Study Of The Relationship Of Body Weight And Nutrient Requirements Of Infant Giant Panda

Two experiments were conducted in Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding with pandas which were born from 1994 to 2004. 22 pandas were studied in exp.1 and 16 pandas in exp.2. The body weight and the daily weight gain in the infant periods of the pandas which were born before 2001 were studied, and the effect of early weaning on the body weight development, the relationship of the body weight and the supplementation of energy, protein and the ratio of protein to energy, and the effect of the unsuitable nutrients supplementation on body weight of the infant panda and the posterior health were evaluated.Results showed that all the pandas had the similar growth condition. The same age of the pandas had the identical body weight. The average daily weight gain in the infant phase (from 0 day to 540 day) was 103±15g, the average body weight was 55739±8564g at 540 day of age. The regression equation of the body weight (W) and the age (X) is: W=-2619.3299+89.0456x+0.042x~2 (r~2=0.9936, P=0.0192). The body weight of the female pandas was 103±36g in the infant phase, and the males were 101±37g. From 180 day of age, the BW of the poor health pandas was lower than that of the normal pandas significantly (p<0.05). With the nutrients provided sufficiently, the body weight and the health condition between the early weaned pandas and the suckled ones had on significantly difference.The optimum energy and protein supplementation were 63. 04Kcal/kgBW and 3.39g/kgBW for the health pandas from 150 d to 180d, and the optimum ratioof protein to energy was 53. 80g/Kcal. The requirement of energy, protein, and the ratio of protein to energy ratio for the unit body weight decreased gradually after 180 days, and the requirement was relatively steady from one years old to 540 day of age. The optimum supplementation of energy, protein, and the ratio of protein to energy were 37. 28Kcal/d/kgBW, 1.49g/d/kgBW and 39. 84g/Kcal respectively for the anaphase in the infant pandas. Compared to health pandas, the supply of energy, protein and the ratio of protein to energy was not suitable for the poor health pandas. The degreed of poor health was related with the deficient degree of nutrients and the periods.