Eating Habits of Ligers
Liger have very unique eating habits as compared to other big cats. Since ligers are massively big cats weighing more than 900 pounds, they need a lot of food on the daily basis. It is estimated that a liger requires at least 30 pounds of raw meat in one day (National Geographic, 2010). On the other hand a report about a liger named as "Hercules" indicated that ligers take 25 pounds of meat on the daily basis. Please do remember that 25 pounds is just an average estimate, because ligers are capable of eating around 100 pounds of meat in a single sitting as well.
Several other information sources claim that on a single day a liger is capable of eating around 50 pounds of meat. Similarly a liger named as Samson at the Spirit of the Hills Wildlife Sanctuary at Dakota consumed about 30 to 50 pounds of meat on a single day. One of the most favorite foods of this liger includes beef, elk and venison (Mott, 2010). Samson the liger did not like chicken at all but this does not mean that all the ligers hate chicken meat.
It is not only the meat that is a fundamental part of the liger's diet. Water is a must part of the diet of every living organism. The same is true about the liger as well. Liger consumes a lot of water as well. Usually in a one single day a liger has to consumer one gallon of water (Telegraph UK, 2010). One gallon will mean a liger has to take nearly 4 liters of fresh water on the daily basis.
According to Dr. Antle, a liger in a single sitting is capable of eating more than 100 pounds. But this might not be a healthy feed for a liger as it will make the liger fat and obese. Usually the zoo keepers give ligers about 20 to 25 pounds of meat a day. But a liger wouldn't mind eating more than 100 pounds on a one single day. This can also be dangerous as well, as in the earlier studies, many ligers died because of the over-feeding. So a normal and healthy food for the ligers should be around 30 pounds of meat per day.