PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES IN BULLFROG (Lithobates catesbeianus) TO TRANSPORT

Brazil has an excellent technology of captive frogs' production and is one of the largest producers in Latin America. Front of the growing integration into Brazilian frog culture in nowadays, the practice of fattening in small and medium farms has been gaining space and with it the increased transport of juveniles of large producers to its members. This increases the amount of froglets transportation of large to small farms. In this process, the management is of fundamental importance for the welfare of the newly acquired animals. The transportation management no shows capture protocols well defined, like confinement, density, and other stressors that should be considered.

The aim of this study was evaluate the transportation stress in bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus). The animals will be purchased from a commercial frog with average weight 15.0 to 20.0g. The methodology will test two usual methods of transport used for commercial breeding frogs: transportation in plastic boxes and in PVC tubes. Samples were collected after the withdrawal of the tanks (time zero). Then other animals from the same tank were placed in plastic boxes (0.60x0.40 m) and PVC tubes (1.0x0.10 m) in the density of 100 animals were transported by car for about 3 hours. In the laboratory we were sampled immediately after the arrival of the animals sequentially sampled in the 0 ', 15', 30 ', 45', 60 ', 90' and 24 hours. The blood was taken by the hind limb vessel puncture then centrifuged and the plasma obtained was analyzed by ELISA (Cayman's Corticosterone EIA kit, USA).

According to the results there was a significant increase in corticosterone after transport in the tube and in confinement, corticosterone levels were significantly different at 30 and 45 minutes and 24 hours (Figure 1). In the case of boxes was not observed changes after transport and in confinement, the corticosterone level was significantly different only for the time of 24 hours (Figure 2).

It's suggested that the transport in box showed less stressful way compared to the tube. But we must consider the individual variations and the susceptibility of each organism.