The Ear Institute, University College London, London, England, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2020 Aug 7;15(8):e0232733. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232733. eCollection 2020.
Ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) are a valuable animal model used in biomedical research. Like many animals, ferrets undergo significant variation in body weight seasonally, affected by photoperiod, and these variations complicate the use weight as an indicator of health status. To overcome this requires a better understanding of these seasonal weight changes. We provide a normative weight data set for the female ferret accounting for seasonal changes, and also investigate the effect of fluid regulation on weight change. Female ferrets (n = 39) underwent behavioural testing from May 2017 to August 2019 and were weighed daily, while housed in an animal care facility with controlled light exposure. In the winter (October to March), animals experienced 10 hours of light and 14 hours of dark, while in summer (March to October), this contingency was reversed. Individual animals varied in their body weight from approximately 700 to 1200 g. However, weights fluctuated with light cycle, with animals losing weight in summer, and gaining weight in winter such that they fluctuated between approximately 80% and 120% of their long-term average. Ferrets were weighed as part of their health assessment while experiencing water regulation for behavioural training. Water regulation superimposed additional weight changes on these seasonal fluctuations, with weight loss during the 5-day water regulation period being greater in summer than winter. Analysing the data with a Generalised Linear Model confirmed that the percentage decrease in weight per week was relatively constant throughout the summer months, while the percentage increase in body weight per week in winter decreased through the season. Finally, we noted that the timing of oestrus was reliably triggered by the increase in day length in spring. These data establish a normative benchmark for seasonal weight variation in female ferrets that can be incorporated into the health assessment of an animal's condition.
雪貂（Mustela putorius furo）是生物医学研究中一种有价值的动物模型。与许多动物一样，雪貂的体重会随季节性发生显著变化，受光周期的影响，这些变化使体重作为健康状况的指标变得复杂。要克服这一问题，需要更好地了解这些季节性体重变化。我们提供了一个女性雪貂的规范体重数据集，该数据集考虑了季节性变化，还研究了液体调节对体重变化的影响。39 只雌性雪貂（n = 39）于 2017 年 5 月至 2019 年 8 月进行行为测试，并每天称重，同时在光照受控的动物护理设施中饲养。在冬季（10 月至 3 月），动物接受 10 小时光照和 14 小时黑暗，而在夏季（3 月至 10 月），这一情况相反。个体动物的体重约为 700 至 1200 克。然而，体重随光周期波动，夏季体重减轻，冬季体重增加，使体重在其长期平均值的 80%至 120%之间波动。雪貂在经历行为训练的水调节时作为其健康评估的一部分进行称重。水调节使体重季节性波动的基础上又产生了额外的体重变化，夏季的水调节期间体重下降比冬季更大。使用广义线性模型分析数据证实，夏季每个星期体重下降的百分比相对稳定，而冬季每个星期体重增加的百分比随着季节的推移而降低。最后，我们注意到发情的时间可靠地由春季白天长度的增加触发。这些数据为雌性雪貂的季节性体重变化建立了规范基准，可以纳入动物健康状况的评估中。
