eprintid: 10082476
rev_number: 21
eprint_status: archive
userid: 608
dir: disk0/10/08/24/76
datestamp: 2019-10-01 08:10:38
lastmod: 2021-02-02 07:10:12
status_changed: 2019-10-01 08:10:38
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Burn, CC
creators_name: Raffle, J
creators_name: Bizley, J
title: Does ‘playtime’ reduce stimulus-seeking and other boredom-like behaviour in laboratory ferrets?
ispublished: pub
divisions: UCL
divisions: A01
divisions: B02
divisions: C07
divisions: D06
divisions: C08
divisions: D09
keywords: Animal welfare; Boredom; Environmental enrichment; Exploration; Ferrets; Laboratory animals
note: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
abstract: Much environmental enrichment for laboratory animals is intended to enhance animal welfare and normalcy by providing stimulation to reduce 'boredom'. Behavioural manifestations of boredom include restless sensation-seeking behaviours combined with indicators of sub-optimal arousal. Here, we explored whether these signs could be reduced by extra daily play opportunity in laboratory ferrets (Mustela putorius furo). Specifically, we hypothesised that playtime would reduce restlessness, aggression, sensation-seeking and awake drowsiness, even 24 h later in the home-cage. Female ferrets (n = 14) were group-housed in enriched multi-level cages. Playtime involved exploring a room containing a ball pool, paper bags, balls containing bells, and a familiar interactive human for 1h. This was repeated on three consecutive mornings, and on the fourth, home-cage behaviour was compared between ferrets which had experienced the playtime treatment versus control cage-mates which had not. Their investigation of stimuli (positive=mouse odour or ball; ambiguous = empty bottle or tea-strainer; and negative = peppermint or bitter apple odour) was also recorded. We then swapped treatments, creating a paired experimental design. Ferrets under control conditions lay awake with their eyes open and screeched significantly more, but slept and sat/stood less, than following playtime. They also contacted negative and ambiguous stimuli for significantly longer under control conditions than following playtime; contact with positive stimuli showed no effects. Attempts to blind the observer to treatments were unsuccessful, so replication is required, but the findings suggest that playtime may have reduced both sub-optimal arousal and restless sensation-seeking behaviour, consistent with reducing boredom.
date: 2020-02
date_type: published
publisher: Universities Federation for Animal Welfare
official_url: https://doi.org/10.7120/09627286.29.1.019
oa_status: green
full_text_type: other
language: eng
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
verified: verified_manual
elements_id: 1697473
doi: 10.7120/09627286.29.1.019
lyricists_name: Bizley, Jennifer
lyricists_name: Raffle, Jade
lyricists_id: JBIZL05
lyricists_id: RAFFL73
actors_name: Bizley, Jennifer
actors_id: JBIZL05
actors_role: owner
full_text_status: public
publication: Animal Welfare Journal
volume: 29
number: 1
pagerange: 19-26
issn: 0962-7286
citation:        Burn, CC;    Raffle, J;    Bizley, J;      (2020)    Does ‘playtime’ reduce stimulus-seeking and other boredom-like behaviour in laboratory ferrets?                   Animal Welfare Journal , 29  (1)   pp. 19-26.    10.7120/09627286.29.1.019 <https://doi.org/10.7120/09627286.29.1.019>.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10082476/1/Ferret%20boredom%20in%20press%20Animal%20Welfare.pdf