Mazuri primate diet guide: formulations, species, and sourcing for zoos
A zoo primate collection rarely means one species eating one diet. A gorilla, a marmoset, and a colobus monkey have almost nothing in common nutritionally, and Mazuri's primate line reflects that, with formulas built around life stage, digestive type, and feeding format, not a single catch-all biscuit.
Here's how the line breaks down, and what matters when sourcing it at institutional volume.
The core biscuit formulas
Most Mazuri primate diets come as an extruded biscuit, meant to be fed alongside fresh produce and browse rather than as a complete standalone diet on its own. According to Mazuri's own primate diet guidance, primates generally consume roughly 2 to 4% of body weight in food per day on a dry matter basis, and a typical institutional feeding program runs close to 60% produce and browse to 40% biscuit by as-fed weight, adjusted per species and collection goals.
Maintenance and Growth formulas
Primate Maintenance Biscuit is built for mature or overweight primates, standard nutrition without the extra protein and energy density growing or breeding animals need. Primate Growth & Repro Biscuit carries higher protein and energy, formulated for animals that benefit from that boost, actively breeding females, growing juveniles, or animals in recovery.
Browse, Basix, and LS formulas
Primate Browse Biscuit leans higher in fiber and supports natural browsing behavior, useful where enrichment goals matter alongside nutrition. Primate Basix Biscuit is a fortified base diet, meant to ensure complete nutrition when fed alongside a substantial amount of produce.
Primate LS Biscuit, available in two sizes, runs under 8% starch. Lower starch more closely mirrors what many primates eat in the wild, and it's flavored specifically because that flavor profile has tested well for palatability across a wide range of species: banana for the smaller size, cinnamon for the larger.
Leaf-eating and New World species need different formats
Leaf-Eater Primate Diet is built for folivores, species like lemurs, langurs, and howlers whose natural diet is mostly leaves. It's high in fiber from multiple sources and comes in both a standard biscuit and a mini-biscuit sized for smaller species. This formula can also work for great apes when a higher-fiber diet is called for.
New World Primate Biscuit is formulated specifically for small New World monkey species across all life stages, a smaller biscuit built around a different nutritional profile than what larger Old World species need.
Callitrichid Gel diets exist because marmosets, tamarins, and other callitrichids often won't eat a dry biscuit at all. These ship as a powder mixed with hot water into a gel before feeding, and several variants exist, including options with added fiber, higher vitamin D, or built to withstand heat without breaking down, useful for outdoor exhibits in warmer climates.
A primate collection manager choosing between these isn't just picking a protein percentage, they're picking whether an animal will actually eat what's offered. A callitrichid presented with a biscuit it won't touch gets no nutritional benefit regardless of how well-formulated that biscuit is, matching format to species is as functionally important as matching the nutrient profile.
Storage, shelf life, and handling
For a facility ordering in bulk, storage conditions matter as much as the formula itself. Mazuri's primate biscuits carry a stabilized form of vitamin C, stable for at least one year from the manufacture date printed on the bag, provided storage conditions are appropriate. That means keeping the product in a cool location, ideally 75°F or colder, at around 50% relative humidity, and protected from rodents and insects. Once a bag is opened, resealing it or transferring contents to a container with a sealing lid helps preserve that shelf life for the remainder of a large order.
Handling matters too. Biscuits can be soaked to soften them for neonates or older animals with difficulty chewing, worth knowing if a collection includes very young or geriatric individuals. And feed showing any sign of mold or insect infestation shouldn't be offered regardless of how much of the bag remains, since spoiled feed carries real risk to the animal, not just a nutritional shortfall.
Sourcing at institutional volume
Zoo and sanctuary procurement runs differently than a single-animal purchase. Multi-species collections often need several formulas running simultaneously, standard biscuit for the maintenance troop, growth formula for a breeding pair, gel diet for a callitrichid exhibit, and running out of any one of them isn't a minor inconvenience. It disrupts an established feeding program for animals that don't tolerate sudden diet changes well.
This is where supply reliability becomes a real procurement consideration, not just a nice-to-have. A facility managing a dozen or more Mazuri SKUs across a mixed collection needs a supplier who consistently has stock across the full range, not just the most common formulas.
Where to Buy
As the world's largest Mazuri dealer, Exotic Animal Supply keeps the full primate line in stock across four climate-controlled warehouses in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, with same-day shipping on orders placed before 2 PM EST. For institutions managing recurring orders across multiple formulas, that consistency matters more than price alone.
Browse the Callitrichid collection for gel diets, or the Leaf Eating Primates collection for high-fiber formulas built for folivores. For a full breakdown of Mazuri's species coverage beyond primates, see our complete Mazuri guide, or check what animals eat Mazuri food for the full species breakdown across the whole product line.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much Mazuri primate diet should I feed daily?
Roughly 2 to 4% of body weight per day on a dry matter basis, adjusted for species, life stage, and how much produce or browse is fed alongside it.
Can I feed the same formula to different primate species in a mixed collection?
Not always. Format matters as much as formula; callitrichids generally need a gel diet regardless of what else is in the collection, and leaf-eating species need the high-fiber formula other primates don't require.
What's the difference between the LS Biscuit and the standard Maintenance Biscuit?
LS Biscuit runs under 8% starch, formulated to more closely match what many primates eat in the wild. Maintenance Biscuit is a standard nutritional profile without that starch restriction, built for mature or overweight animals.
How should Mazuri primate biscuits be stored for a large institutional order?
Cool and dry, ideally 75°F or colder at around 50% relative humidity, protected from rodents and insects. Reseal opened bags or move contents to a container with a sealing lid to preserve shelf life through the rest of a bulk order.
How much of a primate's diet should be fresh produce versus biscuit?
A common institutional feeding program runs around 60% produce and browse to 40% biscuit by as-fed weight, though this varies by species, collection goals, and individual animal needs.
Why do marmosets and tamarins need a gel diet instead of a biscuit?
Many callitrichids simply won't eat dry biscuits. The gel format, mixed from a powder with hot water, delivers the same nutritional profile in a form they'll actually consume.