MaRGA Meeting, 2004: Abstracts

7: Clinical / Husbandry / Management

A Demographic Review of the Captive Colony of Callithrix kuhlii
at the University of Nebraska Callitrichid Research Facility

C.N. Ross¹, H. Jensen², J.E.Fite² and J.A. French²

Affiliation: ¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE; and ²Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha,
Omaha, NE

Although reports on colony demographics for a variety of callitrichid species are available in the literature, to date there has not been a detailed examination of Wied's black tufted-ear marmoset, Callithrix kuhlii. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to present colony demographics for Callithrix kuhlii from the University of Nebraska's Callitrichid Research Center from 1990-2003. C. kuhlii are currently held at 16 zoological parks and 1 research institution in the U.S. and abroad. The UNO colony represents the only North American breeding colony. Demographic data was collected throughout the 13 years of reproduction in standardized studbook databases including ARKS, MedARKS, and SPARKS. The colony was founded with 12 animals, and grew to a high of approximately 100 animals before breeding was concluded. Analyses that will be presented include temporal analyses of reproductive output, average lifespan, mortality, sex ratios and health issues. Additionally, we will focus upon the impact of management practices on health, as well as mortality and reproductive output during that time. We will use data from colony records to examine the effectiveness of prostaglandin treatment on reproductive suppression, as well as the need for, and health issues related to Vitamin D supplementation.