Nutrition of Rhesus Macaques
Last updated on March 21, 2002
The following is a summary of the nutrient requirements of rhesus macaques,
particularly aged non-breeding animals.{4163}
1. Energy requirements
a. Gross energy= energy measured by bomb calorimetry
b. Digestible energy= GE - fecal energy
(usually 90-95% of GE)
c. Metabolizable energy=
DE – gaseous product of digestion – urinary
energy
(usually 90-95% of DE)
d. Current diets provide 2.9-4.3 kcal/g
(NB: Harlan Teklad 20% Protein Primate Diet #2050 has 2.8kcal DE/gram)
e. Requirements for Rhesus:
 | Infant: 270 kcal GE/kg body weight/day |
| 1 year: 110-190 kcal/kg |
| Juvenile: 110-130 kcal/kg |
| Adult: 40-65 kcal/kg |
2. Protein
a. amount= Nitrogen x 6.25
b. casein probably a better protein source than soy
c. adult rhesus require a little more than 2gm/kg body weight/day
3. Fat
a. essential = linoleic, linolenic, arachidonic
b. commercial diets ~5% fat by weight for OWM
4. Carbohydrate/fiber
a. nitrogen-free extract (NFE) is relatively well-digested, whereas crude
fiber includes the indigestible material.
b. crude fiber requirement not established for NHPs; usually ranges from
2-8% in diets
5. Vitamins
a. fat-soluble
| Vitamin |
Function |
NRC requirement |
Overdose |
| A |
vision, growth, tissue differentiation |
10,000-15,000IU/kg diet; |
hypervitaminosis symptoms appear at 10-50x recommended dose |
| D |
calcium and phosphorus homeostasis |
2000 IU D3/kg
diet; |
toxicity at >9000 in rhesus, prosimians and owl monkeys |
| E |
antioxidant |
~0.1 mg/kg/day |
| K |
|
~2µg/kg/day, but can use that produced by gut bacti |
b. water-soluble: high turnover rate, signs appear in ~2 weeks
| Vitamin |
Function |
NRC requirement |
Comment |
| Thiamin |
metabolism |
15-30mg/kg body weight/day |
| Riboflavin |
metabolism |
25-30µg/kg/day |
takes up to 6 months to see deficiency signs |
| Niacin |
energy production |
50-110mg/kg diet |
| Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) |
amino acid synthesis |
50-500µg/kg body
weight/day |
| Biotin |
lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis |
100µg/kg diet |
| Pantothenic acid |
release of energy |
3mg calcium pantothenate/kg/day |
| Vitamin C |
electron carrier involved in redox, steroid production,
collagen |
1-25mg/kg body weight/day |
Harlan Teklad monkey chow provides 800mg/kg vitamin C in a
phosphorylated form for stability. Ascorbic acid levels vary from
0.3-1.04mg/dl depending on age mostly. In juveniles it averages
0.72mg/dl, whereas in those 16-20 years old it averages 0.56mg/dl.
Average consumption is around 40mg/kg. In contrast to rhesus macaques,
women have higher levels of ascorbate until menopause.{4505}
6. Water
Most primates require 1ml water/kCal gross energy consumed per day. For an
adult rhesus macaque, approximately 80 ml/kg/day is required.{2765}
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