Mental Stimulation
– IT’S NOT JUST FOR DOGS!!
By Danielle Middleton-Beck BSc hons, PGDip CABC
Introduction
Exotic pets include small mammals, parrots, reptiles, fish and pretty much any pet that isn’t a dog, cat or horse. Traditionally, these animals are housed in minimalistic environments, which are unrepresentative of their natural habitat, often with persistent and unavoidable stressors. These enclosures are relatively unchanged from when similar species were kept for food or in laboratories, where convenience and simply keeping the animal alive was the caregivers’ main priority.
Animal Welfare Act, 2006 (UK) protects all vertebrate species and aims to ensure the following five criteria are met: • A suitable environment,
- A suitable diet,
- To be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns,
- To be housed with, or apart from, other animals, and
- To be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease
Despite this many keepers of companion animals are unaware of their responsibilities (CAWC, 2013). Information regarding their welfare focuses on supplying appropriate resources such as food, housing and veterinary care (CAWC 2009) and little on their suffering, with regards to fear and distress. However, appropriate enrichment should be just as important as correct diet and habitat.
Environmental enrichment involves changing the environment to allow the animal to exhibit normal behaviour patterns such as digging, swimming, foraging and flying. To prevent an animal from performing natural behaviours, will lead to behavioural problems, and is against the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (UK), which means the caregivers can be prosecuted.
When deciding on appropriate environmental enrichment you need to consider the animals;
Physiology – what is normal for that species and what is it physically capable of doing? &
Ethology – An animals ethology can be used to encourage the performance of naturally occurring behaviours.
An understanding of the animal’s life in the wild, will enable you to provide the appropriate enrichment items. Remember some textures, substrates or scents may be aversive to the species you are working with.
Ethological considerations may include
- What is its natural habitat?
- What is its natural diet?
- Is it a predator, prey or both?
- What is their predation / foraging style?
NOTE: Some behaviour’s may be normal for one species and abnormal for another despite belonging in the same group, knowing the difference is vital for their welfare.
Common behavioural problems are often linked to stress, which is, ‘A response to a real or perceived threat, which may challenge an individuals ability to meet its real or perceived physiological and psychological needs and includes;
- Feather damaging behaviours in parrots,
- Interaction with transparent boundaries (scratching and rubbing against the transparent boundary) in small mammals and reptiles,
- Reduced movement and feeding,
- Aggression and handling problems.
As the welfare of an exotic pet is mostly reliant on its enclosure, enriching its environment encourages natural behaviours and greatly improves their welfare. Environmental enrichment is the easiest and most natural way to keep any animal mentally stimulated, thus reducing stress. Toys and novel objects elicit exploration and creative play. Climbing structures allow more efficient use of space; providing shade and temperature gradients for a choice of microclimates.