Publications

The effects of cage color and light intensity on rat affect during heterospecific play

Environmental enrichment provides physiological and emotional benefits to laboratory rodents. Red tinted shelters are a common enrichment found in laboratories that provide rodents with a hiding space shielded from bright light. Red tinting alters the light's spectral make-up which reduces...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: LaFollette, M. R., Swan, M. P., Smith, R. K. et al. 2019. The effects of cage color and light intensity on rat affect during heterospecific play. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 219, 104834.

Non-invasive stress monitoring and temperament of chestnut-bellied seed-finch (Passeriformes, Thraupidae)

Songbirds are kept as pets around the world, and bird-singing contests occur in several countries. However, there is a lack of scientific support for songbird welfare and stress monitoring. Thus, we aimed to validate the measurement of glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM)...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Finch

Citation: Moyano Barbosa, H., Gama Nogueira-Filho, S. L., Nogueira de Morais, R. et al. 2019. Non-invasive stress monitoring and temperament of chestnut-bellied seed-finch (Passeriformes, Thraupidae). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 220, 104859.

Improving canine welfare in commercial breeding (CB) operations: Evaluating rehoming candidates

Disposal of dogs retired from commercial breeding facilities presents a scientific and ethical problem. This pilot study aimed to develop criteria for identifying commercial breeding (CB) dogs likely to be at risk for problems during transitioning to rehoming, and to...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Stella, J., Shreyer, T., Ha, J. et al. 2019. Improving canine welfare in commercial breeding (CB) operations: Evaluating rehoming candidates. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 220, 104861.

Environmental enrichment for pregnant sows modulates HPA-axis and behavior in the offspring

Our goal was to assess the effects of environmental enrichment during gestation on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA) and behavior of offspring. In order to test our hypothesis, we kept 18 sows (Sus scrofa domesticus) in straw during the final third...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Tatemoto, P., Bernardino, T., Alves, L. et al. 2019. Environmental enrichment for pregnant sows modulates HPA-axis and behavior in the offspring. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 220, 104854.

Influence of nest boxes and claw abrasive devices on feather pecking and the fear responses of layer breeders in natural mating colony cages

Natural mating colony cages for parent-stock layer breeders, instead of conventional cages with artificial insemination, have been widely adopted by many commercial farms in China. Although some natural mating behaviours can be expressed and broader activity space is provided compared...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Shi, H., Li, B., Tong, Q. et al. 2019. Influence of nest boxes and claw abrasive devices on feather pecking and the fear responses of layer breeders in natural mating colony cages. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 220, 104842.

A systematic review of social and environmental factors and their implications for indoor cat welfare

Cats are one of the world's most populous companion animals, yet little is known about how the home environment is adapted relative to their needs. Outdoor access is thought to be beneficial for both the physical and mental wellbeing of...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Foreman-Worsley, R., Farnworth, M. J. A systematic review of social and environmental factors and their implications for indoor cat welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 220, 104841.

Behavioural anxiety predisposes rabbits to intra-operative apnoea and cardiorespiratory instability

Rabbits are prone to complications from both anaesthesia and anxiety. Given that anxiety can often impact quality of anaesthesia, we developed a novel cage-side anxiety assessment, and sought to determine whether it correlated to pre- and intra-operative cardiorespiratory changes. We...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Krall, C., Glass, S., Dancourt, G. et al. 2019. Behavioural anxiety predisposes rabbits to intra-operative apnoea and cardiorespiratory instability. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 221, 104875.

Refining canine welfare assessment in kennels: Evaluating the reliability of Field Instantaneous Dog Observation (FIDO) scoring

Accurate assessments of behavior and welfare are needed to evaluate the state of domestic dogs maintained in commercial breeding (CB) and other types of kennels. Field assessments of dogs' states of being must be valid, reliable, and efficient. However, concerns...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Mugenda, L., Shreyer, T., Croney, C. 2019. Refining canine welfare assessment in kennels: Evaluating the reliability of Field Instantaneous Dog Observation (FIDO) scoring. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 221, 104874.

Exploration of potential triggers for self-directed behaviours and regurgitation and reingestion in zoo-housed chimpanzees

The unique challenges faced by animals living in zoos can lead to the production of anxiety-related behaviours. In this study we aimed to understand what specific factors may cause chimpanzees to display these behaviours. In non-human primates, displacement behaviours, such...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Abnormal/Problematic BehaviorAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Wallace, E. K., Herrelko, E. S., Koski, S. E. et al. 2019. Exploration of potential triggers for self-directed behaviours and regurgitation and reingestion in zoo-housed chimpanzees. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 221, 104878.

Time’s up for tick-over colonies… Do we now need to maintain so many GA mouse lines?

The practice of continually breeding lines to maintain them as a live resource either in-between studies or indefinitely “just in case” is common practice in many animal facilities. This process of “ticking over” colonies has historically occurred due to the...

Year Published: 2019Topics: ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Newman, S., Woodley, S. 2019. Time's up for tick-over colonies… Do we now need to maintain so many GA mouse lines? Animal Technology and Welfare 17(3), 155-157.