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.
 

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Loris and potto conservation database - disease / captive care

Last amendment: 24 October 2003