Effects of housing conditions on behaviour and physiology in the Finnraccoon (Nyctereutes procyonoides ussuriensis)

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-255
Author(s):  
T Koistinen ◽  
A-M Moisander-Jylha ◽  
HT Korhonen
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Nyctereutes Procyonoides ◽  
Group Housing ◽  
Time Behaviour ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Physiological Variables

The welfare of juvenile Finnraccoons (Nyctereutes procyonoides ussuriensis) was compared between various housing conditions through the measurement of day-time behaviour and physiological variables. For the small control treatment (SC), Finnraccoons were raised in pairs in small cages; in the large area treatment (LA), in pairs in large cages; in the large control treatment (LC), in groups of four in large cages and in the large enrichment treatment (LE), in groups of four in large cages with access to a nest-box and a large tube, from weaning to pelting time. Study subjects consisted of a total of 152 Finnraccoons. As autumn progressed, day-time resting increased, especially allohuddling; while active behaviours decreased. Allohuddling was the most common type of resting; apart from in the LE treatment, resting shelters were used effectively alongside allohuddling. Locomotion was observed more frequently in LA and LC treatments, ie in large cages without shelters. The nest-box roof was preferred to the platform as an elevated location, and the nest-box to the tube as a resting shelter. Agonistic interactions were not observed. Males grew heavier than females and had heavier organs. No systematic differences in haematological and other physiological parameters were found between the treatments. Catching time was shortest in the SC treatment. The LE treatment compromised animals cleanliness. Based on the intensive positive social interactions and regular shelter use, group housing and access to resting shelters are recommended for juvenile Finnraccoons.

Observations on social behaviour of Atlantic walruses (Odobenus rosmarus (L.)) during terrestrial haul-out

1980 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 461-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Salter
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Age Composition ◽  
Body Contact ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Odobenus Rosmarus

Social interactions in walrus herds of mixed sex and age composition were recorded at a haul-out site on the east coast of Bathurst Island, N.W.T., during July–August 1977. Most walruses maintained body contact with at least one other walrus while hauled out on land; herds were usually circular in shape. Adult males, adult females, and immatures all displaced other walruses, and thus entered herds, by jabbing with the tusks. Dominance during agonistic interactions was related to relative tusk length and sex and age of interactants. Behaviour of walruses on land suggested an energetic advantage in mutual body contact, which would be maximized by occupation of interior positions within herds.

scholarly journals Quantification of Hair Corticosterone, DHEA and Testosterone as a Potential Tool for Welfare Assessment in Male Laboratory Mice

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2408
Author(s):  
Alberto Elmi ◽  
Viola Galligioni ◽  
Nadia Govoni ◽  
Martina Bertocchi ◽  
Camilla Aniballi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Reference Intervals ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Laboratory Mice ◽  
Good Tool ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
Biological Patterns ◽  
Potential Tool

Steroids, providing information regarding several biological patterns including stress and sexual behavior, have been investigated in different matrices in laboratory mice. Data regarding hair quantification, indicative of longer timespans when compared to blood and saliva, are lacking. The aim of the work was to analyze the hormonal hair profile of laboratory male mice and to investigate potential relationships with age and housing, as a potential tool for welfare assessment. Fifty-six adult male C57BL/6J and C57BL/6OlaHsd substrain mice were included in the study, housed in pairs or groups. Testosterone (T) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) were quantified by radioimmunoassay, corticosterone (CORT) by ELISA. Mean hormone levels were 6.42 pg/mg for T, 23.16 pg/mg for DHEA and 502.1 pg/mg for CORT. Age influenced all hormones by significantly increasing T and DHEA levels and decreasing CORT; only DHEA, significantly higher in grouped mice, was influenced by housing conditions. The influence of age indicates the need for accurate age-related reference intervals, while the higher levels of DHEA in grouped animals suggests that such housing practice may be beneficial for social interactions. In conclusion, it seems that hair hormones quantification may be a good tool for welfare assessment in laboratory mice and may help in refining husbandry.

scholarly journals Play and social behaviour of calves with or without access to their dam and other cows

2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (S1) ◽  
pp. 144-147
Author(s):  
Susanne Waiblinger ◽  
Kathrin Wagner ◽  
Edna Hillmann ◽  
Kerstin Barth
Keyword(s):  
Social Competence ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Dairy Calves ◽  
Agonistic Interaction ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Research Communication ◽  
Play Behaviour ◽  
Solitary Play ◽  
Whole Milk

