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

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• 作者：Marina F. Ponzio^a ; ^{mponzio@mater.fcm.unc.edu.ar} ; Steven L. Monfort^b ; Juan Manuel Busso^a ; Valeria P. Carlini^a ; Rubé ; n D. Ruiz^a ; Marta Fiol de Cuneo^a
• 关键词：Abnormal repetitive behavior ; Fur-chewing ; Stress ; Urinary cortisol metabolite ; Plus-maze
• 刊名：Hormones and Behavior
• 出版年：2012
• 期刊代码：82_0018506x
• 类别：psy
• 出版时间：May, 2012
• 卷：61
• 期：5
• 页码：758-762
• 文件大小：239 K

摘要

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 鈮?#xA0;0.05). Likewise, only fur-chewing females exhibited increased (P 鈮?#xA0;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.