Abnormal Behaviors

Abnormal behaviors are individual and social actions that are disturbing, destructive, or detrimental to the physiological, psychological, and social well-being of a mouse and/or its cagemates. They are behaviors that differ in pattern, frequency, or context from that shown by most members of a species. The type of abnormal behavior a mouse exhibits, maladaptive or malfunctional, depends on the individual and its environment. A maladaptive behavior (infanticide) is the behavioral product of a normal animal in an abnormal environment, while a malfunctional behavior (stereotypy, barbering, ulcerative dermatitis) is the consequence of an abnormal animal in an abnormal environment.

Abnormal behaviors are can be thought of as:

1. Unnatural — the behaviors are seen only in captivity. e.g. stereotypy.
2. Unexpected — if the behaviors are seen both in the wild and captivity, they occur under inappropriate circumstances (e.g. infanticide), or are performed to an excessive degree (e.g. ulcerative dermatitis).
3. Nonfunctional — causing self injury and increased mortality; affecting social interactions, growth, and reproduction. e.g. infanticide, ulcerative dermatitis, and barbering.
4. Distress — causing distress to the animal or its cagemates. e.g. infanticide, ulcerative dermatitis, and barbering.
5. Infrequent — seen only in a subset of individuals. e.g. barbering, ulcerative dermatitis, and stereotypy.

Abnormal behaviors are a top-level classification consisting of:

1. Infanticide
2. Barbering
3. Stereotypies
   1. Bar-mouthing
   2. Circling
   3. Jumping
   4. Looping
   5. Route Tracing
   6. Twirling
   7. Wiping
4. Ulcerative Dermatitis

Active Behaviors

Maladaptive or Malfunctional