Temperament and reproductive success in farmbred silver foxes housed with and without platforms

Human, strike, pencil, confrontation, feeding, and disturbance tests were used to study fear-motivated behaviour in farmed silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes), housed with and without wooden platforms. The results showed that the number of fearful animals was highest and lowest in the confrontation and feeding tests, respectively. Foxes that had used platforms most frequently before the behavioural tests, were also most often found on platforms during the tests. Temperament differences between control and platform animals were slight. Only the human test gave statistically significant (p < 0.05) confirmation that animals housed with platforms were less fearful of humans than those housed without platforms. The fear index (FI), based on all other rests except for the disturbance test, showed that the number of fearless individuals was equal (FI = 0.50) in both the platform and control groups. Regardless of the testing, breedings and whelpings succeeded equally well in fearful and fearless vixens. Only the feeding test. showed a tendency (p < 0.08) for higher kit mortality in fearful vixens. During severe disturbances, 47.4 % of the experimental animals used the platforms for hiding. It is obvious that the temperament of farmed silver foxes is not substantially affected by the presence of a platform in the cage, but that platforms would otherwise promote animal welfare by providing the possibility for more complex behaviours and a place of refuge.