Ileal Digestibility of Crude Ash and Minerals in Feeds for the Polar Fox during the Non-mating Period*

SZYMECZKO R., PIOTROWSKA A., BOGUS£AWSKA-TRYK M. 2005. Ileal digestibility of crude ash and minerals in feeds for the polar fox during the non-mating period. Folia biol. (Krakow) 53 (Suppl.): 13-17. The aim of the present research was to compare the content and apparent ileal digestibility of ash and minerals (Ca, P, Mg, Na, K) in feeds used in feeding reproductive polar foxes over the non-mating period on two domestic farms (A and B), differing in reproduction results. The feeds were evaluated based on offal of animal origin and cereals. The greatest differences in the content of nutrients were noted for the concentration of crude ash. Farm A diets demonstrated a few-fold more crude ash content and a greater content of calcium, phosphorus and sodium, as compared with farm B feeds. The digestibility experiments carried out on foxes with ‘end to end’ ileorectal anastomosis showed a higher (P.05) apparent ileal digestibility of crude ash, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium in diets B in which the content of ash was three-fold lower than in diets A.