BONE MINERAL DENSITY DETERMINED BY DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETRY METHOD FOR EGYPTIAN FRUIT BATS () IN HUMAN CARE.

Egyptian fruit bats () are commonly held within zoos and research facilities. Despite this popularity, there have been no publications regarding normal bone density or bone mineral concentration and few publications regarding the normal dietary requirements of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D (25-hydrox-vitamin D [25(OH)D]) for the species. A clinical investigation into frequent fractures in a zoo population of 23 adult male Egyptian fruit bats used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) prior to and after dietary adjustment of calcium and phosphorus.