Welfare Improvement by Enrichment Programs in Common Marmoset Females Under Social Isolation
Animal welfare is critical to buffer stress in captive animals and to ensure the reliability of data from studies. The most usual environmental enrichment technique (EE) for social non-human primates is the social enrichment. However, some experimental protocols require keeping individuals isolated, thus demanding other types of EE. We tested in six adult Callithrix jacchus […]
Effects of training on stress-related behavior of the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) in relation to coping with routine husbandry procedures
Using positive reinforcement, J. McKinley trained 12 common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) to provide urine samples on request. The study then exposed the marmosets to mildly stressful, routine husbandry procedures (i.e., capture and weighing). The nonhuman animals spent less time inactive poststressor as opposed to prestressor. L. Bassett collected matched behavioral data from 12 nontrained marmosets […]
Cage Use and Feeding Height Preferences of Captive Common Marmosets (Callithrix j. jacchus) in Two-Tier Cages
Determining appropriate feeding regimes has important welfare implications for cap-tive primates. This study examined the preference of food bowl heights in 6 pairs of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) housed in a 2-tier cage system. Given that marmosets are arboreal and spend most of their time in the upper half of their cages, we predicted that […]
Training Common Marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) to Cooperate During Routine Laboratory Procedures: Ease of Training and Time Investment
The first author trained 12 laboratory-housed common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) in pairs to assess the practicality of positive reinforcement training as a technique in the management of these nonhuman animals. Behaviors taught were (a) target training to allow in homecage weighing and (b) providing urine samples. Between 2 to 13, 10-minute training sessions established desired […]
Sleep quantitation in common marmoset, cotton top tamarin and squirrel monkey by non-invasive actigraphy
Sleep quantitation data on the Neotropical primate species, apart from the squirrel monkey, are still sparse. As such, we have quantitated sleep in the common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), cotton top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) reared in one primate facility simultaneously, by non-invasive actigraphy. The range in total sleep time/24h measured for […]
Understanding visual access in common marmosets, Callithrix jacchus: perspective taking or behaviour reading?
We tested common marmosets’ understanding of visual access in a series of experiments. In experiment 1, we investigated whether marmosets know what conspecifics do and do not see, using a food competition paradigm originally developed for chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes. Subordinate marmosets consistently chose a piece of food only visible to them and not one that […]
Trade-offs between social learning and individual innovativeness in common marmosets, Callithrix jacchus
Social learning and innovation are two different ways to acquire novel behaviours, and the form of the relationship between these two processes strongly affects cultural evolution. Whereas modelling results suggest a negative correlation between the two processes within a species, comparative data show, and the cultural intelligence hypothesis predicts, positive covariation across species. Thus, there […]
Effects of positive interaction with caretakers on the behaviour of socially housed common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)
Every aspect of the life of the captive non-human primates should be carefully attended to, as updated refinement concept recommends. Interaction with humans as environmental enrichment for these animals is believed to be of value, but it has been subject to little quantitative evaluation. This study investigates the effects of positive interaction with humans on […]
Hormonal changes related to paternal and alloparental care in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)
The physiological mechanisms of parental and alloparental care in cooperatively breeding nonhuman primate species such as the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) are poorly known. In this study, we examined prolactin and cortisol plasma levels of fathers and older offspring of both sexes, with and without previous experience in infant carrying, around parturition and during infant […]
Food distribution effects on the behaviour of captive common marmosets, Callithrix jacchus
Common marmosets, Callithrix jacchus, are widely used by research laboratories and are commonly provided with food in bowls. These centralised, unchallenging sources of food result in high foraging success for low foraging effort. Foraging devices, which require more skill and effort for foraging success, may broaden the behavioural profiles of marmosets by including more elements […]