Zoo database

Spotted hyena

Crocuta crocuta

Natural diet Spotted hyena

Spotted hyenas are carnivores that mainly prey for medium to large ungulates such as gazelles or zebras. Besides this, they also hunt for smaller mammals such as rodents or baboons. Opportunistically they scavenge, but most of the time they kill their own prey.

Vertebrates
Vertebrates

Feeding advice Spotted hyena

Feed quantity per day

6-10%

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 50 kg and eats 8% of its body weight, it will get
 
50 x 0,08 = 4 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

99% Meat and whole prey
1% Supplements

Proportions (fresh product)

0,99 x 4 kg = 3.960 g meat and whole prey
0,01 x 4 kg = 40 g supplements

Diet Suggestions

Recommended

Variety of prey

Whole prey

Supplements

Not recommended

Common diseases

An unbalanced diet may result in one of these more commonly occurring diseases/conditions:

  • Obesity
  • Secondary alimentary hyperparathyroidism

Additional advice

  • Divide the “Feed quantity per day” over at least one feeding moment per day.
  • Include at least one fasting day per week and slightly increase the diet portion on the day before.
  • The supplements should be given according to the appropriate dosage that is mentioned on the labelling.
  • To promote the oral health, it is important to offer the soft food first and then the hard food such as bones and skin.
  • Stimulate foraging behaviour by hanging, stacking or hiding the feed. For instance by feeding large bones, frozen food or placement in food puzzles (read more about feed enrichment and foraging behaviour).