Food preferences and nutrient composition in captive pacas, Agouti paca (Rodentia, Dasyproctidae)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the occurrence of food preferences in captive pacas, a frugivorous New World rodent species, and to analyse whether these preferences correlate with nutrient composition. Using a two-alternative choice test six Agouti paca were repeatedly presented with all possible binary combinations of 12 types of food which are part of their diet in captivity and found to display the following rank order of preference: mango > avocado > melon > papaya > banana > orange > pineapple > tomato > apple > cucumber > carrot > chayote. Correlational analyses revealed that this preference ranking showed a significant positive correlation with total energy content, irrespective of the source of energy as neither total carbohydrate content nor protein or lipid content were significantly correlated with food preference. Further, food preferences were significantly negatively correlated with water content. No other significant correlations between food preferences and any other macro- or micronutrient were found. These results suggest that pacas, despite their dietary specialisation on ripe and carbohydrate-rich fruits, are opportunistic feeders with regard to maximizing their net gain of energy.