Behavioural and physiological effects of post-weaning handling and access to shelters in farmed blue foxes (Alopex lagopus)

Ninety-four female blue fox cubs were distributed into two groups with either handling or no handling. Handling was performed once a day for 2.5 min between 7 and 10 weeks of age, while the control group received no extra human contact. As handling completed at 10 weeks of age, half of each group was given access to an opaque shelter in addition to their platform. The other half of each group kept access to a platform. The four groups were now composed this way: control + platform (CP), control + platform + shelter (CPS), handling + platform (HP), handling + platform + shelter (HPS). All animals were exposed to various behavioural tests in their home cage at 6-8 weeks' intervals to evaluate fear of humans and novelty. An additional open-field (OF)-test was performed when the animals were 24 weeks old, and blood samples were drawn prior to and immediately following this test to evaluate base and response levels of plasma cortisol. In the behavioural tests at 10, 16 and 22 weeks of age, data regarding handling and housing were consistent, though not always significant. In the handled group, more animals were found to be confident compared to the control group, disregarding the housing regime. A higher proportion of shelter-kept animals was revealed to be fearful compared to platform-kept animals, disregarding handling regime. Housing effects were more profound in home cage test-situations with minor human contact and handling effects were more profound in home cage test-situations with more intensive human contact. Data from the OF-test at 24 weeks of age were not entirely consistent with these results. However, handled animals spent more time in the centre of the OF compared to control animals (P < 0.01), indicative of less fear of novelty in handled animals. Shelter-kept animals stayed less time in the centre of the OF-arena than platform-kept animals (P < 0.05), and they re-visited the transport box more times compared to platform-kept animals (P < 0.05), indicating a higher level of fear of novelty in shelter-kept animals. Post-weaning handling had positive consequences for the later behaviour of growing blue foxes. Differences between handled and control animals were most profound when exposed to challenging procedures Like capture or OF exposure. Post-weaning handling seem to be a means to adapt the foxes to farm routines including man-animal interactions, However, availability of an opaque shelter during rearing caused increased fearfulness in both handled and non-handled foxes. When the object is to improve welfare, growing foxes should have intense human contact and a shelter design which do not hinder (or delay) their adaptation to human proximity and farm routines. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.