Nesting, sleeping, and nighttime behaviors in wild and captive great apes
The past few decades have seen a burgeoning of scientific studies on great apes’ use of nests for sleeping in the wild, as well as their nesting behavior and sleep in captivity. We review recent advances in knowledge of these topics, with the aim of promoting information exchange between people working in the field and […]
Stress as a state of motivational systems
The complexity and apparent inconsistency in most physiological ‘stress indicators’ has led many scientists to doubt the scientific value of the concept. However, there is clear evidence that the psychological perception of the stressor and the situation modulates the physiological reactions, and psychological concepts such as predictability and controllability are central to contemporary stress research. […]
The performance of nest building by domestic hens: is it more important than the construction of a nest?
Domestic hens were presented with three different types of littered nest: a flat litter surface (A), a preformed hollowed nest (B) and a preformed nest with an egg (C). Nests B and C had been previously constructed by the hen under test. The overall duration of pre-laying behaviour was greater in nest type C than […]
Nest site selection and nest-building behaviour in domestic fowl
Domestic hens, Gallus gallus domesticus, prefer to lay in nests containing loose material which can be both moulded by their body and feet movements and manipulated with their beaks during nest building. This study attempted to define which of these two functions the hen regards as more important. When given a choice, hens opted for […]
Maternal care of rabbits in the lab and on the farm: Endocrine regulation of behavior and productivity
Maternal behavior in rabbits has been well described in the wild, the laboratory, and the farm. Salient characteristics include: (a) the construction of a nest (inside an underground burrow or a box), composed of straw/grass and body hair and (b) the display of a single, brief (ca. 3 min) nursing bout per day. The onset and […]
Preferences for paper bedding material of the laboratory mice
In order to identify indicators of the preferences for bedding materials, the paper bedding material preferences of laboratory mice were investigated in the present study. Four cages, each containing a different structure of paper bedding material were connected to allow free access to each cage. The preferences for paper bedding materials of laboratory mice were […]
Pituitary-adrenal activation in pre-parturient pigs (Sus scrofa) is associated with behavioural restriction due to lack of space rather than nesting substrate
Previous research has shown that pre-parturient primiparous pigs (gilts) housed in behaviourally restrictive farrowing crates without straw redirect their nest-building behaviour to non-manipulable substrates such as the bars of the crate. These gilts also show elevated plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol levels, particularly around the peak of nest-building activity, when compared to gilts in […]
Repeatability of nest size choice and nest building in sand gobies
To be useful as mate choice cues, behavioural traits have to be performed consistently within individuals. This may also be true for nest construction, which, in addition to influencing offspring survival, can also function as an extended phenotype of the builder. We tested whether choice of a nesting resource and subsequent nest-building performance are repeatable […]
Effect of egg predator on nest choice and nest construction in sand gobies
Nest defence is a particularly costly component of parental care. The costs of nest-related behaviours are affected by the nest’s location, size and architecture; yet surprisingly little is known about how choice of a nesting site or nest characteristics are adjusted as a response to the threat of future nest predation. To address this topic, […]
Nest building and posture changes and activity budget of gilts housed in pens and crates
The aim of the present work was to study nest building, posture changes and the overall activity budget of gilts in pens vs. crates. Twenty-three HB gilts (high piglet survival day 5) and 21 LB gilts (low piglet survival day 5) were video recorded from day 110 in pregnancy to four days after farrowing in […]