Barras de fibra formuladas com resíduos agroindustriais de frutas para coelhos pet

Abstract

The population of pets has grown in families' homes, and unconventional animals such as rabbits have gained ground both for their beauty and for their docility, in addition to being the small animal. Rabbits are animals that need dietary fiber to meet their nutritional needs, physiological and behavioral aspects. In this context, the objective was to evaluate the use of dietary fiber bars formulated with different agribusiness fruit residues for Pet rabbits. For that, 24 animals of both sexes with 50 days of age were used and distributed in a completely randomized design divided into four treatments and six replications. The treatments consisted of offering feed plus fiber bar, as follows: RC - Commercial feed; RAC Commercial feed + Fiber bar formulated with acerola residue; RCA - Commercial ration + fiber bar formulated with guava residue and RGO - Commercial ration + fiber bar formulated with guava residue. The productive performance was analyzed; ration digestibility, animal behavior, SCFA profile and wear of animal teeth as a function of bar consumption. The results showed that the consumption of bars did not affect (P>0.05) the productive parameters, as well as the digestibility of the diets in the evaluated periods. The short-chain fatty acid profile of the feces was not influenced by the consumption of fiber bars, except for the acetic acid concentration which was reduced (P<0.05) in the feces of rabbits fed with the bars. Regarding tooth wear, the consumption of fiber bars, regardless of the residue, reduced (P<0.05) the size of the upper teeth, not affecting the lower teeth in the entire period evaluated. It is concluded that the offer of fiber bars formulated with acerola, cajá and guava residues together with the feed helps in tooth wear, without affecting the performance and digestibility of the feed for Lion Head rabbits.