Abnormal/Problematic Behavior

Prevalence and risk factors of feather damaging behavior in companion parrots: A cross-sectional study in Iran

A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of feather damaging behavior (FDB) and evaluate the related risk factors among companion psittacine birds in Iran. For data collection, a structured questionnaire was prepared and completed by interviewing the owners...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Abnormal/Problematic BehaviorAnimal Type: Bird, Parrot

Citation: Mahdavi, I., Abdi-Hachesoo, B., Ansari-Lari, M. et al. 2023. Prevalence and risk factors of feather damaging behavior in companion parrots: A cross-sectional study in Iran. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 266, 106028.

Animals with various forms of abnormal behaviour differ in learning performance and use of enrichment: Evidence from farm mink

Abnormal behaviour has been related to differences in cognitive function and reduced animal welfare. However, these associations are understudied, and little is known about how various forms of abnormal behaviour affect learning performance, stress responses and use of enrichment. We...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Abnormal/Problematic BehaviorAnimal Type: Mink

Citation: Malmkvist, J., Díez-León, M., Christensen, J. W. 2024. Animals with various forms of abnormal behaviour differ in learning performance and use of enrichment: Evidence from farm mink. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 271, 106167.

Do housing-induced changes in brain activity cause stereotypic behaviours in laboratory mice?

Abnormal repetitive stereotypic behaviours (SBs) (e.g. pacing, body-rocking) are common in animals with poor welfare (e.g. socially isolated/in barren housing). But how (or even whether) poor housing alters animals' brains to induce SBs remains uncertain. To date, there is little...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Kitchenham, L., MacLellan, A., Paletta, P. et al. 2024. Do housing-induced changes in brain activity cause stereotypic behaviours in laboratory mice? Behavioural Brain Research 462, 114862.

Contrafreeloading indicating the behavioural need to forage in healthy and feather damaging Grey parrots

Contrafreeloading (CFL) is a concept that describes the preference of an animal to work for food even when identical food is freely available, and reflects an intrinsic motivation to engage in foraging-related activities. However, altered brain neurochemistry, which can be...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Parrot

Citation: van Zeeland, Y. R. A., Schoemaker, N. J., Lumeij, J. T. 2023. Contrafreeloading indicating the behavioural need to forage in healthy and feather damaging Grey parrots. Animals 13(16), 2635.

A mild stressor induces short-term anxiety and long-term phenotypic changes in trauma-related behavior in female rats

Introduction: Anxiety and anxiety-influenced disorders are sexually dimorphic with women being disproportionately affected compared to men. Given the increased prevalence in women and the documented differences in anxiety and trauma behavior between male and female rats this paper sought to...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Shanazz, K., Nalloor, R., Vazdarjanova, A. 2023. A mild stressor induces short-term anxiety and long-term phenotypic changes in trauma-related behavior in female rats. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17.

Stereotypic head twirls, but not pacing, are related to a ‘pessimistic’-like judgment bias among captive tufted capuchins (Cebus apella)

Abnormal stereotypic behaviour is widespread among captive non-human primates and is generally associated with jeopardized well-being. However, attributing the same significance to all of these repetitive, unvarying and apparently functionless behaviours may be misleading, as some behaviours may be better...

Year Published: 2012Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Capuchin, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Pomerantz, O., Terkel, J., Suomi, S. J. et al. 2012. Stereotypic head twirls, but not pacing, are related to a ‘pessimistic'-like judgment bias among captive tufted capuchins (Cebus apella). Animal Cognition 15(4), 689–698.

Therapy and prevention of noise fears in dogs—A review of the current evidence for practitioners

Noise fears represent the most common behavioural problem in dogs. This manuscript provides an overview of diverse approaches for alleviating fear of noises in dogs and the supporting evidence. In the treatment of noise fears, both short-term solutions to prevent...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Abnormal/Problematic BehaviorAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Riemer, S. 2023. Therapy and prevention of noise fears in dogs—A review of the current evidence for practitioners. Animals 13(23), 3664.

Stereotypic horses (Equus caballus) are not cognitively impaired

Stereotypies in animals are thought to arise from an interaction between genetic predisposition and sub-optimal housing conditions. In domestic horses, a well-studied stereotypy is crib-biting, an abnormal behaviour that appears to help individuals to cope with stressful situations. One prominent...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Abnormal/Problematic BehaviorAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Briefer Freymond, S., Ruet, A., Grivaz, M. et al. 2019. Stereotypic horses (Equus caballus) are not cognitively impaired. Animal Cognition 22(1), 17–33.

Stereotyping starlings are more ‘pessimistic

Negative affect in humans and animals is known to cause individuals to interpret ambiguous stimuli pessimistically, a phenomenon termed ‘cognitive bias'. Here, we used captive European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) to test the hypothesis that a reduction in environmental conditions, from...

Year Published: 2010Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Other Bird

Citation: Brilot, B. O., Asher, L., Bateson, M. 2010. Stereotyping starlings are more ‘pessimistic.' Animal Cognition 13(5), 721–731.

Nature calls: Intelligence and natural foraging style predict poor welfare in captive parrots

Understanding why some species thrive in captivity, while others struggle to adjust, can suggest new ways to improve animal care. Approximately half of all Psittaciformes, a highly threatened order, live in zoos, breeding centres and private homes. Here, some species...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Parrot

Citation: Mellor, E. L., McDonald Kinkaid, H. K., Mendl, M. T. et al. 2021. Nature calls: Intelligence and natural foraging style predict poor welfare in captive parrots. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 288(1960), 20211952