Hand-reared common swifts (Apus apus) in a wildlife rehabilitation centre: assessment of growth rates using different diets
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19227/jzar.v1i2.33Abstract
Common swift (Apus apus) orphans represent an important number of admissions to wildlife rehabilitation centres in Europe. Rehabilitation centres may encounter difficulties in the hand-rearing of large numbers of insectivore chicks if they use commercially available insects, which are usually expensive and nutritionally incomplete. These constraints have created the necessity for alternative diets; however, these may not be optimal for hand-rearing purely insectivorous species. In this study, 116 orphan common swift nestlings were hand-reared during June and July 2008 and 2009 in the Torreferrusa Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (Catalonia, northern Spain). We assessed growth rates and final fledgling weight under four different diets, comparing the results to those of wild parent-raised common swifts. Clinical condition at admission was the main variable predicted to influence the results. The four diets were (1) rat mince diet, a specific pathogen-free laboratory rat mince; (2) kibble diet, a formula based on a high-protein–low-carbohydrate cat food; (3) cricket diet, based on house crickets (Acheta domesticus) and wax moth larvae (Galleria mellonella); and (4) mealworm diet, based on mealworm larvae (Tenebrio molitor). Reference adult weights of wild animals were obtained from the literature (41.5g ± 2.42 SD). The results showed significant differences in final weights, which were considerably lower for hand-reared animals on the non-insect diets (rat mince diet: 32.8g ± 2.7; kibble diet: 32.5g ± 3.7). The final weights in both insect diet groups were satisfactory, with values close to those observed in the wild (cricket diet: 40.1g ± 4.0; mealworm diet: 40.3g ± 3.1). The results of this research highlight the need to implement changes in diet protocols when using non-insect-based diets.Downloads
Published
2013-10-31
How to Cite
Fusté, E., Obon, E., & Olid, L. (2013). Hand-reared common swifts (Apus apus) in a wildlife rehabilitation centre: assessment of growth rates using different diets. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research, 1(2), 61–68. https://doi.org/10.19227/jzar.v1i2.33
Issue
Section
Articles
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).