Fur chewing and other abnormal repetitive behaviors in chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera), under commercial fur-farming conditions

Franchi, Valeria; Aleuy, O. Alejandro; Tadich, Tamara

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2015.10.002

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The organization and the regulation of grooming in cats is thought to be under the control of a central mechanism ( 20 ). In other species, it has been shown that this control could be deregulated by poor welfare ( 19 ) and leads to abnormal repetitive behaviors like fur chewing ( 19 ). In internal medicine, it is now well recognized that stress induced by environment has a strong influence in the aetiopathogenesis of idiopathic cystitis ( 33 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are also used as indicators for poor welfare scores when present ( 16 – 18 ). Overgrooming is currently described as an indicator of poor welfare especially in species whose allocate a significant part of time-budget to grooming ( 13 , 19 ). In chinchillas, for example, fur chewing is classified as ARB and is linked with inappropriate and restrictive environmental conditions ( 19 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overgrooming is currently described as an indicator of poor welfare especially in species whose allocate a significant part of time-budget to grooming ( 13 , 19 ). In chinchillas, for example, fur chewing is classified as ARB and is linked with inappropriate and restrictive environmental conditions ( 19 ). Grooming represents 4% of the daily activity budget of cats, i.e., 8% of non-sleeping or resting time ( 20 ), which is a high proportion of their time-budget.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From Feline Idiopathic Ulcerative Dermatitis to Feline Behavioral Ulcerative Dermatitis: Grooming Repetitive Behaviors Indicators of Poor Welfare in Cats

et al. 2018

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Feline idiopathic head-and-neck dermatitis—also named feline idiopathic ulcerative dermatitis (IUD)—is considered as a rare skin disease of unknown origin. It is usually associated with a crusted, non-healing, self-induced ulcer occurring most commonly on the dorsal or lateral neck or between the scapula where self-grooming by scratching occurs. Usually, IUD is diagnosed after exclusion of other causes of pruritus. In feline medicine, self-induced alopecia is recognized as a behavioral disorder (abnormal repetitive behavior) due to excessive licking, which is an amplification of a normal maintenance behavior. Such repetitive behaviors, like self-induced alopecia or self-induced wounds, are named stereotypies and considered as indicators of poor welfare. The objectives of our study were to determine, first, if the repetitive behavior associated with self-induced wounds was related to a poor welfare, and, second, if improving the welfare in the cat’s environment would lead to healing, thanks to environmental enrichment. We recruited 13 cats diagnosed with IUD by a dermatologist. These cats were referred to a behaviorist for welfare evaluation. A welfare score was attributed using a new 21-point welfare scale. The median score of the 13 IUD cats was 16, while the median score of 35 healthy cats was 7 (significant difference, p < 0.001). Major modifications of the cat’s environment and the human–cat relationship were then recommended for IUD cats. Within 15 days after environment modifications, ulcerative lesions were healed and welfare scores improved significantly (median score of 6, significantly different from the score before environmental modifications), being similar to healthy cats (no significant differences). Only one cat was treated with a psychotropic drug, owners being reluctant to improve environmental modifications. These results suggest that feline IUD is a behavioral disorder indicative of poor welfare and that it requires management by behavior specialists, proposing environmental modifications. We hence propose to rename this affection to “behavioral ulcerative dermatitis,” given that welfare scores were significantly different from healthy cats, and that environmental modifications modified welfare scores and lead to successful healing in all cases.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From Feline Idiopathic Ulcerative Dermatitis to Feline Behavioral Ulcerative Dermatitis: Grooming Repetitive Behaviors Indicators of Poor Welfare in Cats

et al. 2018

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“…Według Franchi i wsp. (8), maksymalne nasilenie tego rodzaju zachowań u szynszyli pojawia się w nocy. Najmniej czasu na wygryzanie futra zwierzęta te poświęcają między godziną 13 a 17.…”

Section: Artykuł Przeglądowy Reviewunclassified

Compulsive behavior in fur animals

Swiecicka¹

2018

Medycyna Weterynaryjna

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Fur animals kept indoors, due to partial limitation of their natural behavior, are more likely to develop behavioral disorders. This is due to negative emotions associated with inability to satisfy certain needs or achieve a particular purpose, which leads to frustration or deprivation in animals. This condition can lead to the emergence of compulsive behaviors, which are often a form of coping with stress. Compulsive behaviors in fur animals are usually stereotypical: animals walk along the cage, catch their own tail, gnaw fur (trichotilomanie), or bite the trellis or the claws. The environmental factors resulting from the maintenance conditions and social relations of the animals in the group play an important role in the emergence of this type of behavior. Another factor that is equally important in causing compulsive behavior is mental strain resulting from disease..

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“…A widely studied behavior in the chinchilla fur industry, due to its important economic impact, is fur-chewing. This repetitive abnormal behavior performed by chinchillas kept in captivity has been studied due to its negative physiological and productive consequences [ 10 ]. Stereotypes are defined as a behavioral disorder, where the behavioral patterns are invariant and repetitive, with no obvious aim or function [ 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of the Genetic Component of Fur-Chewing in Chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera) and Its Economic Impact

González

Yáñez

Tadich

2018

Animals

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Simple SummaryMany chinchillas kept in captivity develop fur-chewing. This behavior does not only affect fur price, but most importantly it can be the result of an animal welfare problem. The causes of this behavior are not well understood and a genetic component could exist. This is why the aim of this study was to determine the genetic component and the effect of this behavior on fur price. The data from a commercial fur-farm was used, it included information on 10,196 chinchillas recorded between 1990 and 2011. The heritability of the behavior and its effect on fur price were determined. The results show a significant genetic variation in fur-chewing with an estimated heritability of 0.16. At the same time, the behavior had an important negative effect on fur price. The selection and management practices used in fur-farming should be improved in order to decrease the incidence of this behavior.AbstractFur-chewing is a common behavioral disorder developed by chinchillas kept in confinement that can indicate a past or present welfare problem. It also has a negative productive impact associated. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic component of fur-chewing, and the effect of this undesired behavior on fur price in a commercial fur-farming system of chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera). The data for the analysis was derived from a commercial population of 10,196 chinchillas, recorded between the years 1990 and 2011. For determining differences in fur price according to presence of fur-chewing behavior, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used, considering 3007 animals. For estimation of variance components of fur-chewing a sire-dam threshold (probit) mixed model was used, using data of 9, 033 individuals, and then heritability on the underlying liability scale was calculated. The analysis revealed a significant negative impact on fur price from fur-chewing chinchillas (p-value < 0.05). In addition, the study showed that fur-chewing presents significant genetic variation, with an estimated heritability of 0.16. The presentation of fur-chewing should be taken into account when selecting broodstock in these systems, in order to reduce the number of affected individuals.

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Fur chewing and other abnormal repetitive behaviors in chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera), under commercial fur-farming conditions

Cited by 13 publications

References 21 publications

From Feline Idiopathic Ulcerative Dermatitis to Feline Behavioral Ulcerative Dermatitis: Grooming Repetitive Behaviors Indicators of Poor Welfare in Cats

From Feline Idiopathic Ulcerative Dermatitis to Feline Behavioral Ulcerative Dermatitis: Grooming Repetitive Behaviors Indicators of Poor Welfare in Cats

Compulsive behavior in fur animals

Determination of the Genetic Component of Fur-Chewing in Chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera) and Its Economic Impact

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