stress on blood glucose or hepatic glycogen levels.
In part,these inconsisten tresults may represent the
important correlation of low temperatures and
seasonal variation on the reptiles’ physiologic
response. Thesevariationsareanexcellentmeans
to assess the magnitude of an acute response to
stress but are notreliable when trying to determine
a long-termresponse.Thisfact,togetherwiththe
difficulties in measuring parameters such as heartthe autonomous nervous system less valuable in
the assessment of stress in reptiles that live in a
captive setting.5 Reptiles thatareprogressively andchronically stressed may be predisposed to obesity
and hepatic lipidosis. Conversely, acutelyor
intensely stressed reptile species are predisposed toemaciation, immunedepression, and reproductive
difficulty.TABLE. Timetoresponse (corticostero nere lease) afterstressor
Stressor TimeCapture 3 minto 6hExposure to cod and heat 15 to 25 min
Hyperosmotic saline in jection 30 min Intermittent change of environment30 min
Repeated bloodsampling1 to 4 h Severe restraint 4 to 8hHy potonic fluid injection8d
Exposure tosaltwater1 to 4 wk Hierarchy with do minating ma les 10 to30 d Overcrowding 10 to 14 d Low relativehu midity 3wk The time tore sponseisdeemedthetimetostimulationofcorticosteroidrelease.
Martínez