Feeding and diet of adult marmosets
Dr T van Egdom BVSc
In nature marmosets usually eat insects, but will also take snails, spiders, frogs, lizards and geckos. They will also eat various fruits, flowers, nectar, leaves and tree gum. It is imperative to feed them on a raised platform, since they like to sit and eat up in the trees.
These platforms need to be quite high because they won't eat on the ground. If you keep more than two animals in a single cage you should supply more platforms because the dominant marmoset will keep the others away from the food if this is not the case.
In captivity a large variety of different food stuffs should be fed. The diet needs to be high in protein with the protein from various sources. Handreared marmosets easily become 'addicted' to certain foods and could prefer to eat only baby cereals with dire consequences to their health.
The different foodstuffs that can be fed include: cooked meat and fish, all fruit and any vegetables (cooked or raw), live insects (crickets, grasshoppers and moths). For variety a selection of nuts, yoghurt, wholewheat bread, cooked eggs and cat pellets (IAMS) could be added to the diet when available.
Balanced monkey feeds are available but should only be used as a supplement to a balanced diet. Some of these diets aren't palatable and the animals don't eat them well. In addition to this marmosets need a lot more energy than other non-human primates.
Fresh, clean, cool water should be made available at all times. Fruit juices may also be given as part of the diet, but juices containing too much acid should be avoided as they could acidify the urine. Marmosets should be fed twice daily and in between non-spoilable food must be provided.
The most important aspect of marmoset nutrition is that they should eat a well balanced diet and not only what they prefer. "Junk food" is definitely out of the question!!
Handy hints:
- To teach a marmoset to eat something new, mix the new food with Purity to get them used to it.
- Teach them to eat marshmallows as a treat. This helps if they have to be given medication later on — the medication could be put inside the marshmallow.
- Baby marmosets could be weaned from about 6 weeks of age from human milk formulas and immediately taught to eat properly so that future problems could be avoided.