Common warthog

Phacochoerus africanus

Natural diet Common warthog

Common warthogs feed almost exclusively on grasses. Besides this, shoots, roots and seeds are consumed seasonally. In periods of drought, consuming fruits can enable warthogs to survive in arid habitats.

Fruits

Grain / seeds

Grasses

Feeding advice Common warthog

Feed quantity per day

3-4%

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 60 kg and eats 3% of its body weight, it will get

60 x 0,03 = 1,8 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

25% Concentrates
15% Leafy greens and cabbages
60% Grass, alfalfa, roughage

Proportions (fresh product)

0,25 x 1,8 kg = 450 g concentrates
0,15 x 1,8 kg = 270 g leafy greens and cabbages
0,6 x 1,8 kg = 1.080 g grass, alfalfa, roughage

Feeding advice Common warthog

Feed quantity per day

3-4%

Sample percentage calculation

If an animal weighs 60 kg and eats 3% of its body weight, it will get

60 x 0,03 = 1,8 kg feed in total per day

Feed composition

25% Concentrates
15% Leafy greens and cabbages
60% Grass, alfalfa, roughage

Proportions (fresh product)

0,25 x 1,8 kg = 450 g concentrates
0,15 x 1,8 kg = 270 g leafy greens and cabbages
0,6 x 1,8 kg = 1.080 g grass, alfalfa, roughage

Diet Suggestions

Not recommended

Fruits

Common diseases

An unbalanced diet may result in one of these more commonly occurring diseases/conditions:

Obesity
Periodontal disease
Metabolic bone disease
Arthritis

Additional advice

Divide the “Feed quantity per day” over at least two feeding moments per day.
Supplement the diet with ad libitum roughages (read more about browsers and grazers).
Although present in their natural diets, feeding fruits might lead to abnormal fermentation in the hindgut because of high sugar levels in cultivated fruits compared to wild fruits (read more about nutritional values of (wild) fruits and vegetables).
Stimulate foraging behaviour by hiding, stacking or hanging the feed (read more about feed enrichment and foraging behaviour).

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