Natural behaviours

• Natural behaviour is behaviour that we would expect to see displayed by animals living under normal circumstances
• Captive animals must be provided with opportunities to display natural behaviours, in order to maintain physical and mental wellbeing
• Abnormal behaviours in captive or domestic animals are likely to be a sign that the living conditions are inappropriate for the species
• Why do animals use defensive behaviours?

  to avoid being injured or killed by other animals
• What are some defensive behaviours?

  hiding from threats,

  displaying warnings to frighten the predator away or allow the prey animal to escape,

  using collective force and intimidation to scare a predator away through mobbing
• Animals may become more aggressive during courtship and mating
• Conflict occurs between male animals during courting and mating, in order to win the right to mate with the females
• give an example of predator avoidance

  alerting other animals in the group through the use of alarm calls
• What is feeding enrichment?

  promoting good welfare by providing food in ways that help to stimulate an animals mind
• Invertebrates are not protected by the animal welfare act, this means they can be fed as live prey. But, they should be monitored and not left in the enclosure for too long, in order to not compromise the health of the predator animal
• What is circadian rhythm?

  the changes in an animals activity levels during the day and night
• What does nocturnal mean?

  an animal that is active during the night and rests during the day
• What does crepuscular mean?

  animals that are active at dusk and dawn
• What does diurnal mean?

  animals that are active during the day and rest during the night
• A captive animal should be able to follow its normal sleep/wake cycle
• What are some factors that can affect a natural circadian rhythm?

  Stereotypic behaviour, illness , noise , light levels

  companions/lack of, life stage, environment,

  owners activity levels or lifestyle, enclosure size
• What is environmental enrichment?

  a range of methods to provide a stimulating environment for domestic and captive animals in order to prevent boredom and encourage natural behaviours
• What are some benefits to environmental enrichment?

  keeps an animal occupied, provides mental stimulation, provides sensory experience, provides a more natural environment