Husbandry & Management

Survey of behavioral indices of welfare in research chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in the United States

Chimpanzees demand specialized housing and care and the highest degree of attention to animal welfare. The current project used a survey method to collate information on chimpanzee housing and behavioral indices of welfare across all 6 of the chimpanzee research...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Bloomsmith, M. A., Clay, A. W., Lambeth, S. P. et al. 2019. Survey of behavioral indices of welfare in research chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in the United States. JAALAS 58(2), 160-177.

Evaluation of a 16-week change cycle for ventilated mouse cages

The methods and conditions for housing research mice have been the subject of many discussions and publications in recent years. At our institution, we began to explore these matters with the goal of reducing stress in the animals and yet...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Taylor, J. L., Noel, P., Mickelsen, M. 2019. Evaluation of a 16-week change cycle for ventilated mouse cages. JAALAS 58(4), 443-449.

Daily water intake by common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) and recommendations regarding fluid regulation

The typical daily water intake of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) in a research setting has not been well characterized. Because these New World primates are in demand as animal models for neurobehavioral experiments, which can include the potential use of...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Winn, C. B., Issa, E. B., Curcillo, C. P. et al. 2019. Daily water intake by common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) and recommendations regarding fluid regulation. JAALAS 58(1), 16-20.

Where to do number two: Lizards prefer to defecate on the largest rock in the territory

Many animals use their excrements to communicate with others. In order to increase signal efficacy, animals often behaviourally select for specific defecation sites that maximize the detectability of their faecal deposits, such as the tip of rocks by some lizard...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Baeckens, S., De Meester, W., Tadić, Z. et al. 2019. Where to do number two: Lizards prefer to defecate on the largest rock in the territory. Behavioural Processes 167, 103937.

Does pellet size affect the ability of beef heifers to consume a pelleted supplement in a simulated grazing model?

The objective was to evaluate pellet consumption and refusals as affected by pellet size. Six ruminally cannulated heifers were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square. Heifers were individually housed and fed a diet of grass hay (57.5%),...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Kelln, L., Newkirk, R. W., Smillie, J. et al. 2019. Does pellet size affect the ability of beef heifers to consume a pelleted supplement in a simulated grazing model? Canadian Journal of Animal Science 99(4), 943-950.

Particle motion and sound pressure in fish tanks: A behavioural exploration of acoustic sensitivity in the zebrafish

Underwater sound fields can be complex, both in open water and small tank environments. Here we measured 1) spatial variation in artificially elevated sound levels in a small fish tank for both particle motion and sound pressure. We confirmed that...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Campbell, J., Shafiei Sabet, S., Slabbekoorn, H. 2019. Particle motion and sound pressure in fish tanks: A behavioural exploration of acoustic sensitivity in the zebrafish. Behavioural Processes 164, 38-47.

Effects of sex and early rearing condition on adult behavior, health, and well-being in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Scientific evaluation of management strategies for captive species is part of the establishment of best practices for animal welfare. Here we report the effects of sex, rearing, and a sex-by-rearing interaction on adult, captive chimpanzees' (Pan troglodytes) behavior, health, well-being,...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Clay, A. W., Bard, K. A., Bloomsmith, M. A. 2018. Effects of sex and early rearing condition on adult behavior, health, and well-being in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Behavioural Processes 156, 58-76.

Loss of control over mild aversive events produces significant helplessness in mice

This article is about the importance of giving mice control over what happens to them. Most of the pathophysiology of depression are still unknown because of its numerous disease states of distinct etiology and pathogenesis. Stressful rodent models have been...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Yao, L., Li, Y., Qian, Z. et al. 2019. Loss of control over mild aversive events produces significant helplessness in mice. Behavioural Brain Research 376, 112173.

Lower light intensity reduces larval aggression in matrinxã, Brycon amazonicus

Brycon amazonicus shows a high frequency of aggressive behavior, which can be a limiting factor in intensive farming systems. Environmental changes can modulate the social interactions of fish and reduce aggression during the different stages of production. Groups of three...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Amphibian, Fish, Frog & Toad, Other Fish, Shark & Ray, Zebrafish

Citation: Lopes, A. C. C., Villacorta-Correa, M. A., Carvalho, T. B. 2018. Lower light intensity reduces larval aggression in matrinxã, Brycon amazonicus. Behavioural Processes 151, 62-66.

Give us a break!

Literature is replete with studies on stressors to laboratory rodents; knowing the impact research and husbandry interventions, such as routine cage changing, have on rodents' stress levels, physiology and behaviour, we hypothesised that animals recovering in a familiar environment would...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Filby, E. 2019. Give us a break! Animal Technology and Welfare 18(1), 45-48.