Temporal patterns of drinking in the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii Desmarest)

Abstract

The temporal association between drinking and feeding in four captive tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii Desmarest) maintained on various foods is examined. Tammars maintained on cubed carrots never drank. In tammars fed pellets food-associated drinking took place and 77.5% (7.4, s.e.) of drinking episodes commenced within 60 s of the beginning or end of a feeding event. Drinking events occurred singly, were of short duration and increased in frequency but not duration, when low-quality pellets were fed. Food- associated drinking in the tammar may result from the induction of drinking episodes of relatively fixed duration by an oropharyngeal reflex.