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Intermediate marmosets and tamarins

Callitrichidae spp.

Natural diet Intermediate marmosets and tamarins

Intermediate marmosets and tamarins are a collection of omnivorous primates whose diet lies in-between that of gummivorous and frugivorous primates. Their diet is diverse and may include fruits, nectar, insects and small vertebrates. In terms of gum, they are also intermediaries, consuming more than frugivores but less than gummivores.

Fruits

Gum

Insects

Nectar

Feeding advice Intermediate marmosets and tamarins

Feed quantity per day

20-30%

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 0.4 kg and eats 25% of its body weight, it will get

0.4 x 0.25 = 0.1 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

45% Insects and other invertebrates
10% Concentrates
35% Other vegetables
10% Other

Proportions (fresh product)

0.45 x 0.1 kg = 45 g insects and other invertebrates
0.1 x 0.1 kg = 10 g concentrates
0.35 x 0.1 kg = 35 g other vegetables
0.1 x 0.1 kg = 10 g other

Feeding advice Intermediate marmosets and tamarins

Feed quantity per day

20-30%

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 0.4 kg and eats 25% of its body weight, it will get

0.4 x 0.25 = 0.1 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

45% Insects and other invertebrates
10% Concentrates
35% Other vegetables
10% Other

Proportions (fresh product)

0.45 x 0.1 kg = 45 g insects and other invertebrates
0.1 x 0.1 kg = 10 g concentrates
0.35 x 0.1 kg = 35 g other vegetables
0.1 x 0.1 kg = 10 g other

Diet Suggestions

In moderation

Gum
Tamarin cake

Not recommended

Fruits

Common diseases

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

Obesity
Marmoset Wasting Syndrome
Periodontal disease
Gastrointestinal problems

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 the diet with sufficient vitamin D and folic acid. When feeding appropriate concentrates, this is not necessary.
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).

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