Nutrition in Bats

There are over 900 species of bats, characterized by a wide variety of physiology and behavior, resulting in a wide diversity of feeding strategies. Although specific nutrient knowledge on bats is limited and often unknown, some practical guidelines exist for formulating diets fed to bats in captivity.

Most practical information is based on bats that are predominantly herbivorous, feeding on fruit, leaves, and/or flowers. Frugivorous and nectarivorous bat species are most commonly kept in zoological collections. Because cultivated fruits do not duplicate the nutritional composition of fruits consumed by wild bats, fruit should be avoided when feeding captive herbivorous bats to prevent health issues such as obesity and nutrient imbalances. In addition, frugivorous bats should be fed a diet that contains a low amount of iron (400 mg/kg of dry matter) to prevent iron storage disease (1). Nutrient requirements for captive herbivorous bats can typically be met by feeding a diet high in vegetables, supplemented by a suitable complete feed for bats or similar mammals.

Captive insectivorous bats frequently are fed diets consisting primarily of mealworms. Crickets, fruit flies, morio worms (superworms), blowfly larvae, and other insects also are commonly offered. Because insects typically are low in calcium, they should be maintained on a calcium-enriched diet so the bats will consume the insects' high-calcium gut contents. A suitable mealworm diet can be formulated using 35% wheat middlings, 35% ground dry dog or cat food, and 30% ground calcium carbonate, which should be fed to mealworms for at least 3 days. Gels containing water and a calcium solution can also be fed to gut-load mealworms.