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Environmental Husbandry Manual Click here for CONTENTS Page No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission of the author - For contact details see about the author |
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Individual Methods for Feeding
Methods - Device
Maze Feeder
The feeding methods outlined in this section require prior preparation in terms of making devices for use by the animals, including items that must be opened or manipulated to obtain food, frames to hold food items, and containers that randomly release food such as insects.
Maze Feeder |
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| Method | Situated in access corridor between indoor enclosure and visitor area. Nuts or small fruits placed at top of the maze, and must be moved through spaces in the maze walls with a stick until within reach of the chimp. | |
| Species | Chimpanzee. | |
| Purpose | Puzzle feeder requiring a great deal of co-ordination, tool use and problem solving. | |
| Pro | Given time, all of the chimps are capable of solving this puzzle. | |
| Con | Tools used with the feeder can also be used to strike keepers in the access corridor. | |
| Improvements | Making spaces in the maze walls wider or narrower alters the difficulty of the feeder. | |
| Comments | Females and young tend to dominate the device, though males will use it when the public area is quiet. Some of the chimps have found that shaking the feeder vigorously causes the food to fall down to them. | |
| Frequency of Use | 3 Times per Week. | |
| Ratings | Usefulness | 10 |
| Convenience | 10 | |
| Value For Money | 10 | |
| Range of Users | 10 | |
| Contributed By | Primate Section | |