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Changed needs of old lorises and pottos
Ageing may be recognizable from an increasing amount of grey
hair or irregular patches of pigment on muzzle, hands and feet. In
ageing
animals. vision may decrease; blinding due to cataract is frequent
(see
disease tables). One animal apparently had problems to see in the
dark
in spite of clear eyes with no visible cataract and apparently
preferred
places with a higher light intensity
15.
Very old animals may need a warm and comfortable sleeping place
with lateral
support against which they can lean comfortably. The possibility
of kidney
disease and dysbacteriosis ought to be considered (see under
"preventive
examinations"), addition of inulin powder to the food has proven
to be
helpful in such cases (see nutrition
chapter for details).
Old females may continuously reject sexually interested males; the
mate may then in the long run become frustrated and aggressive. In
such
cases separation and solitary housing, maybe with contact still
possible
through wiremesh, may be better than frequent fighting, social
stress and
possible lesions. See symptoms
of
social stress.
In several cases, old lorises got trichobezoar
problems; regular addition of some paraffin oil or
commercially available
food supplement for trichobezoar prevention in cats may prevent
problems
in this regard.
| Loris and potto conservation database - disease / captive care | Last amendment: 24 October 2003 |