BCSE Animal Welfare and Behavior 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which housing feature most significantly reduces stress-related pathology in laboratory rabbits?
- Provision of a hide box or refuge structure (Correct answer)
- Solid-bottom caging with extra bedding only
- Continuous bright lighting to suppress nocturnal activity
- Isolation from conspecifics to prevent disease transmission
Correct answer: Provision of a hide box or refuge structure
Rabbits are prey species that rely on refuges to feel safe; a hide box allows expression of natural hiding behavior and significantly reduces HPA axis activation.
Question 2: The USDA Animal Welfare Act specifically excludes which of the following from its definition of 'animal'?
- Mice, rats, and birds bred for research (Correct answer)
- Dogs and cats used in research
- Non-human primates
- Guinea pigs and hamsters
Correct answer: Mice, rats, and birds bred for research
The AWA's current regulatory definition explicitly excludes mice of the genus Mus, rats of the genus Rattus, and birds bred for research from federal oversight.
Question 3: A horse exhibiting crib-biting and wind-sucking is most likely experiencing:
- A stereotypy associated with restricted foraging and stall confinement (Correct answer)
- A primary esophageal motility disorder
- Rabies-related hyperkinesia
- Normal breed-specific oral exploration
Correct answer: A stereotypy associated with restricted foraging and stall confinement
Crib-biting and wind-sucking are oral stereotypies that develop in horses with insufficient forage access and prolonged stall confinement, indicating compromised welfare.
Question 4: In assessing neonatal pain in puppies and kittens, which scale is validated for clinical use?
- UNESP-Botucatu Neonatal Pain Scale or similar species-specific composite scales (Correct answer)
- Visual Analog Scale used for adult humans
- APGAR score adapted from human neonatal medicine
- No validated scale exists; body weight change is the only metric
Correct answer: UNESP-Botucatu Neonatal Pain Scale or similar species-specific composite scales
Species-specific composite pain scales incorporating behavioral and physiological indicators have been developed and validated for neonatal small animal pain assessment.
Question 5: Positive reinforcement training in zoo animals primarily improves welfare by:
- Allowing animals to voluntarily participate in husbandry and medical procedures, reducing fear (Correct answer)
- Increasing feeding frequency
- Reducing the need for veterinary examinations
- Establishing human dominance over the animal
Correct answer: Allowing animals to voluntarily participate in husbandry and medical procedures, reducing fear
Voluntary participation in trained behaviors (blood draws, radiographs, weighing) reduces restraint-related fear and gives animals a degree of control over their interactions.
Question 6: Which feeding strategy best supports the behavioral welfare of dogs in kennel environments?
- Food puzzles and scatter feeding that extend foraging time (Correct answer)
- One large meal daily delivered in a bowl
- Free-choice dry kibble available 24 hours
- Caloric restriction to prevent boredom eating
Correct answer: Food puzzles and scatter feeding that extend foraging time
Cognitive and physical engagement during feeding through puzzles or scatter feeding mimics natural foraging, reduces boredom, and decreases stress-related behaviors.
Question 7: Feather-destructive behavior in captive psittacines is most strongly associated with:
- Inadequate environmental enrichment and social isolation (Correct answer)
- Vitamin A deficiency exclusively
- Wing clipping procedures
- High-protein diets
Correct answer: Inadequate environmental enrichment and social isolation
While medical causes must be ruled out, feather destruction in parrots most commonly stems from psychological stress due to lack of foraging opportunities and social deprivation.
BCSE Animal Welfare and Behavior 4
Which housing feature most significantly reduces stress-related pathology in laboratory rabbits?