abnormal behavior

Question 1

abnormal/atypical behaviors

Answer 1

• not seen in wild-living animals
• exaggerated (frequency or intensity)
• there is not reason to do them
• similarities to ‘normal/typical’ behavior
• can be maladaptive, pathological, and result in injury

Question 2

types of abnormal behavior

Answer 2

1. stereotypies = repetitive, rigid, w/ no apparent fx
2. over-grooming or feather-plucking = repetitive exaggeration of a normal behavior that serves a purpose
3. self-injurious behavior

Question 3

causes of abnormal behavior

Answer 3

• animal is prevented from developing (in rearing environment) or exhibiting (in current environment) species-specific behaviors
  
  • specific causes include:
    
    • locomotor, perceptual, or social deprivation
    • forced socialization
    • nutritional deficiencies
    • reduced/unpredictable feeding
    • pain/injury
    • early weaning
• related to key behavior for that particular species/taxa
  
  • carnivores hunt by walking long distances or stalking ➔ locomotor stereotypies
  • primates groom socially ➔ pathological hair-pulling
  • ungulates graze for hours ➔ oral stereotypies (e.g. tongue-rolling)

1. cope with current environment
2. frustrated with current environment
3. CNS dysfunction

Question 4

stereotypic behavior:

Answer 4

• non-nutritive sucking & tongue tolling in cattle
• sham chewing and bar-biting in swine caused by reduced quality & quantity of diet
  
  • solution:
    
    • social interactions (play, social sleep, establish dominance)
    • explore envir (root, lick, chew)
    • introducing a very high fiber diet while still having restricted calories can reduce stereotypies the most effectively while keeping inactivity low to prevent food comas

Question 5

Central Nervous System Dysfunction

Answer 5

• seen In many mental disorders (e.g. autism, schizophrenia)
• drug effects (e.g. amphetamines)
• involves dysfunction of basal ganglia motor system in brain ➔ executes smooth movement & rhythmic patterns

Question 5

Central Nervous System Dysfunction

Answer 5

• seen In many mental disorders (e.g. autism, schizophrenia)
• drug effects (e.g. amphetamines)
• involves dysfunction of basal ganglia motor system in brain ➔ executes smooth movement & rhythmic patterns

Question 6

determining if behavior is stereotypic

Answer 6

1. is it repetitive?
2. does animal live in captive envir?
3. is the only apparent fx related to frustration, attempts to cope, and or it due to CNS dysfunction?
4. may be a stereotypy

Question 7

tx for abnormal behaviors

Answer 7

• training (operant conditioning)
  
  • stimulus ➔ response ➔ consequence
• pharmacological
• genetic selection
  
  • not breeding laying hens more prone to plucking in free-range envir
  • tailoring selection for envir
• enrichment
  
  • ↑ envir complexity (physical &/or social)
  • ↑ sensory stimulation
  • encourage positive, species-specific behaviors
    
    • some species-specific behaviors = harmful (e.g. cannibalism) ➔ not that
  • meet behavioral needs
    
    • ex: cat scratch objects
    • ex: dog chew objects

Question 8

oral stereotypic behavior in ungulates

Answer 8

• ungulate = hoofed animal
  
  • crib-biting in horses
  • sham-chewing in pigs
  • tongue-rolling in cows & giraffes
• herbivorous ➞ most time grazing
• stereotypy cause: diet from humans ↓ amount of time needed to graze
• solution: enrichment
  
  • ↑ fiber in diet
  • mixing straw w/ feed
  • ex: use mesh feeders ➔ giraffes have to work harder to obtain food

Question 9

locomotor stereotypies in carnivores

Answer 9

• repetitive walking or running pattern
• pacing can cause direct physical harm, such as abrasions, sores or abscesses, as well as reducing social interaction
• ex: amount of pacing behavior in zoo carnivores related to home range size
• enrichment: overhead passageways for them to walk around
• ex: polar bear weaving in zoos: feel their body swaying likey their bodies move when they walk in the wild

Question 10

pathological abnormal behavior

Answer 10

ex: feather pecking in chickens from high stocking density & limited foraging opportunities

• soln: pecking on ground or litter floor

Question 11

abnormal behavior in wild-caught vs. captive-born voles

Answer 11

• wild-caught adults in labs do not develop stereotypies but offspring exhibit flipping behavior
• study: offspring raised in barren cages for certain periods of time then put into enriched envir
  
  • only voles in barren cages for 6 or 14 months show stereotypies
  • barren cages for 2 months showed none
  • sensitive period = < 2mo

Question 12

complexities of abnormal behavior

Answer 12

• problem with animal, envir, or both
• may have developed b/c of an issue from prior envir not current
• abnormal does not always = bad
  
  • ex: animal may be better off by showing stereotypic behavior than not (e.g. coping idea)