Marmoset Metabolism, Nutrition, and Obesity

The use of marmosets as nonhuman primate models of human disease has undergone rapid expansion in the United States in the last decade, with an emphasis in the field of neuroscience. With this expanding need, there has been an increase in the formation of small marmoset colonies. The standardization in care and husbandry techniques for marmosets has historically lagged behind other established nonhuman primate models, resulting in a great deal of variation in practices between colonies. There remains a lack of consensus and evidence-based recommendations regarding best standards for nutrition, enrichment, weight management, and diagnostics for clinical metabolic disease. Marmoset base diets vary broadly in their nutritional value, and therefore the physiological responses to these diets also vary broadly. In this review, we briefly outline what is known about nutrition for captive marmosets and highlight what is known regarding metabolic dysfunction and obesity.