Table 3.
Eleven-month temperament assessment behaviors.
| Inactive behaviors (%) | |
| Withdrawn | Percent of time inactive in the back of the testing cage, relative to total test time |
| Crouch | Lowering entire ventral surface to the floor of the cage for ≥3 s, typically in response to a stimulus |
| Freeze | Suddenly stop all movement (often mid-stride) for ≥3 s. Typically in response to a threatening stimuli, such as the stranger. Ends with any change in body position, including minor head movement |
| Sleep | Stationary with eyes fully closed for ≥3 s, seemingly asleep |
| Engaged behaviors | |
| Jump (#) | To leap or jump as part of locomotion, with no limbs touching the cage |
| Explore (#) | Purposefully interacting with cage using mouth or hands |
| Eye contact (%) | Making direct eye contact for at least two consecutive seconds with stranger |
| Interact with objects (%) | Intentional physical contact with an object, using hands, feet, or mouth, including eating |
| Reactive anxiety | |
| Self-groom (#) | Pick through or lick own fur/skin or biting own nails. May include placing debris from coat into mouth |
| Shake (#) | Rapidly shake full body as if to remove water particles (resembles a wet dog shake) |
| Scratch (#) | Use fingers or toes to scratch own body |
| Fear grimace (#) | Draw back lips to display clenched or slightly parted teeth |
| Anxious vocalizations (#) | Coo, shriek, and chirp |
| Threat (#) | Threats directed at stranger, such as head thrusting or lunging |
| Open mouth threat (#) | Maintain eye contact with mouth open, with or without visible teeth |
| Lipsmack (%) | Rapidly open and close or purse lips while stranger in room |
| Teeth grind (%) | Clenching and grinding of teeth to produce an audible clicking/grinding sound |
| Ritualized anxiety (%) | |
| Stereotypy | Abnormal pattern of movement repeated ≥3 consecutive times |
| Abnormal movement | Abnormal repetitive movement that cannot be considered stereotypy either due to brief breaks in the pattern or only two repetitions |
| High-energy outbursts (#) | |
| Cage bite | Forcefully and aggressively bite the cage in a non-exploratory manner |
| Cage shake | Grasp and shake the bars of the cage |
| Escape | Forcefully attempting to push body through the cage, typically the feed slot or cage corner |
| Other active | Instances of atypical movement, commonly ritualized with continued recurrence throughout multiple periods of test. Often presented as single iterations of common stereotypic behavior (rock, jump/bounce, spin) or directed, forceful contact with side of cage, without being self-injurious |
| Roll | Rapid inversion of body into atypical position with persistent movement, often resulting in a roll onto cage floor |
The z scores of listed behaviors were summed into indicated categories based on functional and correlational relationships. A # indicates that the number of occurrences of behavior used as measure for designated category or behavior. A% indicates percent of total test time that the behavior occurred was used as measure for designated category or behavior.