This study suggests that feeding quebracho tannins at a concentration of 50 g/kg diet for 64 d does not appear to affect salivation (parotid and total saliva) in sheep and goats. Nevertheless, the evolution in the ratio between the amounts of parotid saliva produced by the animals fed the Control diet and the Tannin diet seems to indicate that goats might increase the production of parotid saliva in response to the steady ingestion of quebracho resulting in a better potential ability in dealing with the consumption of condensed tannins. This work also demonstrates and validates an alternative approach for the indirect estimation of total saliva production, based on water kinetics and balance in the rumen, and provides data on parotid saliva composition in sheep and goats.