Short term behavioural consequences of denied access to environmental facilities in mink

Authors

• C.P.B HANSEN
• L.L JEPPESEN

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.5656

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether farm mink denied access to water for swimming became more frustrated than animals denied access to an empty cage. Also the relative importance of water for swimming, the empty cage and the nest box was measured. Seventy-eight farm mink were placed in four groups according to a 2x2 experimental design: two unit sizes, large and small, and two water conditions, with or without water. Each unit consisted of three cages side by side in which half of the animals had a water filled basin and the other half an empty area in the middle cage. This cage had openings to the other two cages. In addition, a tunnel above the basin connected the right and left cage. One hour before the beginning of daily observations the animals had their access restricted to only the left cage. Each animal was observed ten times a day on nine consecutive days. No difference in scratching into the tunnel, basin or nest box was detected between the four groups. All groups scratched significantly or nearly significantly more into the nest box than into both the tunnel and the basin. Most stereotypies were found in the group in small cages with a dry basin. Our investigation suggests that when compared to the deprivation from a nest box, the deprivation of water for swimming does not alone cause frustration of farm mink any more that the exclusion from an empty cage. However, it does indicate that the cage size may affect the level of stereotypy.;