Effects of different post-weaning handling procedures on the later behaviour of silver foxes

Abstract

Male and female cubs from 52 litters of primiparous silver-fox vixens were in pairs randomly assigned to three groups at the age of 8 weeks. Seventeen pairs were exposed to forced handling and 18 pairs were exposed to gentle and unforced handling twice daily for 3 continous weeks post-weaning. Seventeen pairs of fox cubs served as control animals and were not handled. Behavioural tests performed at the cubs' age of 18, 24, 30 and 32 weeks showed that handling of foxes either forcibly or gently affected the foxes' fear responses towards humans compared with no handling. Handled animals showed less fear responses and more exploration compared with control animals at most ages of testing (0.05< P<0.001, χ 2) The gently handled group showed a marked reduction of fear responses towards people both known and unknown to them and a less evident reduction of fear responses when exposed to novel stimuli. Foxes forcibly handled showed some reduction of fear responses towards people known and unknown to them and they showed more exploration when exposed to novel stimuli compared with both gently handled animals and control animals at most ages of testing. It was concluded that gentle handling of fox cubs was a means to reduce later fear responses towards humans and that forced handling was a means to reduce the general fearfulness of the foxes. Positive human-fox relationships may be achieved by gentle, unforced handling and forced handling may produce less emotional foxes, but further research is needed to conclude if one of the handling procedures is more efficient than the other in making the foxes better adapted to the frequent exposures to humans and the different management routines in the farm environment.