Feather damaging behaviour in parrots: A review with consideration of comparative aspects
Feather damaging behaviour (also referred to as feather picking or feather plucking) is a behavioural disorder that is frequently encountered in captive parrots. This disorder has many characteristics that are similar to trichotillomania, an impulse control disorder in humans. Unfortunately, to date much of the information regarding the aetiology and treatment in both syndromes is […]
Foraging ‘enrichment’ as treatment for pterotillomania
This study was performed to determine whether foraging ‘enrichment’ reduces self-directed psychogenic feather picking (pterotillomania) in parrots. A positive correlation between increased foraging time and improvement of feather score was hypothesised. Eighteen pterotillomanic African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups in a crossover design for two 1-month-periods. The experimental […]
Assessing the prevalence and characteristics of hair-plucking behaviour in captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Non-human primates occasionally exhibit behaviours thought to occur only in captivity that are considered abnormal. In partic-ular, hair-plucking behaviour occurs across many species of mammals and birds. This study was the first to assess the phenom-enology, demography and aetiology of this behaviour in captive gorillas across the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) population. A […]
Assessing the prevalence and characteristics of hair-plucking behaviour in captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Non-human primates occasionally exhibit behaviours thought to occur only in captivity that are considered abnormal. In particular, hair-plucking behaviour occurs across many species of mammals and birds. This study was the first to assess the phenomenology, demography and aetiology of this behaviour in captive gorillas across the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) population. A […]
Hair plucking, stress, and urinary cortisol among captive bonobos (Pan paniscus)
Hair plucking has been observed in many captive primate species, including the great apes; however, the etiology of this behavioral pattern is poorly understood. While this behavior has not been reported in wild apes, an ethologically identical behavior in humans, known as trichotillomania, is linked to chronic psychosocial stress and is a predominantly female disorder. […]