Diurnal Variation In The Haematological Values Of The African Giant Rat (Cricetomys Gambianus, Waterhouse)

The effect of diurnal variation on the haematological values of the African giant rat was studied by collecting blood samples at 4hrs interval (from 9.30hr to 5.30hr the next day) from 24 healthy adult African giant rats (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse). The rats were divided into 6 groups of 4 per group. There was no diurnal variation in the values of RBC, Hb, MCH, MCHC and MCV. However, the PCV value at 5.30hr was significantly lower than the PCV value at 9.30hr (P Keywords : African giant rat, diurnal variation, haematology Tropical Veterinarian Vol. 24 (1 & 2) 2006: pp. 11-15