Depending on what point the Snow Leopard is in it's life it has different energy requirements. Snow Leopards also have different energy requirements during mating season as the Leopards spend the majority of their time making mating calls and often have a reduced apatite. Females then have to meet the energy requirements for her and her growing cubs. The energy required through the gestation period and raising the cubs will vary with litter size (1).
Maintenance:Basal Metabolic Rate = 70* BW^0.75 Basal Metabolic Rate = 70*68kg^0.75 Basal Metabolic Rate = 1657.60 kcal/day (Book for Weight) Daily Energy Exposure = 2.3*BMR Daily Energy Exposure = 2.3*1657.60 Daily Energy Exposure = 3812.48 Growth:Birth: 250 kcal/BWkg/day 4 months: up to 50% adult BW = 3.0 X RER or 175 kcal/BWkg/day 6 months: 50-70 % adult BW = 2.5 x RER or 135 kcal/BWkg/day 9 months: 70-100% adult BW = 2 x RER or 100 kcal/BWkg/day (RER = Resting Energy Requirement) Reproduction:Breeding Male = 1.4 to 1.6 x RER Breeding Female = 1.6 x RER or 90 to 110 kcal/BWkg/day ME Gestation = 1.6 to 2.0 x RER Lactation = 2.0 to 6.0 x RER or 115 to 250 kcal/BWkg ME as compared to the domestic cat (1) Food Requirements:The Snow Leopard requires 1.5 kg of meat/day in order to meet energy requirements sufficient for growth, maintenance and reproduction (15). |
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