LMU Small Animal Clinic, Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany.
Station d'Observation et de Protection des Tortues et de leurs Milieux (SOPTOM), CRCC, Gonfaron, France.
PLoS One. 2024 Apr 18;19(4):e0301892. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301892. eCollection 2024.
Clinical assessment of body condition is crucial in captive and free-ranging reptiles, since a large percentage of diseases result from inadequate nutrition. However, preventive health care is restricted by the lack of a practical method for the assessment in tortoises. Pre-existing evaluation systems based on weight and shell measurements are laborious and ignore the clinical presentation of the animal. The present study aimed to facilitate the assessment by establishing a body condition score. A total of 373 Hermann's Tortoises (Testudo hermanni) (n = 281 tortoises kept as pets in Germany and n = 92 tortoises originating from a free-ranging population (68) or a rearing station (24) in France) were examined and data (weight (g), carapace length (cm), width (cm), height (cm)) were recorded in a standard protocol between October 2020 and October 2021. A modified version of a body condition score for Mojave Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) (1 = cachectic, 3 = ideal, 5 = obese) was utilized and tested against pre-existing shell measurement systems (Jackson's ratio, body condition index, volume condition index, circumferential product). German captive tortoises were significantly heavier and larger than French specimens. In the Spearman's correlation matrix, the body condition score showed a statistically significant correlation with all measurement methods in the total population of captive tortoises (Testudo hermanni boettgeri), with a medium correlation strength, and a lack of correlation in free-ranging tortoises (Testudo hermanni hermanni). However, individual animal data suggested misleading results of mathematical equations in terms of body condition. Clinical evaluation of tortoises, including a body condition score, should be considered essential to provide good healthcare and should be an integral part of general examination.
临床评估龟鳖类动物的身体状况至关重要，因为很大比例的疾病是由营养不足引起的。然而，由于缺乏一种实用的评估方法，对陆龟的预防性保健受到限制。基于体重和壳测量的现有评估系统既繁琐又忽略了动物的临床表现。本研究旨在通过建立身体状况评分来促进评估。总共检查了 373 只赫曼陆龟（Testudo hermanni）（n = 281 只在德国作为宠物饲养的龟和 n = 92 只来自自由放养种群（68 只）或饲养站（24 只）的龟），并在 2020 年 10 月至 2021 年 10 月期间按照标准协议记录数据（体重（g）、甲壳长度（cm）、宽度（cm）、高度（cm））。使用了莫哈韦沙漠龟（Gopherus agassizii）（1 = 消瘦，3 = 理想，5 = 肥胖）的身体状况评分的改良版本，并对现有的壳测量系统（Jackson 比率、身体状况指数、体积状况指数、周长乘积）进行了测试。德国圈养龟的体重和体型明显大于法国标本。在 Spearman 相关矩阵中，身体状况评分与所有测量方法在圈养龟（Testudo hermanni boettgeri）的总种群中均呈统计学显著相关，相关强度中等，而在自由放养龟（Testudo hermanni hermanni）中无相关性。然而，个体动物数据表明，在身体状况方面，数学方程的结果存在误导。对龟鳖类动物的临床评估，包括身体状况评分，应被视为提供良好医疗保健的重要组成部分，应成为一般检查的一部分。
