Comparison of hematological and biochemical parameters between male and female Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths (Choloepus hoffmannii)

Abstract

Background: Captivity sloths may show several clinical problems such as nutritional, digestive, respiratory and injuries. Thus, establishment of normal baseline data are important for use in further medical conditions. Objective: This study aimed to compare hematological and biochemical parameters between female and male Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths maintained in captivity. Methodology: Thirty two adult entire, clinically healthy Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths were evaluated: Group 1-17 females, aged from 33-156 months of age and group 2-15 males, aged from 24-114 months of age. Blood samples were obtained under chemical restraint. Results: The females weighted more than the males and the age did not differ between the genders. Values of erythrocytes, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were found to be significantly higher in females than in males. The median values of absolute eosinophil count were 0.61 for females and 0.57 for males. The clinical chemistry parameters did not differ between the genders. Conclusion: In conclusion, besides differences in hematological parameters of erythrocytes, some peculiarities such as predominance of lymphocytes in differential white blood cell counts and hematimetric values lower than reported in previous studies reveal the importance of studies that standardize laboratory values in sloths.