Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012;15(2):126-43.
doi: 10.1080/10888705.2012.658330.

Pair housing for female longtailed and rhesus macaques in the laboratory: behavior in protected contact versus full contact

Kate C Baker  1 , Carolyn M Crockett, Grace H Lee, Brooke C Oettinger, Valérie Schoof, Jinhee P Thom
Affiliations

Pair housing for female longtailed and rhesus macaques in the laboratory: behavior in protected contact versus full contact

Kate C Baker et al. J Appl Anim Welf Sci. 2012.

Abstract

Pair housing for caged macaques in the laboratory generally allows unrestricted tactile contact but, less commonly, may involve limited contact via grooming-contact bars or perforated panels. The purpose of using this protected contact housing, which prevents entry into pair-mates' cages, typically is to accommodate research and management requirements. The study used behavioral data collected on 12 pairs of female longtailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) at the Washington National Primate Research Center and 7 pairs of female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) housed at the Tulane National Primate Research Center to assess the relative benefits of protected versus full protected contact. The study collected data in stable pairs housed first in protected contact followed by full contact. Species combined, the study found the presence of the panel was associated with lower levels of social grooming and higher levels of self-grooming, abnormal behavior, and tension-related behavior. Within species, only the protected- versus full-contact contrasts for abnormal and tension were statistically significant-and only for rhesus macaques. Results suggest that for female rhesus macaques, potential disadvantages or inconveniences of full contact should be balanced against the improved behavioral profile in comparison to protected contact. The use of protected contact among female longtailed macaques does not appear to require the same cost-benefit analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Levels of social grooming across study conditions (* = p ≤ .05 for pairwise comparisons between housing conditions).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Levels of noncontact partner affiliation.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Levels of agonism directed toward social partners.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Levels of abnormal behavior across study conditions (* = p ≤ .05 for pairwise comparisons between housing conditions).
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Levels of tension-related behavior across study conditions (* = p ≤ .05).
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Levels of self-grooming across study conditions (* = p ≤ .05).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Angst W. Pilot experiments to test group tolerance to a stranger in wild Macaca fascicularis. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 1973;38:625–630. - PubMed
    1. Aureli F, Preston SD, de Waal FBM. Heart rate responses to social interactions in free-moving rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): A pilot study. Journal of Comparative Psychology. 1999;113:59–65. - PubMed
    1. Baker KC, Bellanca RU, Bloomsmith MA, Coleman K, Crockett CM, Maier A, Perlman JE. Behavioral contrasts between Chinese-origin and Indian-origin rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) in a caged laboratory setting. American Society of Primatology. 2009;71:32.
    1. Baker KC, Bloomsmith M, Neu K, Griffis C, Oettinger B, Schoof V, Maloney M. Benefits of isosexual pairing of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) vary with sex and are limited by protected contact but not by frequent separation. American Journal of Primatology. 2008;70:44.
    1. Baker KC, Weed JL, Crockett CC, Bloomsmith MA. Survey of environmental enhancement programs for laboratory primates. American Journal of Primatology. 2007;69:377–394. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources