Vet Med - Czech, 2023, 68(7):287-292 | DOI: 10.17221/31/2023-VETMED

Effect of GnRH agonist (deslorelin) on reproductive activity in captive female veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus)Original Paper

E Cermakova1, Z Knotkova1, D Boruvka1, M Skoric2, Z Knotek1
1 Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
2 Department of Pathological Morphology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic

Eighteen 5 months old veiled chameleon females (Chamaeleo calyptratus) were used in the study. Seven females received subcutaneous implants with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH) deslorelin acetate whereas eleven females were used as control animals without any implants. Females were kept in five terraria, in groups of four females (in 3 terraria) and groups of three females (in 2 terraria), respectively. A minimum of one female with GnRH implants was present in each terrarium. They were kept under standard husbandry conditions. Females of both groups (females with GnRH and controls, respectively) were monitored for three years. No differences between females with GnRH implants and females without GnRH implants were observed with respect to the presence of large ovarian follicles, number of eggs/female, or number of clutches/female. GnRH implants did not prevent spontaneous reproductive activity in any of the 7 females with implants. Ovariectomy was performed in 8 females (4 females with GnRH implants and 4 control females). Ten females (3 females with GnRH implants and 7 control females) had to be euthanised. In 17 of 18 female veiled chameleons of this study histologic examination revealed heterophilic granulomatous oophoritis. The use of GnRH agonist implants did not prove to be an appropriate method for the control of reproductive function in captive female veiled chameleons.

Keywords: female reptiles; ovarian follicles; reproductive medicine

Received: March 9, 2023; Revised: July 13, 2023; Accepted: July 19, 2023; Prepublished online: July 27, 2023; Published: July 29, 2023  Show citation

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Cermakova E, Knotkova Z, Boruvka D, Skoric M, Knotek Z. Effect of GnRH agonist (deslorelin) on reproductive activity in captive female veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus). Vet Med - Czech. 2023;68(7):287-292. doi: 10.17221/31/2023-VETMED.
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