Re: Dying of boredoom? - long

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Posted by Heather on July 01, 2000 at 01:43:47:

In Reply to: Dying of boredoom? posted by Tom on June 30, 2000 at 21:29:31:

I know it can shorten the lives of mammals in a zoo environment. Boredom can lead to stress and anxiety which can lead to poor health.
Boredom can lead animals to exhibit negative behaviors like feces throwing, anxious behavior like pulling out hair or chewing on themselves, pacing, destruction of habitats, etc.
Some bad habits caused by stress can multiply depending on what the habit is. For example, bored, anxious or stressed monkeys may develop bad habits like feces throwing. This behavior leads to mockery, harassment, etc, of the monkeys by the viewing public, thus increasing the stress again on the monkeys and it creates a cycle.
Most stress is seen in primates but has been observed in birds, elephants, bears, big cats, etc. Stress in captivity can lead to fertility issues, depression, high blood pressure, anorexia, and I am sure any number of illnesses which indirectly could theoretically lead to a premature death.

Zoos use behavior enrichment activities for animals like you mentioned with the balls.
This can include things like adding toys/new items for them to investigate, adding scents for predators to follow, live feeding for predators when possible, creating more natural feeding habits like putting treats in wooden tubes or logs so animals pick them out like they would forage for insects in the wild, or throwing seeds out for browse to be collected by the animal.

These BE activities give the animal something to do, break up the monotony and perhaps decrease the boredom and stress they experience.

I don't know how bored reptiles become compared to mammals, however here are some things I do...

1. Plant grazing mix to encourage grazing behavior
2. If I feed grocery greens, flowers etc, I don't feed them in the same place on a plate, I spread them throughout the enclosure so my tortoises have to search a little for the food
3. Create hills, depressions, add rocks, logs, leaf piles, etc.
4. Rotate in new plants for newer scents
5. I know they don't find them in the wild, but as they become available, I add a variety of cardboard boxes because my turtles love nothing more than to investigate a new box
6. Feed live insects to box turtles
7. I let them out of enclosures into my main yard
a few times a week so they have a larger roaming area and more exercise.

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Re: Dying of boredoom? - long Bill S. 07/01/00 (0)

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: I know it can shorten the lives of mammals in a zoo environment. Boredom can lead to stress and anxiety which can lead to poor health. : Boredom can lead animals to exhibit negative behaviors like feces throwing, anxious behavior like pulling out hair or chewing on themselves, pacing, destruction of habitats, etc. : Some bad habits caused by stress can multiply depending on what the habit is. For example, bored, anxious or stressed monkeys may develop bad habits like feces throwing. This behavior leads to mockery, harassment, etc, of the monkeys by the viewing public, thus increasing the stress again on the monkeys and it creates a cycle. : Most stress is seen in primates but has been observed in birds, elephants, bears, big cats, etc. Stress in captivity can lead to fertility issues, depression, high blood pressure, anorexia, and I am sure any number of illnesses which indirectly could theoretically lead to a premature death. : Zoos use behavior enrichment activities for animals like you mentioned with the balls. : This can include things like adding toys/new items for them to investigate, adding scents for predators to follow, live feeding for predators when possible, creating more natural feeding habits like putting treats in wooden tubes or logs so animals pick them out like they would forage for insects in the wild, or throwing seeds out for browse to be collected by the animal. : These BE activities give the animal something to do, break up the monotony and perhaps decrease the boredom and stress they experience. : I don't know how bored reptiles become compared to mammals, however here are some things I do... : 1. Plant grazing mix to encourage grazing behavior : 2. If I feed grocery greens, flowers etc, I don't feed them in the same place on a plate, I spread them throughout the enclosure so my tortoises have to search a little for the food : 3. Create hills, depressions, add rocks, logs, leaf piles, etc. : 4. Rotate in new plants for newer scents : 5. I know they don't find them in the wild, but as they become available, I add a variety of cardboard boxes because my turtles love nothing more than to investigate a new box : 6. Feed live insects to box turtles : 7. I let them out of enclosures into my main yard : a few times a week so they have a larger roaming area and more exercise.

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