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Research Update: Stress Experienced by Finch Chicks Affects Adult Behavior

Posted by: Frank Indiviglio in Bird Research or Recent News, Field Notes and Observations on Birds April 10, 2009 Comments Off on Research Update: Stress Experienced by Finch Chicks Affects Adult Behavior 2778 Views

Research at the University of Glasgow (March, 2009) has established that zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) exposed to stress as chicks exhibit a more intense and longer stress response as adults than do birds raised in a stress-free environment.

The Effects of Early Exposure to Stress

Pairs of sibling finch chicks were used for the experiment.  To simulate a stressful situation, one member of the pair was injected with corticosterone, a hormone produced by birds in response to stress; the other sibling was used as a control.  As adults, the resting corticosterone level of the birds was identical.  However, when subjected to a stressful situation, all previously-stressed chicks produced greater amounts of stress hormone than did their siblings, and their stress response lasted for a longer period of time.

Stress and the Health of Pet Birds

Pet keepers should take an important lesson from this research, as an unnaturally strong stress response has been shown to be damaging to health in a variety of species, humans included.

Stress arises from disturbing situations that evoke fear as well as from poor diet, improper hygiene, disease and inappropriate housing.  Exposure to these and a host of other factors can shorten your pet’s lifespan dramatically by weakening its immune system.

The effects of stress on the immune system are well known.  While working at the Bronx Zoo, I learned that birds transferred to a new exhibit (a major stress) invariably came down with a severe Aspergillosus infection, despite the fact that this fungus is ever-present in the environment yet rarely causes health problems for birds living in secure situations.  The current research findings are significant in highlighting just how serious and long-lasting are the effects of exposure to stress.

Captive vs. Wild Caught Birds

This research also highlights the importance of purchasing only captive-bred birds, as wild-caught individuals are exposed to the highest degree of stress imaginable.

Lessening Stress – Knowledge and Nutrition

Knowing and meeting the needs of those bird species which you keep is a vital first step in providing them with a stress-free environment.  Please write in with any husbandry questions you may have.

Vita Flight Vitamin Supplement, specifically formulated for birds under stress, should be kept on hand to help see your pets through the difficult situations (new arrivals, breeding, molting, illness) that arise in every collection.  Please see the article noted below for more information on the interplay between diet and stress.

Further Reading

An interesting article on the importance of proper nutrition to birds in stressful situations is posted at http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/515888?journalCode=pbz.

 

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I believe that I was born with an intense interest in animals, as neither I nor any of my family can recall a time when I was not fascinated by creatures large and small. One might imagine this to be an unfortunate set of circumstances for a person born and raised in the Bronx, but, in actuality, quite the opposite was true. Most importantly, my family encouraged both my interest and the extensive menagerie that sprung from it. My mother and grandmother somehow found ways to cope with the skunks, flying squirrels, octopus, caimans and countless other odd creatures that routinely arrived un-announced at our front door. Assisting in hand-feeding hatchling praying mantises and in eradicating hoards of mosquitoes (I once thought I had discovered “fresh-water brine shrimp” and stocked my tanks with thousands of mosquito larvae!) became second nature to them. My mother went on to become a serious naturalist, and has helped thousands learn about wildlife in her 16 years as a volunteer at the Bronx Zoo. My grandfather actively conspired in my zoo-buildings efforts, regularly appearing with chipmunks, boa constrictors, turtles rescued from the Fulton Fish Market and, especially, unusual marine creatures. It was his passion for seahorses that led me to write a book about them years later. Thank you very much, for a complete biography of my experience click here.
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