Foraging opportunity and increased physical complexity both prevent and reduce psychogenic feather picking by young Amazon parrots

摘要: Abstract Although many authors have suggested that the quality of cage environment contributes to development and performance psychogenic feather picking by parrots, there is little scientific evidence for this relationship. In chickens, an established relationship between absence foraging opportunity a similar behavior, pecking. Thus, we assessed whether providing environmental enrichments designed facilitate behaviors would prevent or reduce behavior as evidenced superior condition. Two groups eight parrots were parent-reared weaning then housed singly in either enriched unenriched cages 48 weeks. condition, unique combination one physical enrichment was presented each parrot weekly. both groups, condition quantified using 10-point scale. The provision led improvement over weeks group, while scores control group decreased significantly (repeated measures GLM: F 1,46 =5.59; P =0.022) during same period, indicating had developed group. second part study, transferred treatment period 16 During re-feathering occurred improved significantly, 1,53 =35.57,