| Autor: |
Dancer AMM; Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK., Díez-León M; Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK., Bizley JK; Ear Institute, University College London, 332 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8EE, UK., Burn CC; Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK. |
| Jazyk: |
angličtina |
| Zdroj: |
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI [Animals (Basel)] 2022 Nov 23; Vol. 12 (23). Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Nov 23. |
| DOI: |
10.3390/ani12233262 |
| Abstrakt: |
Boredom is a potential chronic but overlooked animal welfare problem. Caused by monotony, sub-optimal stimulation, and restrictive housing, boredom can therefore affect companion animals, particularly those traditionally caged, such as ferrets. We surveyed owners' ( n = 621) perceptions of ferrets' capacity to experience boredom, behaviours they associate with it, and whether their perception of their ferrets' capacity for boredom influenced training techniques, housing, and environmental enrichment (EE). Most (93.0%) owners believed that ferrets could experience boredom, but owners who doubted that ferrets experience boredom (7.0%) provided slightly but significantly fewer EE types to their ferrets. Heat map and classification tree analysis showed that owners identified scratching at enclosure walls ( n = 420) and excessive sleeping ( n = 312) as distinctive behavioural indicators of ferret boredom. Repetitive pacing ( n = 381), yawning ( n = 191), and resting with eyes open ( n = 171) were also suggested to indicate ferret boredom, but these overlapped with other states. Finally, ferret owners suggested social housing, tactile interaction with humans, and exploration as most important for preventing boredom. These results suggest that pet ferrets are at risk of reduced welfare from owners who doubt they can experience boredom, highlighting an opportunity to improve welfare through information dissemination. We recommend further investigation into ferret boredom capacity, behavioural indicators, and mitigation strategies. |
| Databáze: |
MEDLINE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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