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Light, temperature, humidity for captive lorises and pottos
Light:
Health problems due to lack of natural sunlight are not known
(our
lorises regulary get vitamins with the food).
Flickering of defect neon tubes may cause epileptoform seizures
in
Loris.
Such flickering can be prevented by using starters which switch
off the
tube completely when it is defect.
The normal flickering frequency of neon tubes ought to be
considered,
Michael Günther (pers. comm.) said lorises and galagos probably
see
the flickering frequency. There is a technical device which can
be built
in to prevent neon tubes from flickering, I am not sure about
its English
term (Ballast? Control gear?)
Light colour: red light is said to be less visible for lorises
and
may therefore be advantageous for observation unless infrared
night vision
equipment is available. Blue light looks moonlight-like on
exhibition.
Dim normal, yellowish light, however, seems well suitable,
| Temperature | Humidity of the air | Light intensity during animal night | |
| Recommended value | See our page about Ecology
for needs of the different taxa.
In our colony, in cooler cages and in cages for very old animals heated sleeping places are provided. |
More than 65% | Activity is apparently influenced by a combination of zeitgebers and actual light intensity. About one or two lux or more, activity in the "animal evening" started when light was dimmed below about 6 lux. But animals can be habituated to some degree to rather bright night light. At Ruhr-University, light is dimmed after observation of behaviour (see below) and occasionally human needs for behavioural observation |
| Signs for (too) high values | Relaxed, energy-saving resting postures, animals sleeping with their face visible and sometimes with the legs hanging sideways, not tightly rolled up. The veins in the auricles may be enlarged, in males the testes may be scrotal and enlarged, particularly during sleeping period, probably for better emission of heat. | In cages not regularly cleaned, ammonia may develop in the urine layer on the branches, causing skin problems in the parts of the trunk in contact with the btanch during sitting. Respiratory problems by ammonia vapours? | 7 - 18 lux were tolerated by captive L.
l. nordicus,
most animals in a test showed activity. Possible
consequences of too bright
light: increased shyness and absence of certain behaviour
only shown when
the animals feel undisturbed.
Considerably too bright light: animals initially stayed in sleeping posture during activity time, with only some food intake, then returning to the sleeping place. With longer duration some activity was aobserved (observed in captive L. l. nordicus at about 40 - 50 lux in unsystematic tests) |
| Signs for (too) low values | Increased food consumption.
In one zoo, 16°C were tolerated by healthy L. l. nordicus. This, however, is a temperature rarely observed in their natural habitat; especially slender lorises from warmer lowland regions with their scarcely haired long limbs certainly are not adapted to low temperatures. In some N. pygmaeus, torpor was observed when cooled down, animals became active again after re-warming, but some caught a cold. The animals apparently did not avoid too cold places like concrete floors. |
Repeated sneezing | In old animals, vision may decrease. Under dim light conditions (less than 1 lux); attempts to leave such dark cages and move to lighter areas were observed |
How to measure light intensity with a camera exposure meter:
18 DIN, exposure time 1/30 Sec.; Diaphragm:
2: 500 Lux
2,8: 1000 Lux
4: 2000 Lux
5,6-8: 5000 Lux
8-11: 10000 Lux
11-16: 20000 Lux
22: 50000 Lux
Literature
Light:
Charles-Dominique, P., 1977: Ecology and Behavior of
Nocturnal
Primates. New York: Columbia University Press.
Conway, K. M.; Shaw, L. J.; Micklesen, S.; Crouse, D. W.,
1978:
Activity rhythms of ten species of nocturnal animals as a
function of light
intensity. Pp. 101-140 in: Crockett, C.; Hutchins, M. (eds.):
Applied behavioral
research at the Woodland Park Zoological Gardens, Seattle,
Washington 1977.
Pika Press, Seattle.
Erkert, H. G., 1989: Lighting requirements of nocturnal
primates
in captivity: a chronobiological approach. Zoo Biol. 8
(2): 179-191.
Frederick, C.; Fernandes, D., 1994: Increased activity in
a
nocturnal primate through lighting manipulation: The case of Perodicticus
potto. International Zoo Yearbook 33: 219-228.
Frederick, Ch.; Fernandes, D.; Pastorello, L., 1995:
Photoperiod
and activity profiles of captive nocturnal prosimians.
Laboratory Primate
Newsletter 34 (3): 4-6. Online edition: http://www.brown.edu/Research/Primate/lpn34-3.html#photo
Fitch-Snyder, H.; Schulze, H.; Larson, L. et al., 2001:
Management
of Lorises in captivity. A husbandry manual for Asian Lorisines
(Nycticebus
& Loris spp.). Center for Reproduction of Endangered
Species, Zoological
Society of San Diego, Box 551, San Diego, CA 92112-0551. Online
edition
Harker, J. E., 1964: The Physiology of Diurnal Rhythms.
Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Kavanau, J. L.; Havenhill, R. M., 1976: Compulsory regime
and
control of environment in animal behaviour. III. Light level
preference
of small nocturnal mammals. Behaviour 59: 203-225.
Nash, L. T., 1986: Influence of moonlight level on
traveling
and calling patterns in two sympatric species of Galago in
Kenya. Pp. 357-367
in: Taub, D. M.; King, F. A. (eds.): Current perspectives in
primate social
dynamics. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York.
Pariente, G. F., 1979: The role of vision in prosimian
behavior.
Pp. 411-459 in: G. A. Doyle & R. D. Martin (Eds.): The Study
of Prosimian
Behavior. Academic Press, New York.
Petter-Rousseaux, A., 1980: Seasonal activity rhythms,
reproduction
and body weight variations in five sympatric nocturnal
prosimians in simulated
light and climatic conditions. Pp. 137-152 in: Nocturnal
malagasy primates.
Ecology, physiology and behavior, Charles-Dominique, P.; Cooper,
H. M.;
Hladik, A.; Hladik, C. M.; Pages, E.; Pariente, G. F.;
Petter-Rousseaux,
A.; Schilling, A. (eds.),. Academic Press, New York. UB Bochum:
VXB 4438
Keywords: Microcebus; Mirza; Cheirogaleus;
Phaner;
Lepilemur; circadian rhythms; reproduction; locomotion
Redman, J. F., 1979: Effect of light on the circadian
rhythm
of the slow loris, Nycticebus coucang. Thesis, Stockton
(CA), University
of the Pacific.
Trent, B. K.; Tucker, M. E.; Lockhard, J. S., 1977:
Activity
changes with illumination in slow loris, Nycticebus coucang.
Applied
Animal Ethology 3: 281-286.
Ward et al. 1970: Psychon. Sci. 18:
265-266:
information about perception of neon light - flickering
frequency? Not
yet checked
Ward et al. 1970: J. Comp. Physiol.
Psychol.
73: 74-77.: information about perception of neon light -
flickering frequency?
Ward, Doerflein 1971: Psychon.
Sci. 23:
43-45.: information about perception of neon light -
flickering frequency?
Yoda, K., 1974: Three-dimensional distribution of light
intensity
in a tropical rain forest of West Malaysia. Jap. J. Ecol. 24:
247-254.
| Conservation database for lorises (Loris,
Nycticebus)
and pottos (Arctocebus, Perodicticus),
prosimian primates
Slender loris husbandry information, H. Schulze, Ruhr-University Bochum |
Last amendment: 19 May 2008
|