APPARENT DIGESTIBILITY COEFFICIENTS OF FIVE ENERGETIC FOOD SOURCES FOR THE "JACARE-DO-PANTANAL" (Caiman yacare, Daudin, 1802)

A metabolism trial was carried out at the facilities of the Cooperative of growers of the "Jacare do Pantanal", in Caceres - MT, with the objective of evaluating the nutritional value of five energetic feedstuffs for the "jacare-do-pantanal" (Caiman yacare). A completely randomized design with five treatments and three replicates was utilized, the experimental unit being constituted of three caimans, with a total mean weight of 3940 +/- 240 g, average environmental temperature of 30.5 +/- 5.0 degrees C and average temperature of the water of 27.8 +/- 1.0 degrees C. The amount of feed furnished per replicate every two days was standardized in 20 g of dry matter per unit of metabolic weight (kg(0.75)). The means of the coefficients of apparent digestibility were compared through Tukey's test (P < 0,05). The coefficient of apparent digestibility of dry matter was of 80.78; 68.08; 69.91; 30.12 and 58.95 and the coefficient of apparent digestibility of gross energy (CADGE) was of 82.59; 60.58; 61.66; 25.17 and 48.57 for glucose, dextrin, cornstarch, ground corn and pectin, respectively. Glucose showed the highest CADGE value and corn the lowest (P < 0,05).