Mike the Tiger lives in his own exotic habitat that cost $3million to build and is fed better than most of the human population in the United States. Mike VI has exceeded his veterinarian, Dr. David Baker's, expectations in every possible manner. Dr. Baker says "Mike VI has turned out to be perhaps the best in a long line of great LSU tiger mascots. He is a magnificent animal with very striking markings. In addition, he has a tremendous personality. He is extremely confident, interactive, inquisitive, and friendly toward people. He has formed very strong relationships with his student caretakers and reacts very positively toward them."
Mike eats 25 pounds daily, so weekly he eats 175 pounds of food. Mike’s food is a formulated zoo carnivore diet, the same commercial food used for most of the large cats at the zoo. It comes in 5lb logs and has the consistency of hamburger meat. It consists of beef (two varieties), and all the necessary vitamins and minerals to maintain Mike’s ever growing needs. We also add a supplemental B vitamin once weekly, and Vitamin E capsules every night for healthy skin and hair coat and general well-being.
The average lifespan for a tiger in the wild is about 8-10 years. A tiger in captivity, like Mike VI, can live 14-18 years.
