tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815706338199669834.post1402519951896783876..comments2022-03-26T13:53:55.328-04:00Comments on A Degu Field Notebook: Field Stress TechniquesCarolynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03644398546404788795noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815706338199669834.post-3380280467097287262013-09-18T11:14:08.204-04:002013-09-18T11:14:08.204-04:00Hi Carolyn,
Thank you for your response.
Some o...Hi Carolyn,<br /><br />Thank you for your response.<br /> <br />Some of the people with whom I correspond about degus appreciate your research.<br /> <br />I am glad that you have provided such a detailed, thoughtful reply.<br /> <br />There has been a lot of work about the care of degus by a number of people around the world. Some of the most advanced sites are:<br />www.degus-international.org<br />www.deguworld.proboards.com<br /> <br />My website shows my degus and their enclosure which is a room for themselves:<br />www.degugarden.com which you have obviously visited. My checklist also on that website has received favorable feedback from beginner degu-keepers.<br /> <br />You might find that these forums provide you with some additional material that may assist your research. In particular, the Species Appropriate and Balanced Diet that is set out on the degus-international website, particularly at http://www.degus-international.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=62<br /> <br />We all care about the health and happiness of degus. Perhaps we can all work together to improve the lives of degus both in captivity and in the wild.<br /> <br />Indeed, I dream of one day going to Chile to observe degus naturally in the wild.<br /> <br />Have a wonderful day.<br /> <br />Yours truly,<br /> <br />Vachon.Vachonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03593521588641158458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815706338199669834.post-29412308530559636042013-09-18T06:26:13.666-04:002013-09-18T06:26:13.666-04:00comment continued...
I love degus because they&#...comment continued...<br /><br />I love degus because they're smart, intelligent, beautiful animals, and I do all I can to keep them as healthy as possible. If you have more questions about how wild animals are used in scientific research, I suggest you check out the "Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Animals in Research" http://www.mammalsociety.org/articles/guidelines-american-society-mammalogists-use-wild-mammals-research-0<br /><br />Thank you for your response, and I would be willing to answer anymore questions you have!Carolynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03644398546404788795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815706338199669834.post-19675239707697499102013-09-18T06:25:47.935-04:002013-09-18T06:25:47.935-04:00Hi Vachon,
Thank you for bringing up some of th...Hi Vachon,<br /><br />Thank you for bringing up some of these issues, I think it's important that scientific researchers explain how they do all that they can to ensure the health and safety of their study animals. First of all, I should mention that before any scientist works with a vertebrate animal, they must first write up a protocol that is approved by their university or organization's IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee). The committee is composed of researchers, veterinarians, and at least one person outside the university. The protocol must prove that the research cannot be carried out using an animal of lower status (ex: an insect instead of a mammal), that the methods cause the least amount of pain and distress to the animals, and that the smallest possbile number of animals are used to obtain significant results. I wrote up an IACUC protocol for my project which was approved for this research. For more info on IACUC and the AAALAC "Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Care" please check out this site: http://www.aalas.org/<br /><br />In response to your specific questions, I do agree that capture is stressful for degus. However, I study the biology of stress, and therefore I need to the animal to be stressed so I can measure their stress response via cortisol levels. For my long-term study, I should also mention that degus eventually acclimate to capture and do not struggle or show signs of distress. As for ear tags, this is a very common way that researchers have marked and observed mammal populations over the last several decades. Because the tissue of the ear is very thin, infections are very rare, and I have never seen or heard of a degu with this problem. As for the radiocollars, we do remove these after the study, and I haven't seen a difference in skin or fur quality between those with and without radiocollars. As for separating mothers from the pups, we try to keep separation time at a minimal. However, separation of a few hours generally isn't harmful because 1) degus are semi-precocial mammals, so the pups can thermoregulate fairly well on their own and 2) degus practice communal care, so other group members will care for the pups during the mothers absence. <br /><br />I also think it's important to remember that the life of a wild degu is not an easy one- most animals do not survive the first few months of life, and those that reach adulthood typically only live one year. Degus also face seasonal periods of low food availability, and because I feed degus lots of oats during my field research, I might argue that I'm improving their quality of life and potentially increasing their lifespan. I agree that by capturing and handling these animals I am causing them some distress, but in the end I'm doing research that will help us better understand how to conserve and protect degu populations. Other stress physiology studies have shown us that habitat fragmentation has detrimental effects on salamander populations, and that snowmobile activity increases the stress of spotted owls. One study on oil-covered Galapagos marine iguanas was used as a key point in a court case against an oil company. In addition to helping the conservation of degus, stress physiology research also has implications for human health. Stress is a major contributor to human disease, and by better understanding how wild, free-living animals cope with stressors, we may gain a better idea of how to help humans successfully deal and manage stress, too.Carolynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03644398546404788795noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8815706338199669834.post-74344642801457253722013-09-18T06:24:22.420-04:002013-09-18T06:24:22.420-04:00I am very distressed about how cruel you are bein...I am very distressed about how cruel you are being to degus. Degus are very intelligent beings, and they are very sensitive to noise and movements. They are prey animals and thus are hyper-sensitive to sudden movements and noises as these may indicate predators. I have read your description of capturing and subsequent treatment of degus. It is horrible. Your procedures subject these beautiful, loving souls to terror and pain. And it does not end after you release them since they have collars around their necks and tags on their ears. What happens if these collars or tags get snagged when the degus are in their burrows? What if they get infected? Degus groom each other, so how do you think their grooming is affected by these collars and tags? Do you remove the collars and tags after the study is done? And the babies should not be separated from their mother as they need to be fed and nurtured in order to grow up as healthy and happy degus. Please respond by posting a comment on my website www.degugarden.com Thank you.Vachonhttp://degugarden.comnoreply@blogger.com