AbstractThe aim of the study reported in this Research Communication was to compare play behaviour and social interactions of dairy calves either separated from their mother and reared in a calf group (Artificial) or with access to their mother and the cow herd (cow-calf contact: Contact). Contact calves had access to a calf area and also to the cow barn where they could suckle their dam. Artificial calves were fed whole milk up to 16 kg per day via an automatic milk feeder and were only kept in the calf area. We observed the animals on 3 d during the first three months of life. Contact calves showed solitary play, consisting predominantly of locomotor play, for longer than Artificial calves and mainly in the cow barn. This indicates higher welfare in Contact calves. In addition, Artificial calves hardly experienced any agonistic interaction, while Contact calves both initiated and received agonistic interactions, which might contribute to the development of higher social competence.

scholarly journals First evidence of gregarious denning in opossums (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae), with notes on their social behaviour

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 20150307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Astúa ◽  
Rafael A. Carvalho ◽  
Paula F. Maia ◽  
Arthur R. Magalhães ◽  
Diogo Loretto
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Pair Bonding ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Artificial Nests ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Didelphis Aurita ◽  
Nest Sharing ◽  
Didelphis Albiventris

The Didelphidae are considered solitary opossums with few social interactions, usually limited to mating-related or mother–pouch young interactions. Anecdotal reports suggest that additional interactions occur, including den sharing by a few individuals, usually siblings. Here, we report novel observations that indicate opossums are more social than previously thought. These include nest sharing by males and females of Marmosa paraguayana , Gracilinanus microtarsus and Marmosops incanus prior to the onset of the breeding season and without signs of sexual activity; this is taken to indicate early pair-bonding matching and cooperative nest building. We also recorded den sharing among recently weaned siblings of Didelphis aurita and Caluromys philander . In addition, we observed 13 individuals of Didelphis albiventris representing three age classes resting without agonistic interactions in a communal den. These are the first reports of gregarious behaviour involving so many individuals, which are either unrelated or represent siblings from at least two litters, already weaned, sharing the same den with three adults. Sociality in opossums is probably more complex than previously established, and field experimental designs combining the use of artificial nests with camera traps or telemetry may help to gauge the frequency and extent of these phenomena.

Social interactions in a neotropical stream frog reveal a complex repertoire of visual signals and the use of multimodal communication

Behaviour ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 151 (6) ◽  
pp. 719-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinícius Matheus Caldart ◽  
Samanta Iop ◽  
Sonia Zanini Cechin
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Acoustic Signals ◽  
Multimodal Communication ◽  
Visual Signals ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Intraspecific Communication ◽  
Neotropical Stream ◽  
First Time

Visual communication has evolved independently in several families of frogs and is complex in diurnal stream frogs. In addition to isolated visual and acoustic signals, some species may emit multimodal displays characterized by the association of these signals. Through the analysis of focal recordings obtained in situ in southern Brazil, we investigated the visual and multimodal communication in the diurnal stream frog Crossodactylus schmidti. We found a complex visual repertoire of nine signals used in intraspecific communication, of which the signal Both legs kicking was described for the first time. Males, females and juveniles emitted visual signals, but males had a larger repertoire and used most signals in agonistic interactions. The four most common visual signals, Toe flagging, Limb lifting, Body jerking and Running-jumping, were emitted predominantly upon rocks in the stream bed. The emission of isolated visual and acoustic signals, as well as audiovisual displays with simultaneous or temporally coupled components, demonstrates that the communication in C. schmidti is complex and that the multimodal displays may have different functions. We discuss the historical, behavioural, ecological factors which may have influenced the evolution of the visual repertoire of C. schmidti, and how the ritualization of derived activities similar to visual signals may have led to the evolution of part of the repertoire. This study provides novel results on visual and multimodal communication for the genus Crossodactylus and demonstrates that C. schmidti represents an appropriate model for studies of complex displays.

Effects of modifying layer cages with perches on stress physiology, plumage, pecking and bone strength of hens

1997 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 523 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Barnett ◽  
P. C. Glatz ◽  
E. A. Newman ◽  
G. M. Cronin
Keyword(s):  
Bone Strength ◽  
Stress Physiology ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
External Control ◽  
Physiological Measures ◽  
Tail Feather ◽  
Floor Area ◽  
Physiological Variables ◽  
Layer Hens

