Effect of space and floor material on the behaviour of farmed blue foxes

Korhonen, Hannu T.; Niemelä, Paavo; Jauhiainen, Lauri

doi:10.4141/a00-093

Cited by 22 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In the present study, the proportion of digging of total sandbox use was highest in August, after which it clearly declined. Previous studies (Korhonen et al 1999(Korhonen et al , 2001b are in good agreement with our finding. According to them the significant decline in digging motivation from August to November appears to be typical for blue foxes, and also occurs when they are raised in penned conditions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…Thus it appears that the animals in the present study did not suffer from pronounced long-term stress. This finding is also supported by the low frequency of stereotypies, which were even less common in both our groups than previously documented for foxes under penned conditions (Korhonen et al 2001b). …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Thus, not only did sandboxes serve as a digging substrate, but also as a place for locomotion and rest. In our previous studies digging behaviour amounted to 11 min/24 h in a under-cage earthen floor (Korhonen et al 2001a) and to 15 min/24 h in an earthen floored pen (Korhonen et al 2001b). In the present study, average time spent for digging the sand was lower, namely 4 min/24 h. However, if scratching the sandbox is considered a form of digging, then calculated total digging-like performance amounted to 7.3 min daily.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

In-cage sandbox as a ground substitute for farmed blue foxes (Alopex lagopus): Effects on digging activity and welfare

Korhonen¹,

Jauhiainen²,

Rekilä³

2003

Can. J. Anim. Sci.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Korhonen, H. T., Jauhiainen, L. and Rekilä, T. 2003. In-cage sandbox as a ground substitute for farmed blue foxes (Alopex lagopus): Effect on digging activity and welfare. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 83: [703][704][705][706][707][708][709][710][711][712]. A study on the behavioural and welfare effects of in-cage sandboxes was carried out on juvenile farm-bred blue foxes (Alopex lagopus) with special reference to digging behaviours and time spent on sand substrate. Twelve juvenile male blue foxes were used in each of two experimental groups: (1) a test group and (2) a control group. Animals were raised singly in cages measuring 120 cm long × 105 cm wide × 70 cm high, from weaning in July to pelting in December. All experimental animals were housed conventionally but cages of the test group contained in-cage sandboxes (80 cm long × 40 cm wide × 14 cm high). Various physiological, behavioural, health and productionrelated variables were measured during the study. Final body weights of test animals were significantly (P = 0.05) lower than controls. Occurrence of endoparasites (Toxascaris leonina, Isospora sp.) did not substantially differ between groups. Open field activity was greater (P = 0.02) and latency to touch novel objects shorter (P = 0.02) in the test group compared with the control. Cortisol-creatinine ratio, incidence of stereotypes, size of adrenals or other organs, blood screen and fur quality parameters were not significantly different. Sandbox hygiene deteriorated rapidly during the experimental period. Fur coats of test animals were dirtier than those of controls at pelting. Claw length of test animals was significantly shorter (front foot; P < 0.005, back foot, P < 0.001) than in controls only in October. Altogether nine different sandbox behaviours were observed in the test foxes. Digging was the fifth most common behavior, comprising 5.8% of total sandbox use. Amount of time spent in the sandbox peaked in July, averaging 117 min/24 h, and declined towards winter. The most common sandbox behaviours observed were walking (24.3% of total time), sitting (22.0%) and resting (17.5%). Results indicated low motivation to use in-cage sandboxes as a digging substrate. On the other hand, the presence of in-cage sandboxes may provide opportunities for foxes to engage in other species-specific activities and/or seek sensory comfort through contact with the sand. The effects of in-cage sandboxes on animal welfare need further study. (2) un groupe témoin. Les animaux ont été élevés séparément dans des cages de 120 cm de longueur par 105 cm de largeur et 70 cm de hauteur du sevrage, en juillet, à la récolte des peaux en décembre. Les sujets du groupe expérimental disposaient de cages ordinaires, mais celles de l'autre groupe contenaient un carré de sable (80 cm de longueur par 40 cm de largeur et 14 cm de profondeur). Durant l'étude, les auteurs ont mesuré plusieurs variables associées à la physiologie, au comportement, à la santé et à la production des animaux. Les sujets expérimentaux étaient sensiblement plus maigres...

