Unusual Pets: The Serval

Servals are wild African cats which are also known as Leptailurus Serval. Their most distinctive features are the tall oval ears which are placed very closely to each other. They are found in African countries which have water such as Ethiopia, Benin, Tanzania, Mozambique, Congo, Angola, Togo, Uganda, Transvaal, and Algeria.

The average length of the body of a serval is about thirty-four inches and the tail is about sixteen inches long. It can live from twelve years to twenty years. A Serval’s weight can range from twenty to forty four pounds. Its tawny fur has a pattern of round black spots. The servaline or female form, which is much smaller in size, has freckled spots. Servals have melanin in their skin which sometimes gives them the appearance of a black panther. Servals with white fur and grayish silver spots have shown up in captive born animals, but this is not very common.

Servals with the highest melanin content are found in mountainous areas, while the rest live in savannas, bush lands, marshlands, grasslands, reed bed marshes, bamboo forests and open woodlands. The serval is not able to live in desert or semi-desert areas because its habitat must have a body of water and the odd tree. Since its environment contains water and trees it has the ability to swim and climb trees, although it seldom does. Servals have the longest legs among wild cats when the body to leg ratio is considered. In addition to having long ears and legs, it also has a long neck which helps it to see its prey when it is hiding in tall grass. The hearing of a Serval is so sensitive that it can detect and track rodents which are moving underground. Servals increase their concentration while listening, by closing their eyes.

Before pursing its prey, a Serval pauses for a few minutes and listens to the animal’s movements. Servals rely on their hearing more than their visual capabilities. Servals have a characteristic hop which makes it easier for them to catch birds. They have terrific leaping and pouncing abilities. They can jump as high as sixteen feet and can make a horizontal jump of up to twenty feet with precise accuracy. They can even dig burrows and look for rodents deep in the ground. With all these abilities, Servals are very good hunters. In fact Servals have the highest success rate of all wild cats in catching their prey. Their average is 50% of attempts while most cats average near ten percent. Servals feed mainly on rodents, but also eat birds, fish, frogs, insects, rabbits, reptiles and hyraxes. Servals eat their catch really fast and sometimes when the prey is big, it will get caught in their throat, so they will have to cough it out and then eat it again. They do a lot of their hunting at night when their success rate increases to approximately 67%.

When kept in captivity, they need to be served one to three pounds of raw meat with bones every day. Their meat should never be cooked. In addition to their raw meat diet, which can be beef, turkey, or chicken, they can also be given premium natural cat food, canned tuna and canned salmon. Most Servals can be trained to use the litter box, but the occasional one never seems to master it properly. Owners who don’t have time to devote to training a Serval, shouldn’t consider getting one. Even after thorough training, the pet Serval sometimes has accidents and goes to the bathroom where it shouldn’t. Because Servals have a fascination with water, it’s better if the toilet lid is closed at all times.

The pregnancy period of the female Serval lasts from 66 to 77 days. When it is birthing time, the female will give birth to one to three kittens, although on very rare occasions as many as five kittens have been born. Servals usually use abandoned burrows as a den for giving birth, but if no burrow is available they will give birth behind a dense bush.

Because of human interference with the natural habitats of Servals, they are decreasing in numbers. They are also diminishing in numbers because of large scale hunting for their fur. As a result, they have been given a flag in the endangered species register as being threatened. Therefore, they are now being protected in many nations. If hunting them is not brought to an end, they could very well become extinct. They have now become rare north of the Sahara and extinct in the South African Cape. Some African nations will still allow them to be captured for the pet trade, but even that is diminishing because their numbers are becoming so low. The severe drought in many parts of Africa is also causing havoc with not only the Servals, but also many other species of wildlife.

Until next time,

Teia

Metabolic Bone Diseases in Exotic Animals

Other than diseases which result from bacteria and viruses, diseases can also be caused by an inadequate supply of proper nutrients in the diet. Metabolic bone disease is caused when there is a deficiency of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus. The condition is especially aggravated when the problem is not treated for a long period of time. The major cause of this disease is improper care in the dietary needs of animals. According to some veterinarians, the disease can also be caused by a very high consumption of proteins.

Metabolic bone disease is also known by other names, such as osteoporosis, cage paralysis, nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism, rickets and paper bone disease. If the ratio between calcium and phosphorous is disturbed, the disease is impending. A well balanced diet and close monitoring can result in the proper absorption and retention of calcium in the bones.

As long as a young animal is totally dependant on its mother’s milk, it has a very rare chance of developing this disease. But, once it starts eating other food and completely stops drinking its mother’s milk, it can face the risk of catching this disease. Also, animals which live in the wild have a lower chance of developing metabolic bone disease. These animals are able to eat their prey as a whole and the meat is combined with skin, fat, fur, bones, feathers, intestines, etc. Different parts of the prey provide different nutrients and the animal feeding on it gets a balanced diet by eating it.

The major cause of this disease is the unbalancing of calcium. Chunks of muscle meat which are provided to animals in captivity contain minute traces of calcium and high levels of phosphorous. This high level of phosphorous decreases the capacity of the body to absorb the available calcium. Calcium deficiency can also occur when the animal is not fed fully grown animals and only gets neonatal prey. The actual ratio of calcium and phosphorous that has to be consumed is 20:1. And this ratio is reversed when only meat is given to the captive pet, which results in nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism. Even worse, captive animals which are frequently fed only organs such as heart, kidney and liver will have calcium and phosphorus in the ratio of 1:44 which is not only alarming, but will usually result in premature death.

When vitamin A is taken in excess, it suppresses the absorption capacity of vitamin D and even of calcium. The rate of vitamin A consumption increases when liver is fed in large quantities. When the required quantity of vitamin D is not available, it causes rickets disease. In this disease, the bone density is reduced at joints and they become weak and brittle. The bones become more prone to pathological fractures. In addition, neuromuscular abnormalities and poor motor reflexes can also result from lack of adequate quantities of vitamin D.

Calcium is not only required for proper bone growth but also for the proper functioning of muscles. It also enables blood clotting and activation of enzymes. Another function of vitamin D is to maintain the proper ratio of calcium and phosphorous in the blood stream.

The diet should be well balanced. Twice a week, the animal should be given raw bones which have scanty meat on them like ribs, necks, thigh bones, etc. A more simple way is to give the animal a whole prey to feed on. Commercially designed diets already have the required composition of nutrients, but they can be quite expensive. So, if you have an exotic pet, find out the proper type of food that should be provided for it so that it will not suffer nutritional deficiencies, illness and premature death.

Until next time,

Teia