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Do rabbits need each other? Effects of single versus paired housing on rabbit body temperature and behaviour in a UK shelter (2020)
Journal Article
Burn, C. C., & Shields, P. (2020). Do rabbits need each other? Effects of single versus paired housing on rabbit body temperature and behaviour in a UK shelter. https://doi.org/10.7120/09627286.29.2.209

In the wild, rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are social but territorial. Recent surveys suggest that over half of pet rabbits are housed singly. We aimed to compare welfare in single versus paired rabbits. We predicted singletons would show more abno... Read More about Do rabbits need each other? Effects of single versus paired housing on rabbit body temperature and behaviour in a UK shelter.

Does ‘playtime’ reduce stimulus-seeking and other boredom-like behaviour in laboratory ferrets? (2020)
Journal Article
Burn, C. C., Raffle, J., & Bizley, J. K. (2020). Does ‘playtime’ reduce stimulus-seeking and other boredom-like behaviour in laboratory ferrets?

Much environmental enrichment for laboratory animals is intended to enhance animal welfare and normalcy by providing stimulation to reduce ‘boredom’. Behavioural manifestations of boredom include restless sensation-seeking behaviours combined with in... Read More about Does ‘playtime’ reduce stimulus-seeking and other boredom-like behaviour in laboratory ferrets?.

Lop-eared rabbits have more aural and dental problems than erect-eared rabbits: a rescue population study (2019)
Journal Article
Johnson, J. C., & Burn, C. C. (2019). Lop-eared rabbits have more aural and dental problems than erect-eared rabbits: a rescue population study. Veterinary Record, 185(758), https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105163

This research aimed to assess whether rabbits having lop ears, an artificially selected conformation, compromises welfare. We investigated the occurrence of aural and dental pathology in lop-eared compared with erect-eared rabbits. Thirty rabbits (15... Read More about Lop-eared rabbits have more aural and dental problems than erect-eared rabbits: a rescue population study.

Visitor effects on zoo-housed Sulawesi crested macaque (Macaca nigra) behaviour: Can signs with ‘watching eyes’ requesting quietness help? (2019)
Journal Article
Dancer, A. M. M., & Burn, C. C. (2019). Visitor effects on zoo-housed Sulawesi crested macaque (Macaca nigra) behaviour: Can signs with ‘watching eyes’ requesting quietness help?. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 211, 88-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2018.12.005

Visiting public can cause changes in the behaviour of zoo-housed primates. These effects, if indicative of stress, can be of welfare concern. However, few options to mitigate visitor effects through modulating visitor behaviour have been explored. He... Read More about Visitor effects on zoo-housed Sulawesi crested macaque (Macaca nigra) behaviour: Can signs with ‘watching eyes’ requesting quietness help?.

Prospective cohort study to assess rates of contagious disease in pre-weaned UK dairy heifers: management practices, passive transfer of immunity and associated calf health (2017)
Journal Article
Johnson, K. F., Chancellor, N., Burn, C. C., & Wathes, D. C. (2017). Prospective cohort study to assess rates of contagious disease in pre-weaned UK dairy heifers: management practices, passive transfer of immunity and associated calf health. Veterinary Record Open, 4, e000226. https://doi.org/10.1136/vetreco-2017-000226

Bestial boredom: a biological perspective on animal boredom and suggestions for its scientific investigation (2017)
Journal Article
Burn, C. C. (2017). Bestial boredom: a biological perspective on animal boredom and suggestions for its scientific investigation. Animal Behaviour, 130, 141-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.06.006

Boredom is likely to have adaptive value in motivating exploration and learning, and many animals may possess the basic neurological mechanisms to support it. Chronic inescapable boredom can be extremely aversive, and understimulation can harm neural... Read More about Bestial boredom: a biological perspective on animal boredom and suggestions for its scientific investigation.

Olfactory variation in mouse husbandry and its implications for refinement and standardisation: UK survey of non-animal scents (2016)
Journal Article
Lopez-Salesansky, N., Mazlan, N. H., Whitfield, L. E., Wells, D. J., & Burn, C. C. (2016). Olfactory variation in mouse husbandry and its implications for refinement and standardisation: UK survey of non-animal scents. Laboratory Animals, 50(4), 286-295. https://doi.org/10.1177/0023677215614296

With their highly sensitive olfactory system, the behaviour and physiology of mice are not only influenced by the scents of conspecifics and other species, but also by many other chemicals in the environment. The constraints of laboratory housing lim... Read More about Olfactory variation in mouse husbandry and its implications for refinement and standardisation: UK survey of non-animal scents.

Impact of facial conformation on canine health: Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (2015)
Journal Article
Packer, R. M. A., Hendricks, A., Tivers, M. S., & Burn, C. C. (2015). Impact of facial conformation on canine health: Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome. PLoS ONE, 10(10), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0137496

The domestic dog may be the most morphologically diverse terrestrial mammalian species known to man; pedigree dogs are artificially selected for extreme aesthetics dictated by formal Breed Standards, and breed-related disorders linked to conformation... Read More about Impact of facial conformation on canine health: Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome.

Impact of Facial Conformation on Canine Health: Corneal Ulceration (2015)
Journal Article
Packer, R. M. A., Hendricks, A., & Burn, C. C. (2015). Impact of Facial Conformation on Canine Health: Corneal Ulceration. PLoS ONE, 10(5), e0123827. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0123827

Concern has arisen in recent years that selection for extreme facial morphology in the domestic dog may be leading to an increased frequency of eye disorders. Corneal ulcers are a common and painful eye problem in domestic dogs that can lead to scarr... Read More about Impact of Facial Conformation on Canine Health: Corneal Ulceration.

How Long and Low Can You Go? Effect of Conformation on the Risk of Thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disc Extrusion in Domestic Dogs (2013)
Journal Article
Packer, R. M. A., Hendricks, A., Volk, H. A., Shihab, N. K., & Burn, C. C. (2013). How Long and Low Can You Go? Effect of Conformation on the Risk of Thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disc Extrusion in Domestic Dogs. PLoS ONE, 8(7), e69650. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069650

Intervertebral disc extrusion (IVDE) is a common neurological disorder in certain dog breeds, resulting in spinal cord compression and injury that can cause pain and neurological deficits. Most disc extrusions are reported in chondrodystrophic breeds... Read More about How Long and Low Can You Go? Effect of Conformation on the Risk of Thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disc Extrusion in Domestic Dogs.