Chair restraint for squirrel monkeys (2001)

Panneton, M., Alleyn, S., Kelly, N.

Abstract

Nonhuman primates, no matter how small, can be a danger to handlers. Restraint is necessary to allow sample collection, drug administration or physical examination. Commonly used procedures include moveable-back cages, manual restraint and the use of restraint chairs. Such procedures have the potential to cause emotional distress to the animals due to adverse conditioning. ... Our facility has trained squirrel monkeys to cooperate during various procedures such as capture from their homecage and chair restraint for periods not exceeding 1 h. ... .. Each squirrel monkey [in the chair] is constantly supervised and given positive reinforcement during and after the training sessions. ... The initial training [habituation] period starts at 5-10 min three times a week. Additional training sessions of 5-20 min are added until 1 h of chair restraint is achieved. At this time, training is reduced to twice a week for 1 h and then once a week for maintenance. ... Concerns such as weight loss, chair abrasions and hypoglycemia are among some of the obstacles to overcome. *Also published in Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 40(4), 80, 2001.