Quantifying Acute Behavioral Reactions of Bali Mynas (<i>Leucopsar rothschildi</i>) to Environmental and Progressively Challenging Enrichment
Animals use specific behaviors and skills to overcome challenges and access resources. Environmental enrichment is provided to animals in human care to both promote species-appropriate behaviors and reduce undesired behaviors. Feather pecking in birds is an undesired behavior without a clear cause....
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/4/1/17 |
| _version_ | 1827749198831812608 |
|---|---|
| author | Eli Baskir Alayna Parsons Marija Elden David M. Powell |
| author_facet | Eli Baskir Alayna Parsons Marija Elden David M. Powell |
| author_sort | Eli Baskir |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Animals use specific behaviors and skills to overcome challenges and access resources. Environmental enrichment is provided to animals in human care to both promote species-appropriate behaviors and reduce undesired behaviors. Feather pecking in birds is an undesired behavior without a clear cause. The Saint Louis Zoo houses three pairs of young Bali mynas (<i>Leucopsar rothschildi</i>) who pluck neck feathers from conspecifics. To reduce this behavior, animal care staff presented the birds with seven enrichment items from four categories, presenting each item twice. The enrichment included a modifiable, progressively challenging bamboo tube device at multiple levels of difficulty. While plucking was not affected by any enrichment item, we observed significant increases in locomotion and decreases in autopreening, allogrooming, and head bobbing. Leafy greens produced the greatest changes when compared to other enrichment types. Overall engagement with the progressively challenging enrichment increased with the change from the first to the second level of difficulty, and interaction with the device was highest for the third and most difficult version. These increases suggest that no habituation to the progressively challenging device occurred, while a possible neophobic effect declined with multiple uses and increased familiarity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:19:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bc71ce0eb1a54b1bacad2781d4da093c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-5636 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:19:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens |
| spelling | doaj.art-bc71ce0eb1a54b1bacad2781d4da093c2023-11-17T12:05:16ZengMDPI AGJournal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens2673-56362023-03-014117619010.3390/jzbg4010017Quantifying Acute Behavioral Reactions of Bali Mynas (<i>Leucopsar rothschildi</i>) to Environmental and Progressively Challenging EnrichmentEli Baskir0Alayna Parsons1Marija Elden2David M. Powell3Department of Reproductive and Behavioral Sciences, Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, MO 63110, USADepartment of Reproductive and Behavioral Sciences, Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, MO 63110, USASaint Louis Zoo, Bird House, St. Louis, MO 63110, USADepartment of Reproductive and Behavioral Sciences, Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, MO 63110, USAAnimals use specific behaviors and skills to overcome challenges and access resources. Environmental enrichment is provided to animals in human care to both promote species-appropriate behaviors and reduce undesired behaviors. Feather pecking in birds is an undesired behavior without a clear cause. The Saint Louis Zoo houses three pairs of young Bali mynas (<i>Leucopsar rothschildi</i>) who pluck neck feathers from conspecifics. To reduce this behavior, animal care staff presented the birds with seven enrichment items from four categories, presenting each item twice. The enrichment included a modifiable, progressively challenging bamboo tube device at multiple levels of difficulty. While plucking was not affected by any enrichment item, we observed significant increases in locomotion and decreases in autopreening, allogrooming, and head bobbing. Leafy greens produced the greatest changes when compared to other enrichment types. Overall engagement with the progressively challenging enrichment increased with the change from the first to the second level of difficulty, and interaction with the device was highest for the third and most difficult version. These increases suggest that no habituation to the progressively challenging device occurred, while a possible neophobic effect declined with multiple uses and increased familiarity.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/4/1/17cognitivegleaninteractionneophobiapeckpluck |
| spellingShingle | Eli Baskir Alayna Parsons Marija Elden David M. Powell Quantifying Acute Behavioral Reactions of Bali Mynas (<i>Leucopsar rothschildi</i>) to Environmental and Progressively Challenging Enrichment Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens cognitive glean interaction neophobia peck pluck |
| title | Quantifying Acute Behavioral Reactions of Bali Mynas (<i>Leucopsar rothschildi</i>) to Environmental and Progressively Challenging Enrichment |
| title_full | Quantifying Acute Behavioral Reactions of Bali Mynas (<i>Leucopsar rothschildi</i>) to Environmental and Progressively Challenging Enrichment |
| title_fullStr | Quantifying Acute Behavioral Reactions of Bali Mynas (<i>Leucopsar rothschildi</i>) to Environmental and Progressively Challenging Enrichment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quantifying Acute Behavioral Reactions of Bali Mynas (<i>Leucopsar rothschildi</i>) to Environmental and Progressively Challenging Enrichment |
| title_short | Quantifying Acute Behavioral Reactions of Bali Mynas (<i>Leucopsar rothschildi</i>) to Environmental and Progressively Challenging Enrichment |
| title_sort | quantifying acute behavioral reactions of bali mynas i leucopsar rothschildi i to environmental and progressively challenging enrichment |
| topic | cognitive glean interaction neophobia peck pluck |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5636/4/1/17 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elibaskir quantifyingacutebehavioralreactionsofbalimynasileucopsarrothschildiitoenvironmentalandprogressivelychallengingenrichment AT alaynaparsons quantifyingacutebehavioralreactionsofbalimynasileucopsarrothschildiitoenvironmentalandprogressivelychallengingenrichment AT marijaelden quantifyingacutebehavioralreactionsofbalimynasileucopsarrothschildiitoenvironmentalandprogressivelychallengingenrichment AT davidmpowell quantifyingacutebehavioralreactionsofbalimynasileucopsarrothschildiitoenvironmentalandprogressivelychallengingenrichment |