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The Effects of Coprophagy in the Adult Rat on Rate of Passage of Digesta and on Digestibility of Food Fed Ad Libitum and in Restricted Amounts1

Vernon J. Williams and William Senior

Department of Physiology, University of New England, Armidale, N.S.W., 2351, Australia

The rate of passage of digesta and the digestibility of a nonpurified diet were studied in adult female rats prevented from coprophagy on alternate weeks by confinement to their normal feeding tunnels in metabolism cages. In food-restricted rats a decrease in the time for the first appearance in the feces of a digesta marker was noted when prevention of coprophagy was followed by permitting rats to feed on their feces while being maintained on a restricted food intake, as compared to control rats permitted coprophagy throughout. The prevention of coprophagy had no effect on the rate of passage of digesta along the small intestine. The prevention of coprophagy had no effect on the apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, energy or protein when the rats were fed ad libitum. However, when rats had lost 20% or more of their body weight by restricted feeding, digestibility of the measured constituents of the food offered in restricted amounts increased, but this effect was abolished when coprophagy was prevented.

KEY WORDS: • coprophagy • rats • digestibility • food restriction • rate of passage of digesta

1 Supported by the internal research grant funds of the University of New England.

Manuscript received 5 November 1984. Revision accepted 23 May 1985.






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