Background: Biostimulation is a management practice that improves the reproductive parameters, potentiates the desire, and improves the reproductive efficiency during the short breeding season in camels.
Aim: This study aims to investigate the concurrent changes in hormonal profiles in response to management and behavioral situations on camel farms in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A total of 10 male and 50 female camels were used in this study. The hormonal profile of male camels was evaluated weekly starting from December to August.
Results: The results show that both serum testosterone and cortisol levels increased (p < 0.01) from December to March compared to April to August. A strong negative correlation was observed between testosterone levels and temperature (r = -0.81, p < 0.05), and a similarly robust negative correlation was found between cortisol levels and temperature (r = -0.83, p < 0.05). The dominant rutting males showed higher levels of testosterone than the submissive males. Serum testosterone levels increased (p < 0.01) in males out of rutting after hearing the sounds of other couples before and during mating.
Conclusion: Hearing sounds emitted during mating increases the testosterone output, and improves the libido of male camels during the nonrutting period. It is important to keep two individually housed males for mating purposes. One male joins the herd alone in winter (winter rutter), and the other joins in spring (spring rutter), this could keep the libido extended rutting and improve the reproductive performance in camel herds.
Keywords: Camel; Cortisol; Dominant; Submissive; Testosterone.