Adrenal activity and anxiety-like behavior in fur-chewing chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera)

Abstract

Due to its complexity, in combination with a lack of scientific reports, fur-chewing became one of the most challenging behavioral problems common to captive chinchillas. In the last years, the hypothesis that fur-chewing is an abnormal repetitive behavior and that stress plays a role in its development and performance has arisen. Here, we investigated whether a relationship existed between the expression and intensity of fur-chewing behavior, elevated urinary cortisol excretion and anxiety-related behaviors. Specifically, we evaluated the following parameters in behaviorally normal and fur-chewing animals of both sexes: 1) mean concentrations of urinary cortisol metabolites and 2) anxiety-like behavior in an elevated plus-maze test. Urinary cortisol metabolites were higher only in females that expressed the most severe form of the fur-chewing behavior (P ≤ 0.05). Likewise, only fur-chewing females exhibited increased (P ≤ 0.05) anxiety-like behaviors associated with the elevated plus-maze test. Overall, these data provided additional evidence to support the concept that fur-chewing is a manifestation of physiological stress in chinchilla, and that a female sex bias exists in the development of this abnormal behavior.

Description

Keywords

Citation

Ponzio, Marina F., Monfort, Steven L., Busso, Juan Manuel, Carlini, Valeria P., Ruiz, Rubén D., and de Cuneo, Marta Fiol. 2012. "<a href="https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/18501">Adrenal activity and anxiety-like behavior in fur-chewing chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera)</a>." <em>Hormones and behavior</em>, 61, (5) 758–762. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.03.017">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.03.017</a>.

Endorsement

Review

Supplemented By

Referenced By