Scicluna Emily L, Newton Axel H, Hutchison Jennifer C, Dimovski Alicia M, Fanson Kerry V, D'Souza Gail, Whitehead Shiralee, Pask Andrew J
TIGRR Lab, The School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Department of Environment and Genetics, Research Centre for Future Landscapes, School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia.
Dev Dyn. 2025 Feb;254(2):189-204. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.755. Epub 2025 Feb 2.
The fat-tailed dunnart is a small dasyurid marsupial which is emerging as a robust laboratory model for conservation, developmental, and reproductive biology research. While these marsupials present extremely valuable models, housing non-domesticated animals in captivity can present a wide range of potential stressors for the animals, which need to be managed to ensure colony health. Notably, dunnarts rely on scent marking for social communication, which is important to maintain to reduce stress in artificial environments.
In this study, we examine captive management techniques and provide updated recommendations which consider both scientific and conservation outcomes. Through ongoing management, we observe that recapitulating aspects of a natural environment has a significant impact on stress reduction and improving the overall reproductive fitness of captive-bred colonies. Moreover, our study provides evidence for preferred cage base substrate types, and quantification of stress caused by the cadence of enclosure cleaning using fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels as an indicator of stress.
The study underscores the significance of population management in captive breeding programs, advocating for maintaining genetic diversity and meticulous record-keeping. We have further refined best practice for managing captively bred dunnart colonies, outlining guidelines for enclosure requirements, handling, cleaning, feeding, and lighting during breeding. Overall, the research aims to improve the health and productivity of captive fat-tailed dunnarts, ensuring their continued contribution as a valuable laboratory-based marsupial model and aiding in the conservation of related endangered species, while meeting a balance between maintenance of strict hygiene and alignment with wild-life history.
肥尾袋鼬是一种小型的袋鼬科有袋动物，正逐渐成为用于保护、发育和生殖生物学研究的强大实验模型。虽然这些有袋动物是极具价值的模型，但圈养非驯化动物可能会给它们带来各种潜在的应激源，需要加以管理以确保种群健康。值得注意的是，袋鼬依靠气味标记进行社交沟通，在人工环境中维持这种沟通对于减轻压力很重要。
在本研究中，我们研究了圈养管理技术，并提供了兼顾科学和保护成果的更新建议。通过持续管理，我们观察到重现自然环境的某些方面对减轻压力和提高圈养繁殖种群的整体生殖适应性有显著影响。此外，我们的研究为首选的笼底基质类型提供了证据，并以粪便糖皮质激素代谢物水平作为应激指标，对圈舍清洁频率所造成的应激进行了量化。
该研究强调了圈养繁殖计划中种群管理的重要性，提倡维持遗传多样性和细致的记录保存。我们进一步完善了管理圈养繁殖的肥尾袋鼬种群的最佳做法，概述了繁殖期间圈舍要求、处理、清洁、喂养和光照的指导方针。总体而言，该研究旨在改善圈养肥尾袋鼬的健康状况和繁殖能力，确保它们作为有价值的基于实验室的有袋动物模型继续发挥作用，并有助于保护相关濒危物种，同时在维持严格卫生与符合野生动物习性之间取得平衡。
