Jill <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>I wouldn't say cystic ovaries are extremely common, though among rodents
>they occur most commonly in gerbils and hamsters.
It depends on what you mean by common.
In one study 47% of female gerbils over 200 days of age were found to
have at least one cystic ovary. The study confirmed an earlier finding
that by 600 days, nearly 75% of female gerbils have at least one cystic
ovary.
Another study found that 11% of female gerbils aged under six months had
ovarian cysts.
Although normally harmless, cysts as large as 40mm have been known and
in some cases, 16% of a gerbil's weight has been made up of cysts.
INCIDENCE OF CYSTIC OVARIES AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE IN THE
MONGOLIAN GERBIL, MERIONES UNGUICULATUS: Norris M L, Adams C E, 1972,
Laboratory Animals, 6, 337-342
--
Julian
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
National Gerbil Society
http://www.gerbils.co.uk/
