Chapter 14 – Red Panda Nutrition: How to Feed a Vegetarian Carnivore

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an overview of the history of captive red panda diet development by discussing the anatomy and basal metabolic rate of red pandas, feeding ecology, nutritional recommendations for red pandas, and the effect of the diet on nutrition-related problems, and fecal quality. Red pandas, although classified with in Carnivora, exhibit highly herbivorous dietary habits with a specialization on bamboo leaves and shoots. They possess anatomical, metabolic, and physiological adaptations adapted for this feeding strategy, but no gastrointestinal modifications related to herbivory. Thus, although bamboo is rather poorly digested by red pandas, captive diets containing nutrient profiles that more closely mimic native bamboos, including high fiber content, result in improved gastrointestinal and oral health in this species, compared with more historical cereal/grain-based diets supplemented with fruits, vegetables, and animal proteins. The use of moderately digestible, nutritionally complete dry high fibre diets developed through controlled feeding trials, compared to gruels or porridges, contributes to improved fecal quality indices and dental health. Dry diets should be supplemented with 200–400 g bamboo or other natural sources of dietary fibre (when bamboo is not available) to encourage natural feeding behaviors, as well as for nutritional and dietary enrichment. The intake of limited animal proteins and enhanced predatory behaviors in red pandas are often noted more frequently during breeding/reproductive periods.