Zoo database

Brown-headed spider monkey

Ateles fusciceps

Natural diet Brown-headed spider monkey

Brown-headed spider monkeys are herbivorous primates that prefer ripe fruits and leaves. Besides this, they also eat seeds and occasionally bark and insects.

Fruits
Fruits
Grain / seeds
Grain / seeds
Leaves
Leaves

Feeding advice Brown-headed spider monkey

Feed quantity per day

10-15%

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 7 kg and eats 15% of its body weight, it will get
 
7 x 0,15 = 1,05 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

2% Insects and other invertebrates
10% Concentrates
40% Leafy greens and cabbages
30% Other vegetables
10% Browse
8% Other

Proportions (fresh product)

0,02 x 1,05 kg = 21 g insects and other invertebrates
0,1 x 1,05 kg = 105 g concentrates
0,4 x 1,05 kg = 420 g leafy greens and cabbages
0,3 x 1,05 kg = 315 g other vegetables
0,1 x 1,05 kg = 105 g browse
0,08 x 1,05 kg = 84 g other

Diet Suggestions

Recommended

Variety of vegetables
​Variety of leafy and green vegetables
Variety of browse (willow, aspen, birch, rowan)

In moderation

Insects

Not recommended

Fruits

Common diseases

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

  • Periodontal disease
  • Reproductive failure
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Diabetes mellitus
  • 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).