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https://doi.org/10.2307/3801638
Copy DOIJournal: The Journal of Wildlife Management | Publication Date: Jan 1, 1987 |
Citations: 24 |
A simple surgical procedure was used to implant radio transmitters intraperitoneally in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), montane voles (Microtus montanus), Ord's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ordii), and Townsend's ground squirrels (Spermophilus townsendii) in southeastern Idaho. Transmitters were implanted in 105 individuals from 1982 through 1985; 85 (81%) survived and were known to be alive in our study area 1 month after surgery. Survival rates for 60 deer mice, 22 montane voles, 16 Ord's kangaroo rats, and 7 Townsend's ground squirrels were at least 85, 77, 69, and 86%, respectively. Although the transmitter package weight:small-mammal body weight ratios often exceeded those recommended, neither locomotor abilities nor behavior were perceptively affected. The technique appeared to offer a viable method of fitting these semifossorial species with radio transmitters. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 51(1):105-108 The development of modern radio-telemetry equipment and techniques has redefined the scope and power of studies requiring marked animals. Individual animals can be located, identified, and monitored relatively easily. This allows a predictable data acquisition strategy that relies less on chance encounters or other vagaries of classical marked-animal studies. For example, fitting small mammals with radio transmitters avoids the biases of trap aversion or trap happiness inherent in multiple recapture studies. For most radio-tagged mammals the transmitter is externally attached by some sort of collar device. However, for some small-mammal species conventional collars are inappropriate. For example, white-footed mice (P. leucopus), meadow voles (M. pennsylvanicus), Ord's kangaroo rats, and Franklin's ground squirrels (S. franklinii) fitted with radio collars have each experienced >1 of the following: transmitter loss, neck irritation and/or hair loss, restricted movement through burrows and/or dense vegetation, increased ectoparasite load beneath the collar, and changes in behavior (Hamley and Falls 1975, Madison 1977, Smith and Whitney 1977, Filipovich 1983, Eagle et al. 1984). Moreover, external transmitter collars damaged by extreme weather conditions, mechanical wear (Eagle et al. 1984), and/or mutual grooming episodes (Madison 1977) have prematurely failed. These problems can be overcome by surgically implanting the transmitter. Rawson and Hartline (1964) were the 1st to implant transmitters in small mammals, subcutaneously in deer mice. They concluded that, even though the implanted transmitter grossly deformed the dorsal contour of the mice, the animals' movements were not detectably hindered. Subsequent to that pioneer effort, Neely and Campbell (1973) compared the survival and response of white-footed mice to subcutaneous and intraperitoneal transmitter implants. Their results suggested that the latter implantation site was better. Using placebo transmitter packages in white-footed mice, Smith and Whitney (1977) concluded that intraperitoneal implants were both feasible and biologically optimal. Smith (1980a) examined the effect of implants on growth rates, reproduction, and survival of adult white-footed mice and found no differences between experimental and control animals. Smith (1980b) also determined that suckling whitefooted mice could successfully carry intraperitoneal implants without detriment if the implantation occurred after the venter pelage was well developed and pups' eyes had been open for >2 days. Besides white-footed mice, the success rates and/or the techniques of implanting intraperitoneal transmitters in small mammals have been reported only for Franklin's ground squirrels (Eagle et al. 1984) and meadow voles (Madison 1980). The objective of this study was to determine the successfulness of intraperitoneal trans-
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