The Welfare of Farmed Mink (Mustela Vison) in Relation to Behavioural Selection: A Review
Animal welfare is a major issue in Europe, and the production of mink, Mustela vison, has also been under debate. One common method of solving animal welfare problems is to adapt the environment to fit the behavioural needs of the animals. In comparison with other forms of husbandry, the mink production environment has remained relatively […]
A survey assessment of the incidence of fur-chewing in commercial chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) farms
Chinchilla lanigera intensive breeding programmes are affected by an abnormal repetitive behaviour called ‘fur-chewing’, yet the aetiology is still unknown and little scientific work has been published on this condition. Recent studies have supported the idea that fur-chewing is a stress-related behaviour. In the present study, we used a questionnaire survey in order to: 1) […]
Adrenal Activity and Anxiety-like Behavior in Fur-Chewing Chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera)
Due to its complexity, in combination with a lack of scientific reports, fur-chewing became one of the most challenging behavioral problems common to captive chinchillas. In the last years, the hypothesis that furchewing is an abnormal repetitive behavior and that stress plays a role in its development and performance has arisen. Here, we investigated whether […]
Effectiveness of fluoxetine to control fur-chewing behaviour in the chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera)
Abstract Due to its complexity and the relative lack of scientific reports, fur-chewing may be considered as one of the most challenging behavioural problems common to captive chinchillas. The development of this behaviour in commercial farms and the increasing popularity of this species as a pet have increased the public demands for a treatment. The […]
Novelty exploration, baseline cortisol level and fur-chewing in farm mink with different intensities of stereotypic behaviour
The present study aimed to examine the extent to which abnormal behaviours, stereotypic behaviour and fur-chewing, commonly used indicators of reduced welfare, are interrelated and linked to other welfare indicators in mink. Three groups were used based on behavioural observations, mink with no stereotypic behaviour (NST), mink performing stereotypic behaviour with only few repetitions (up […]
Additional foraging elements reduce abnormal behaviour – fur-chewing and stereotypic behaviour – in farmed mink (Neovison vison)
We investigated whether provision of additional appetitive and consummatory elements of foraging reduces baseline stress and abnormal behaviour – in terms of fur-chewing and stereotypic behaviour – in farmed mink. We studied 200 juveniles (n = 100 females and 100 males) during the 5-month growth period with plenty of feed, and subsequently the females as […]