Natural Behavior

Environmental enrichment for captive and wild-born macaques

Although the use of wild-born primates in research is banned in some countries, in others it is commonplace. It has been demonstrated that not only do wild-born primates react more strongly to some stressors than those that are captive-born, but...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Honess, P., Fernadez, L. 2011. Environmental enrichment for captive and wild-born macaques. Enrichment Record 9, 16-18.

A good life for laboratory animals – How far must refinement go? Alternatives to Animal Experimentation [ALTEX] Proceedings of WC8, 11-13

Refinement typically is viewed as a means of reducing harms to animals used in laboratory research. Examples of recent research on refinement include improved methods of handling and euthanasia. Focus in the animal welfare literature is now shifting from simply...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Natural Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Weary, D. M. 2011. A good life for laboratory animals - How far must refinement go? Alternatives to Animal Experimentation [ALTEX] Proceedings of WC8, 11-13.

Current practices in a captive breeding colony of 13-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus)

The authors provide an update to their 2006 report on the successful large-scale captive breeding of the 13-lined ground squirrel (TLGS; Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) in their colony, now a single-source supplier of purpose-bred TLGSs for several research institutions. With funding from...

Year Published: 2012Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, ReproductionAnimal Type: Other Rodent, Rodent

Citation: Merriman, D. K., Lahvis, G., Jooss, M. et al. 2012. Current practices in a captive breeding colony of 13-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus). Lab Animal 41(11), 315-325.

Relationship between growth rate and oral manipulation, social nosing, and aggression in finishing pigs

Pigs may affect each other's health, welfare and productivity through their behaviour. The effect of a pig on the growth rate of its pen mates is partly heritable and is referred to as its social genetic effect. Social genetic effects,...

Year Published: 2012Topics: Natural Behavior, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Camerlink, I., Bijma, P., Kemp, B. et al. 2012. Relationship between growth rate and oral manipulation, social nosing, and aggression in finishing pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 142(1-2), 11-17.

Friends with benefits: Social support and its relevance for farm animal welfare

Despite growing interest in promoting positive welfare, rather than just alleviating poor welfare, potential measures of good welfare, and means to provide it, have remained elusive. In humans social support improves stress-coping abilities, health, and promotes positive psychological welfare. Therefore,...

Year Published: 2012Topics: Natural Behavior, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Cattle, Chicken, Equine, Fowl, Goat, Pig, Sheep

Citation: Rault, J.-L. 2012. Friends with benefits: Social support and its relevance for farm animal welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 136(1), 1-14.

Interspecies pair housing of macaques in a research facility

The eighth edition of The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals establishes social housing as the "default" for social species including non-human primates. The advantages of social housing for primates have been well established, but small research...

Year Published: 2012Topics: Natural Behavior, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: DiVincenti, L., Rehrig, A., Wyatt, J. 2012. Interspecies pair housing of macaques in a research facility. Laboratory Animals 46(2), 1170-1172.

Biology, behavior, and environmental enrichment for the captive African clawed frog (Xenopus spp)

Xenopus are a hardy, long-lived, aquatic amphibian species which readily adapt to a captive environment. This characteristic makes Xenopus ideal for the laboratory, where they are used extensively in basic and biomedical research. Though husbandry practices for Xenopus have not...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Amphibian, Frog & Toad

Citation: Chum, H., Felt, S., Garner, J. et al. 2013. Biology, behavior, and environmental enrichment for the captive African clawed frog (Xenopus spp). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 143(2-4), 150-156.

Environmental enrichment and cognitive complexity in reptiles and amphibians: Concepts, review, and implications for captive populations

Reptiles and amphibians have been neglected in research on cognition, emotions, sociality, need for enriched and stimulating environments, and other topics that have been greatly emphasized in work on mammals and birds. This is also evident in the historic lack...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Amphibian, Crocodile & Alligator, Frog & Toad, Lizard, Reptile, Salamander, Snake, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Burghardt, G. M. 2013. Environmental enrichment and cognitive complexity in reptiles and amphibians: Concepts, review, and implications for captive populations. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 147(3-4), 286-298.

Enrichment object preferences in laboratory rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

To promote the psychological well-being of captive non-human primates, facilities develop and implement an environmental enhancement plan (Animal Welfare Act, Section 3.81). Enrichment options described in the plan should be selected to demonstrably promote species-typical behaviors. Too often, enrichment choices...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Carey, M. C., West, A. M., Diaz, B. et al. 2013. Enrichment object preferences in laboratory rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). American Journal of Primatology 75(S1), 81. (36th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #162)

Social knowledge and signal in primates

Primates are notable for having a rich and detailed understanding of their social environment and there has been great interest in the evolution and function of social knowledge in primates. Indeed, primates have been shown to have impressive understandings of...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Natural Behavior, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Baboon, Capuchin, Chimpanzee, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Bergman, T. J., Sheehan, M. J. 2013. Social knowledge and signal in primates. American Journal of Primatology 75(7), 683-694.