
  • Stimulate foraging behaviour by hiding, stacking or hanging their feed. Besides this, scatter feeding is also a good option (read more about feed enrichment and foraging behaviour).