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Are your animals stressed?
Being able to prove that your animals are “not stressed” is becoming an
animal welfare requirement globally. Measuring stress hormones using a
scientifically-validated, data-based method allows animal keepers
to quantify and report their animals stress levels. If problems are identified, changes can be made to improve husbandry and reassessed to show the positive impact of those changes.
Corticosterone is
the crocodilian, bird and reptile stress hormone, while cortisol is the
mammalian analogue. Quantification is based on ELISA methodology and the
Centre for Crocodile Research has the protocols - and not just for
crocodilians!
We can measure stress hormones from:
- Plasma/serum
- Feces
- Egg yolk
Further evidence of optimal husbandry is the level of the "feel good" hormone, serotonin. We can measure serotonin from plasma or serum.
There are many different causes of skin quality issues. Some are caused by bacteria and viruses.
Genetic testing has proved very useful to 1) identify causal pathogens and 2) as a husbandry tool to optimize hygiene and reduce pathogen loads within pens. The Centre for Crocodile Research has established quantitative tests for:
Other environmental genetic tests are also available:
We can detect skin and environmental pathogens from:
If your specific pathogen is not listed, contact the Centre for Crocodile Research to develop a genetic test to meet your needs.
A 2D cross-section of skin quality issues reveals how the lesion is causing the defect. Is it from the inside out or the outside in? Is it likely to heal? Is it bacterial, mechanical or a skin shed issue? Histology can provide many more answers than you imagine!
Formalin-fixed skin samples can be submitted for histology. Results include both H&E and Massons Trichrome (MTC) stains, interpretive
report including figures of gross and histological skin features to aid
interpretation.
How to collect skin samples for histology can be downloaded from here.
West Nile Virus (WNV), and strains thereof, are well-known for causing the crocodilian skin lesions "pix". But before spending money on prevention strategies it is important to first establish that your herd indeed has been exposed to WNV. There are two methods to establish this:
1. Antibody testing is well established in humans and animals. Taking blood samples from a proportion of your herd can confirm how prevalent the disease is on your farm; and/or
2. Genetic testing of suspected lesions can confirm viral presence. Often this is more difficult as crocodilians are often harvested with older lesions that cannot be seen on the live crocodile and no viral genetic material remains.
Testing for antibodies is the recommended method to establish exposure which can then aid decisions in prevention strategies if required.
WNV is transmitted by mosquitoes, to birds and crocodilians, and can be transferred between animals by fecal-oral transfer through water. We can detect WNV presence in the following samples to prove the effectiveness and identify weaknesses in your WNV prevention programs:
- mosquitoes and/or viral collection cards (saliva and/or feces)
- water
- crocodile feces
- crocodile oral or cloacal swabs
Crocodile skin quality is directly related to the quality of water they are housed in. As environmentally-responsible crocodilian producers, there is a delicate balance between water usage and detriment to skin quality.
Collectively, water quality is the combination of the nutrient load and pathogenic microbial load. The Centre for Crocodile Research can assist with developing sustainable hygiene strategies that reduce water usage without creating skin quality issues.
Water quality can be assessed using:
- Microbiological testing and monitoring for bacteria and viruses using molecular genetics
- Water chemistry including pH, alkalinity, hardness, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate
- Heavy metal presence
Crocodilians that are not shedding their scales can't be improving their skin quality.
For growth to occur, and skin quality to be optimal, crocodilians (and other reptiles) must be shedding their scales regularly. This is required to increase the surface area of the hard outer keratin layer and allow linear growth. Further, the shedding of scales promotes the production of new skin cells to repair any observable damage. Proper thyroid function is essential to ensure regular shedding and skin renewal that allows the healing of imperfections and blemishes.
Measuring thyroid hormones (fT4, fT4 and TSH) can help determine the physiological health of your crocodiles and reptiles, and identify problems if blemishes are not healing quickly or shedding is uneven. When combined with stress testing, husbandry can be quickly optimised to ensure first-grade quality skins are being produced.
We measure thyroid hormones from:
- Plasma/serum
Another way to assess thyroid function is by histology. By sampling thyroids from your harvest animals can give you a way to assess the thyroid health of your herd. How to collect thyroid samples for histology can be downloaded from here.
Reduced number of fertile eggs? Reduced embryo survival?
Assess the reproductive fitness of your breeding animals by measuring testosterone and estradiol. Combined with understanding nutritional requirements, stress and seasonal cycles, optimizing reproductive output is important for both species of conservational significance as well as captive breeding for skins.
We can measure stress hormones from:
- Plasma/serum
- Egg yolk
Ensure the public safety of your crocodilian meat by testing for Salmonella.
The poultry industry has had great success reducing the risk of Salmonella in their chicken meat by improved hygiene measures through the production chain. The Centre for Crocodile Research can assist the crocodilian industry achieve the same.
Read article on potential EU limits for Salmonella in reptile meats.
As a Research and Development company, the Centre for Crocodile Research excels at connect experts or acquiring the skills in-house. Please contact us if you cannot find the service you require and we will do our best to help.
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