Elsevier

Physiology & Behavior

Volume 62, Issue 4, October 1997, Pages 805-810
Physiology & Behavior

Articles
Validation of the Feeding Test as an Index of Fear in Farmed Blue (Alopex lagopus) and Silver Foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9384(97)00241-2Get rights and content

Abstract

The reliability and validity of the eating behaviour in the presence of man (Feeding test) as an index of fear were assessed in farmed blue (Alopex lagopus) and silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Repeatability of the Feeding test was good in both species. No further habituation occurred after the fourth successive test in either species. In addition, the behaviour of both species was independent of the person who performed the test. The normal feeding interval, i.e., 24 h, between feed deliveries, was long enough to provide reliable results. The presence of a cage mate did not influence the blue foxes’ response in the Feeding test. A significant relationship between the results of the Feeding test and the Tit-bit test in both species and between the Feeding test and the fearfulness score in silver foxes indicate that all these tests measure similar features, most probably foxes’ fear of humans. Those silver foxes that did not eat in the Feeding test had higher base levels of cortisol than the animals that did eat, providing further support for the above conclusion. The present study demonstrates that the Feeding test is a reliable, i.e., repeatable and free of random errors, and fairly valid fear test for blue and silver foxes. The Feeding test seems likely to give good results in measuring fear in farmed blue and silver foxes, but further investigations will be needed to fully validate it, especially for blue foxes.

Section snippets

Animals

The experiments were carried out at the Fur Animal Research Station of the University of Kuopio and at two private farms. The subjects were juvenile blue (born in May-June) and silver foxes (born in April-May) of both sexes. The majority of the animals had been housed singly since weaning in standard cages (105 × 120 × 70 cm, L×W×H), and fed on fresh feed manufactured by the local feed company. All tests were done in November when the animals were full grown and mature [22].

Feeding Test

In the Feeding test,

Results and Discussion

The sex of the cubs influenced neither the results of behavioural tests nor the plasma cortisol levels in both species. The data of both sexes are pooled in all results shown.

The percentage of animals that ate in five successive Feeding tests were 12, 16, 23, 38, and 40% in blue foxes and 3, 9, 14, 23, and 22% in silver foxes, respectively. The increase in the percentage of animals that ate over successive Feeding tests indicates habituation to the test situation in both species. No further

Acknowledgements

We thank Matti Tengvall for taking care of the animals and Maija Miskala and Anu Rissanen for performing the behavioural tests. The excellent work by Liisa Jalkanen (DVM) made it possible to take blood samples properly. We thank Risto Savolainen and Helena Könönen for laboratory work. The study was financed by the Research Council for Agriculture and Forestry (Academy of Finland) and the Finnish Fur Breeders Association.

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