Studies on Marsupial Nutrition II. The Rate of Passage of Food Residues and Digestibility of Crude Fibre and Protein by The Quokka, Setonix Brachyurus (Quoy & Gaimard)

Abstract

The rate of passage of food residues through the digestive tract of a small grazing marsupial, Setonix brachyuru8 (Quoy & Gaimard) was determined. The animals were fed various mixtures of lucerne chaff, concentrates, and oaten chaff. The marked meal generally first appeared in the faeces 8-12 hr after feeding; 90 per cent. was excreted in about 1!-2! days and the meal was usually totally eliminated in 3-6 days. The rate of passage was slower with low food intake than with high food intake, and also with relatively coarser food. S. brachyuru8 excretes food residues in a pattern similar to that of domestic ruminants but at a faster rate, particularly in the terminal stages.