Behavioral patterns of laboratory Mongolian gerbils by sex and housing condition: a case study with an emphasis on sleeping patterns
The behavioral patterns of Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) housed individually and in same-sex groups (siblings) were characterized. Gerbils were continuously video-recorded 24 hours (day 1) and 120 hours (day 5) after housing conditions were established (no environmental enrichment was implemented). Video samples totaling 2016 minutes were scored to obtain measures of maintenance (drinking, sleeping, grooming, and eating), locomotor […]
A preliminary survey of behavioural stereotypes in captive primates
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“Separation/Abandonment/Isolation Trauma:” What We Can Learn From Our Nonhuman Primate Relatives
Building upon my prior work exploring the impact of childhood abandonment and isolation on chimpanzees and humans, this article discusses the relevance of nonhuman primate research to our understanding of this phenomenon in children. Both laboratory research and naturalistic studies have confirmed the strong commonalities in parenting between our 2 species and have reached similar […]
Degree of social isolation affects behavioural and vocal response patterns in dwarf goats (Capra hircus)
Separation from the group presents a serious challenge for social animals. This stressful and disagreeable situation can impair animal welfare and may have an undesirable impact on experimental data in scientific studies. In the present study, we observed whether different degrees of social isolation induced different behavioural and vocal responses in a gregarious animal species, […]
Behavioral, cardiac and cortisol responses to brief peer separation and reunion in cattle
Behavioral, cardiac, and adrenal responses of heifers to short-term isolation and to subsequent reunion with familiar or nonfamiliar conspecifics were measured. Two groups of heifers were studied according to their different social reactivity: Aubrac heifers (n=12) reared under suckler conditions and Friesian heifers (n=12) reared under dairy management. Because these two groups could also react […]
Minimal Number of Conspecifics Needed to Minimize the Stress Response of Isolated Mature Ewes
The objective of this study was to determine the minimum number of conspecifics that sheep require to minimize the stress associated with isolation from the flock. The study used twelve 3-year-old Suffolk ewes. Every test day the study randomly chose 1, 2, or 3 ewes to be visually separated from the flock for 20 min […]
More than numbers matter: The effect of social factors on behaviour and welfare of laboratory rodents and non-human primates☆
With the development of laboratory animal science, increasing attention has been given to the possible influence of housing and husbandry on the behaviour and welfare of laboratory animals as well as on the scientific integrity. With the present paper, we aim to contribute to this knowledge by reviewing existing literature on how social factors influence […]
A single exposure to social isolation in domestic piglets activates behavioural arousal, neuroendocrine stress hormones, and stress-related gene expression in the brain
Stressful early life events can have short- and long-term effects on neuroendocrine and behavioural mechanisms of adaptation. Here, we investigated the effects of a single social isolation (4 h) of domestic piglets on both behavioural alterations in open-field tests and modifications in the expression of genes regulating glucocorticoid response in stress-related brain regions at 7, 21 […]
Effects of isolation-rearing on the development of social behaviors in male Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus)
Social isolation has been shown to modify behavioral patterns and neuroendocrine function in many species. In this study, we examined the influence of post-weaning social isolation on the behavioral development and fecal testosterone and corticosterone levels of male Mongolian gerbils. In Experiment 1, isolation-reared (IR) males spent more time engaged in social-sniffing. IR males also […]
Investigating the importance of vision in poultry: Comparing the behaviour of blind and sighted chickens
Behaviour in poultry is predominately visually mediated and vision is important to the welfare of poultry. The relationship between vision, behaviour and welfare has primarily been investigated in relation to artificial lighting. Genetically blind chickens provide an alternative experimental paradigm for further investigating the importance of sight. The primary aim of the study was to […]