Basal body temperature, quantitative changes in vaginal smears and plasma concentrations of progesterone were measured during a number of oestrous cycles in Tasmanian bettongs (Bettongia gaimardi). These methods of monitoring the reproductive cycle were compared in an attempt to find a technique that allowed non-stressful assessment of the reproductive condition of the bettongs. Telemetric measurement of basal body temperature showed that there was a diurnal variation of 1.3°C, typical of a nocturnal animal. During the oestrous cycle, there was a small, but not significant, peak in basal body temperature at oestrus (day 0) followed by a significant trough on day 2. There was a significant increase on day 3 and the temperature remained raised until day 10, during which time plasma progesterone concentrations are also high; the temperature then fell 2 days before oestrus. This fall corresponds to a decrease in concentration of plasma progesterone and in the numbers of leucocytes in vaginal smears. Telemetric measurement of body temperature may be useful as a non-stressful method of monitoring the oestrous cycle in bettongs.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Physiology
Research Field:	Physiology not elsewhere classified
Objective Division:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:	Expanding Knowledge
Objective Field:	Expanding Knowledge in the Environmental Sciences
UTAS Author:	Rose, RW (Associate Professor Randy Rose)
UTAS Author:	Jones, SM (Professor Susan Jones)
ID Code:	8765
Year Published:	1996
Web of Science® Times Cited:	7
Deposited By:	Zoology
Deposited On:	1996-08-01
Last Modified:	2014-04-17
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