Diurnal, seasonal, and sex patterns of heart rate in grip-restrained African giant rats (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse)

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine heart rate (HR) values, including diurnal, seasonal, and sex patterns, in the African giant rat (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse). HR was measured using stethoscope in grip-restrained African giant rats of either sex (103 bucks and 98 does), live-trapped from a tropical Savannah, and caged individually in the laboratory during the harmattan (cold-dry), hot-dry, and rainy seasons over a 3-year period. The HR fluctuated between 90 and 210 beats per minute (bpm) throughout the study period. Diurnal changes in HR (mean ± SEM) during the hot-dry and rainy seasons were nonsignificant (P > 0.05), but the morning and afternoon values differed (P < 0.01) during the cold-dry season. The HR varied (P < 0.05) among seasons, with peak, nadir, and moderate values recorded during the cold-dry (165.8 ± 0.51 bpm), hot-dry (153.1 ± 0.74 bpm), and rainy (163.4 ± 0.70 bpm) seasons, respectively. Mean HR of bucks was lower than that of does during the cold-dry (P < 0.0001) and hot-dry (P < 0.01) seasons, but sex difference during the rainy season was insignificant (P > 0.05). Overall, mean HR was lower (P < 0.0001) in bucks (158.8 ± 0.53 bpm) than in does (164.8 ± 0.53 bpm). In conclusion, values of HR in African giant rats are shown for the first time. Season, sex, and daytime influenced the HR, and should be considered during clinical evaluations of the rats.

Hen-Day Egg Production and Qualitative Egg Indices in Laying Hens Administered with Lycopene and Vitamin E During the Hot-Dry Season

“…parameters. The recorded trend in environmental temperature was similar to that obtained during the hotdry season by Dzenda et al (2013Dzenda et al ( , 2015 that heat stress is prevalent throughout the day in the zone.…”

“…The zone has annual mean maximum and minimum temperatures of 31.8 ± 3.2°C and 18.0 ± 3.7°C, respectively. The zone is characterised by three seasons: Harmattan (cold-dry) occurring in November-February, rainy (June -October) and hot-dry seasons (March -May) (Dzenda et al 2013(Dzenda et al , 2015. The hot-dry season has been described as the most stressful to laying hens (Obidi et al 2008 a, b).…”

Diurnal rhythms of heart and respiratory rates in donkeys of different age groups during the cold-dry and hot-dry seasons in a tropical savannah

“…The experiment was conducted during the cold‐dry (November–February) and hot‐dry (March–April) seasons by measuring the HR and RespR (Dzenda et al. , ). Measurements of the HR and RespR were taken at 2 h intervals (bihourly) for 24 consecutive hours from 06:00 h on day 1 and ending at 06:00 h (GMT +1) on day 2 for each experimental day.…”

Effects of Folic Acid Supplementation on Anxiety- and Depression-like Behaviours, and Locomotion in Captive male African Giant Rats (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse – 1840) Subjected to Chronic Physical Immobilisation

“…It is a popular and highly priced exotic pet in Europe [15], used for odour detection of landmines and tuberculosis [16,17]. There has been effort to domesticate the AGR [18,19], but its source remains predominantly from the wild [20][21][22][23][24]. Thus, trap and capture methods are employed before they are kept in cages.…”