Summary. This experiment evaluated the welfare of layer hens housed in cages modified with perches. Welfare was assessed on the basis of physiological measures of stress (corticosterone concentrations ‘at rest’ and in response to ACTH and heterophil : lymphocyte ratios) and immunological responsiveness, feather condition and cover, bone strength, claw length and between-bird pecking behaviour. Factors examined were cage modification (perches v. standard cage), tier (upper v. lower), birds (1 or 2 birds/cage) and age (commencing at 35 v. 60 weeks of age). The cages provided a floor area of 1504 cm2 . Floor pens (2.5 by 2.5 m) with 10 birds/pen served as an external control treatment. Perches improved the strength of the femur (P<0.05) compared with standard cages but bone strength was still less than in floor pens (P<0.05). There were no effects of cage modification on any of the physiological variables or liveweight (P>0.05). The only improvement in feather condition and cover within cages due to the presence of a perch was in the condition of the tail feathers which was better (P<0.05) than in a standard cage, but not as good as tail feathers in the pen treatment (P<0.001). Overall, feather condition and cover was better in the pen treatment (P<0.001) and similar in the 2 cage treatments (P>0.05). The presence of a perch resulted in longer claws than in a standard cage and floor pens (P<0.05), and significant (P<0.01) perching activity compared with floor pens. The experiment showed that perches should be considered for use in commercial laying cages as they resulted in an improvement in bone strength; there was also an improvement in tail feather condition, which is considered by some to be an advantage.

scholarly journals Housing conditions in St. Louis

1907 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Edwin Burch Miller
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Working Class ◽  
Present Report ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Housing Problem ◽  
Graphic Presentation ◽  
Class A ◽  
Tenement House ◽  
The City

"Citizens of the City of St. Louie have joined with Mr. Lawrence Veillier, Deputy Commissioner of the New York Tenement House Commission, in the belief that St. Louis has no tenement problem. Regarding a housing problem the latter has remained silent, the former silently ignorant. To show that St. Louis has a very serious housing problem and a menacing tenement problem is the object of this investigation and report. The present report is founded upon a thorough house to house investigation and based upon its findings, if from no other desire than that of self-preservation. Yet there should be a higher motive for demand - a motive which gives the working class a right to live decently. In determining the area to be investigated the Housing Committee of the Civic League sought for a representative section where St. Louis working peoples were contending with old housing evils and threatened with new ones. As a means of simplification and more graphic presentation, the single large area has been dealt with in this report under the following divisions; (l) the Jewish district; (2) the Negro district; (3) the Mixed district; (4) the Italian district; and (6) the Polish district. Nor is this division one of nationality alone, but rather is it one of physical differences which adhere closely to such a division of peoples."--Pages 1-4.

A long-term study of the effects of housing conditions on the welfare of domestic pigs

1993 ◽  
Vol 1993 ◽  
pp. 86-86
Author(s):  
M. Mendl ◽  
D.M. Broom ◽  
A.J. Zanella
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Group Housing ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Housing Systems ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Alternative Systems ◽  
Long Term Consequences ◽  
Over Time

In view of the forthcoming UK ban on stall and tether housing for sows, the long-term consequences of housing pregnant pigs in alternative systems were assessed. The objective of the study was to examine the effects of two indoor group-housing systems on measures of the welfare of pregnant pigs, and to compare pigs housed in these systems with pigs housed in stalls. The study followed 63 female pigs from early life until their fourth pregnancy. A longitudinal experimental design was used to obtain information on how the pigs responded to their initial introduction to the three housing systems (during the first pregnancy), and how they adjusted to the systems over time (in the fourth pregnancy).

Hourly measurement of plasma leptin and cortisol concentrations in non-pregnant ewes under group housing conditions over 23 hours

2002 ◽  
Vol 2002 ◽  
pp. 89-89
Author(s):  
J. Dandrea ◽  
S. Pearce ◽  
G. Davidson ◽  
C. Morrison ◽  
P. Goddard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diurnal Variation ◽  
Plasma Cortisol ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Tissue Growth ◽  
Group Housing ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Late Afternoon ◽  
Voluntary Feed Intake ◽  
Plasma Leptin ◽  
Circadian Patterns

The closely related actions of cortisol and leptin (Ahima & Flier, 2000) are involved with appetite, tissue growth and maturation, energy balance and weight deposition so that resistance to either may lead to obesity. In normal weight humans, plasma leptin and cortisol exhibit diurnal variation, peaking during darkness and late afternoon (respectively). In sheep, the literature consensus is that plasma cortisol levels are greatest during daylight. Ovine plasma leptin is also reported to vary in response to photoperiod-driven changes (Bocquier et al., 1998) and such as alterations in voluntary feed intake as daylength changes. Daily circadian patterns, however, are thought to be entrained by the time of daily feed presentation (Marie et al., 2001). The aim of the present study was to investigate the diurnal variation in ovine plasma leptin in unrestrained animals with ad-lib access to hay and water in relation to their plasma cortisol profile over the same period. Remote blood sampling was employed in order to reduce sampling stress that would affect the animals’ plasma physiology.

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