Effect of space allowance and earthen flooring on behaviour of farmed blue foxes |
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Authors: | Hannu T Korhonen Lauri Jauhiainen Paavo Niemelä |
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Institution: | (1) Agricultural Research Centre of Finland, Animal Production Research, Fur Animals, 69100 Kannus, Finland,;(2) Data and Information Services, 31600 Jokioinen, Finland, |
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Abstract: | This study sought to evaluate the effect of cage space and earthen flooring on the behaviour of individually caged, farmed
blue foxes (Alopex lagopus). Three different cage sizes 80 cm long (CL80), 120 cm long (CL120), 240 cm long (CL240); each 105 cm wide×70 cm high] with
wire-mesh flooring, and one two-level cage (CL240E) with both wire-mesh (240 cm long×105 cm wide×70 cm high) and earthen flooring
(80 cm long×105 cm wide×70 cm high) were employed. Quantitative ethograms were obtained from ten males in each group by videotaping
the animals for 144 h monthly from August through November. Altogether 30 different behaviours were described. These were
rather similar in all study groups. Examples of behavioural differences included pacing around with a neighbour and the incidence
of scratching, which both declined with increasing cage space. Only the foxes in the cage with an earthen flooring (CL240E)
exhibited digging behaviour, which averaged 11 min/24 h. The wire-mesh section was distinctly preferred to the earthen-floor
section for most behaviours. Foxes in all groups were at their most active from 0800 to 1600 hours. Total activity, including
several separate behaviours, declined as winter approached. Locomotor and oral stereotypies were infrequent, and no significant
differences were found between the various cage options. For several hours before feeding, the foxes showed increasing levels
of stereotypies, but afterwards, stereotypies abruptly declined.
Received in revised form: 28 March 2001
Electronic Publication |
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Keywords: | Alopex lagopus Ethogram Stereotyped behaviour Earth stimulus Cage size |
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