Anthelmintic usage on the Reproductive Parameters in Captive reared Agoutis (Dasyprocta leporina) in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies.

Kegan Romelle Jones,Gary Wayne Garcia

doi:10.1590/1519-6984.246781

Abstract

The agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) is a rodent that is found in the Neo-tropical region. This animal is hunted for its meat but has recently been reared in captivity as a source of meat protein in rural communities. A 20-month experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of an anthelmintic on the reproductive performance of the agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) reared in captivity. This experiment was conducted in the humid tropics of Trinidad and Tobago. Sixteen animals (15 females, 1 male) placed in each of the two treatment groups in a completely randomized study design. In treatment 1 (T1) animals were given subcutaneous injections of Endovet Ces® (Ivermectin/Praziquantel) at 0.2 mg/kg every three months. Treatment 2 (T2) was the negative control group where animals were not exposed to an anthelmintic. Reproductive data were collected at parturition which included birth weight, litter weight, litter size and gender of offspring. The results showed that there was no statistical difference (p > 0.05) between the treatment groups with respect to birth weight, litter weight, litter size and gender. However, agoutis that were dewormed had a higher birth weight (220.24 g vs 209.1 g) and litter weight (369.8 g vs 343 g). The same values were obtained for the litter size (1.7 vs 1.7) and animals that were dewormed had a higher female offspring to male offspring (2.41:1 vs 1.11:1). This experiment demonstrated that the use of an anthelmintic strategically in the management of captive reared agoutis had no statistical effect (p > 0.05) on the reproductive parameters. Therefore, these animals can be kept in captive conditions without being dewormed and produce efficiently with proper feeding and housing management.

Highlights

The agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) is a rodent belonging to the family Dasyproctidae (Nowak and Walker, 1999) that is found in the Neotropics
Several reproductive parameters were reported in this experiment, these were birth weights, litter weights, litter size and gender of offspring
Similar values were recorded for litter size for the both treatment groups, the litter size was recorded as 1.7 offspring per litter irrespective to the treatment group

Summary

Introduction

The agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) is a rodent belonging to the family Dasyproctidae (Nowak and Walker, 1999) that is found in the Neotropics. The animal is a source of meat protein for rural villages in this region. This rodent has been classified as micro-livestock (NRC, 1991) or mini-livestock (Hardouin et al, 2003) along with the lappe (Agouti paca), capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) and guinea pig (Cavia porcellus). The production of agouti in captivity has two functions It will allow for consumption of the animals which would decrease the hunting pressures in the wild. It acts as a source of ex-situ conservation where animals can be released into the wild (Brown-Uddenberg et al, 2004)

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Conclusion