Abstract:
Unnatural diet composition and frequent feeding regimes may play an aetiological role
in the multiple diseases prevalent in captive cheetahs. This study investigated the responses of
captive-born (hand-reared) cheetahs (n = 6) to a reduced feeding frequency schedule distinguished by
offering larger quantities of food less frequently. The study cheetahs were fed four once-daily meals
per week during the 3-week treatment period, followed by a 3-week control period in which they
were fed two daily rations six days a week. Total weekly food intake was maintained throughout the
study. Variations in behaviour, faecal consistency score (FCS), and faecal glucocorticoid metabolite
concentration were measured. Less frequent feeding resulted in higher FCS (p < 0.01) and locomotory
behaviour (p < 0.05) among the studied cheetahs. Faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentration
demonstrated an initial acute stress response to the change in feeding frequency (p < 0.05) and
subsequent adaptation. The results of the FCS analysis suggest that the more natural feeding pattern
could have benefited the studied cheetahs’ gastrointestinal health without a significant behavioural
or physiological stress response overall to the change in feeding frequency.