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

In-cage sandbox as a ground substitute for farmed blue foxes (Alopex lagopus): Effects on digging activity and welfare

Korhonen¹,

Jauhiainen²,

Rekilä³

2003

Can. J. Anim. Sci.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several environmental factors, including space limitation [26, 27], effects of feeding schedule [1, 28], restraint of environmental control [29], and lack of stimulation [6, 30], have been identified in relation to the development of stereotypies [31, 32]. Zoo-housed carnivores generally exhibit stereotypic pacing [33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Ambient Environmental Factors on the Stereotypic Behaviors of Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Huang²,

Wang

2017

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Stereotypies are commonly observed in zoo animals, and it is necessary to better understand whether ambient environmental factors contribute to stereotypy and how to affect animal welfare in zoo settings. This study investigated the relationships between stereotypic behaviors and environmental factors including ambient temperatures, humidity, light intensity, sound intensity and number of visitors. Seven giant pandas were observed in three indoor enclosures and three outdoor enclosures. Environmental factors were measured for both indoor and outdoor enclosures and the effect they had on stereotypical behaviors was investigated. Our research found that light intensity significantly correlated with all stereotypies behaviors. Higher environmental temperature reduced the duration of pacing but increased the frequency of pacing, the duration and frequency of door-directed, meanwhile the duration of head-toss. However, we found no noticeable effect of humidity on stereotypic behaviors except for the frequency of head-toss. We also found that sound intensity was not correlated with stereotypies. Finally, the growth of visitors was negatively associated with the duration of door-directed. These results demonstrated that various environmental factors can have significant effects on stereotypic behaviors causing the expression of various stereotypies. Thus, stereotypies in zoo animals may not simply represent suboptimal welfare, but rather might be adopted as a means of coping with an aversive environment.

show abstract

“…However, digging is frequently observed in farmed foxes (e.g. Korhonen et al, 2001), both on the wire mesh floor and on ground substrates, although its motivational basis (e.g. exploration, food hiding, digging dens, escape) is as yet unknown.…”

Section: Discussion Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of farmed silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) to excessive food availability: Implications for using food as a yardstick resource in motivation tests

Hovland

Mason

Ahlstrøm

et al. 2007

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Food is frequently used as a 'yardstick' in operant experiments. However, previous work on silver foxes had suggested that how food is presented can affect how they respond to it, with excess food leading to variable consumption rates, and cages containing food being avoided over control cages except while eating. Our first experiment therefore examined foxes' consumption of excess food in more detail by comparing their daily intakes with foxes fed a control diet for 4 weeks. Eighteen silver fox vixens were assigned to one of two groups in which the experimental group (N = 9) was feed 2.5 times that of control (N = 9). Although appetite, measured as the amount of food consumed, tended to fluctuate none of the overly fed foxes stopped eating during the experimental period. On average, the excessive fed group consumed more food (317 AE 18 g/day) compared to the controls (273 AE 12 g/day).In Experiment 2 we aimed to test whether the presence of excess food affected the foxes' use of the cage. Five silver fox males were housed in separate multi-compartment apparatuses and the position of a food bowl was randomly switched between two cages for 18 days. The subjects had to perform one operant response to enter each cage and time inside the compartments was calculated. The foxes spent significantly less time in the food compartment (4 h 13 min), compared to the empty cage (12 h 12 min) and as expected by random (8 h) (P < 0.05). These results confirm that ad libitum fed silver foxes have a more fluctuating intake rate than animals fed just below maintenance, and that placing food in a cage reduces the time spent there. The day-to-day use of food, and perhaps even its value, can therefore be shaped by how it is presented. Implications for using food as a yardstick resource for silver foxes is that the ration should be held at maintenance. Also, to control for a motivation to leave food positioned in the operant test cage a free control cage distant from food could be provided. #

show abstract

Effect of space and floor material on the behaviour of farmed blue foxes

Cited by 22 publications

References 16 publications

In-cage sandbox as a ground substitute for farmed blue foxes (Alopex lagopus): Effects on digging activity and welfare

In-cage sandbox as a ground substitute for farmed blue foxes (Alopex lagopus): Effects on digging activity and welfare

Effects of Ambient Environmental Factors on the Stereotypic Behaviors of Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Responses of farmed silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) to excessive food availability: Implications for using food as a yardstick resource in motivation tests

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About