Social Housing & Companionship

Changes in enclosure use and basking behaviour associated with pair housing in Tokay geckos (Gekko gecko)

Due to often insufficient information, reptiles suffer welfare issues and increased mortality in captivity. In particular, the impact of the social environment remains poorly understood, despite evidence suggesting its' importance for welfare in a wide range of social animals. The...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Szabo, B. 2024. Changes in enclosure use and basking behaviour associated with pair housing in Tokay geckos (Gekko gecko). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 272, 106179.

Social reinforcement guides operant behaviour and auditory learning in a songbird

Motivation to seek social interactions is inherent to all social species. For instance, even with risk of disease transmission in a recent pandemic, humans sought out frequent in-person social interactions. In other social animals, socialization can be prioritized even over...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Bird, Finch

Citation: Macedo-Lima, M., Fernández-Vargas, M., Remage-Healey, L. 2024. Social reinforcement guides operant behaviour and auditory learning in a songbird. Animal Behaviour 210, 127–137.

Sleep quality in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) varies by housing type and following surgery

Sleep is an important contributor to good physical and mental health and an important component of post-surgical recovery. The assessment of dark phase (‘nighttime') behavior can provide insight into the efficacy of analgesic treatments and should be considered when assessing...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Housing, Social Housing & Companionship, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Paterson, E. A., O'Malley, C. I., Turner, P. V. 2024. Sleep quality in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) varies by housing type and following surgery. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 272, 106188.

An overview of black tree monitor (Varanus beccarii) husbandry

This article describes the enclosure, environmental parameters, feeding, enclosure dynamics, breeding, handling, identification, and enrichment for zoo-housed black tree monitors.

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Identification Method, Reproduction, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Newton, R. 2023. An overview of black tree monitor (Varanus beccarii) husbandry. RATEL (Journal of the Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers) 50(3-4), 24-25.

Feasibility of pair-housing of rats after cranial implant surgery

Rat models employing cranial implants are increasingly employed to facilitate neural stimulation and recording in freely moving animals. Due to possible damage to wound, implant or attached devices, rats with cranial implants are traditionally housed singly, and little information is...

Year Published: 2023Topics: External Bodily Equipment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Evers, J., Sridhar, K., Lowery, M. 2023. Feasibility of pair-housing of rats after cranial implant surgery. Laboratory Animals 57(1), 69–74.

Changes in the behavior and body weight of mature, adult male Wistar Han rats after reduced social grouping and social isolation

Changes in housing density, including individual housing, are commonly necessary in animal research. Obtaining reproducibility and translational validity in biomedical research requires an understanding of how animals adapt to changes in housing density. Existing literature mainly addresses acclimatization after transportation....

Year Published: 2022Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Potrebić, M. S., Pavković, Ž. Z., Srbovan, M. M. et al. 2022. Changes in the behavior and body weight of mature, adult male Wistar Han rats after reduced social grouping and social isolation. JAALAS 61(6), 615–623.

Evaluation of cage mate–induced postsurgical trauma in mice

Although mice are social animals, individual housing is sometimes requested after surgery. We questioned whether pair-housing mice after surgery resulted in greater trauma to the surgical site as compared with single housing. We further evaluated the effect of individual housing...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Social Housing & Companionship, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Tirado-Muñiz, N., Spangler, T. L., Van Rooyen, H. et al. 2023. Evaluation of cage mate–induced postsurgical trauma in mice. JAALAS 62(2), 170–178.

Social behaviour and personality profiles of breeding does housed part-time in group

Housing breeding female rabbits in multi-litter instead of single-litter cages allows for more natural behaviour and social contact with conspecifics. Hierarchy fights among does, however, inhibit uptake on farms. Past focus on high reproductive performances in single-litter cages may have...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Van Damme, L. G. W., Ampe, B., Delezie, E. et al. 2023. Social behaviour and personality profiles of breeding does housed part-time in group. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 267, 106064.

Social environment enrichment alleviates anxiety-like behavior in mice: Involvement of the dopamine system

Rearing environment plays a vital role in maintaining physical and mental health of both animals and humans. Plenty of studies have proved that physical environment enrichment in adolescence has protective effects on emotion, social behavior, learning and memory deficits. However,...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Rearing & Weaning, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Wang, Q., Wang, Y., Tian, Y. et al. 2024. Social environment enrichment alleviates anxiety-like behavior in mice: Involvement of the dopamine system. Behavioural Brain Research 456, 114687.

The effect of isolation on laboratory rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus): Growth, behavior and physiology

Laboratory fish play an important role in modern scientific research. More and more researchers have begun to pay attention to the other living environment except the physical and chemical factors of the water body, because it is not only related...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish

Citation: Xu, C., Qiu, N., Yu, F. et al. 2024. The effect of isolation on laboratory rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus): Growth, behavior and physiology. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 271, 106153.