Med. Weter. 76 (2), 107-110, 2020
full text
| JOANNA KAPUSTKA, MONIKA BUDZYŃSKA |
| Behavioural reactivity of alpacas during care procedures and training |
| The aim of the study was to evaluate the level of behavioural reactivity of alpacas during routine procedures (shearing, toenail trimming, teeth trimming) and to compare it with the success in their training (halter and lead training). The study included 18 alpacas kept in one of the alpaca breeding farms in the Lublin region. In part (I) of the study, the behaviour of alpacas was observed during routine care procedures performed by qualified personnel. In part (II), the behaviour of alpacas was observed during training, also done by qualified personnel, which consisted of two stages: alpacas’ learning to accept the halter and lead training. In both parts of the study, alpacas’ behaviour was assessed on a 3-point scale. The study results confirm the relationship between the behavioural reactivity of alpacas during routine care procedures and the success in training these animals. The relationships found in the study suggest that the behavioural assessment of an animal during care procedures can indicate how easy it will be to train. It was found that individuals that were more reactive during care procedures can be better learners during lead training. |
| Keywords: alpaca, behaviour, care procedures, training |