Resumen

DE JESUS, Rosa  y  QUINTERO, Zoraima. Comparison of growth, reproductive parameters, and hematology and glicemy on hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) hosed at different levels of light intensity. Zootecnia Trop. [online]. 2008, vol.26, n.1, pp.19-26. ISSN 0798-7269.

An experiment was carried out in the laboratory animal quarters of the University of Los Andes on hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) with the objective to evaluate the influence of different levels of light intensity on growth (weight and size), some reproductive parameters (the total number of offspring; the number of offspring removed from their mother’s care; the period between pregnancies and the weight of the reproductive organs), hematology (hemoglobine, hematocrite, leukocyte count and differential counter), and blood glucose. The tests were applied to newborn offspring, coming from parents who had been exposed to different levels of light, according to their position in multileveled reproductive cages, vertically organized, whose light exposure decreased from top to bottom. The light intensity ranged from 180 to 50 lux. The results indicated significant differences (P<0,05) in animals of 14 weeks regarding weight of female and male, the total number of offspring, and the number of offspring removed from their mother’s care. Also, the period between pregnancies and the weight of the gonads and accessory sexual glands in both female and male hamsters and the leukocyte and differential count reported significant differences. It was not observed a significant effect in the size of male and female, or the hematological parameters: hemoglobin, hematocrite and glucose blood. With respect to the values of glucose and hemoglobin found in the literature, these are different in relation to those in this work. This experiment is useful to improve hamster breeding in laboratory animal quarters conditions and offer guidance to other users.

Palabras clave : hamster; light intensity; reproductive parameters; values of hematological; laboratory animal quarter.

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