Nelsen, S. L., Bradford, D., Houghton, P. 2014. A comparison of two social housing techniques for sexually mature male cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis). American Journal of Primatology 76(S1), 104. (37th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #208)

Social species of nonhuman primates, such as macaques, should be given the opportunity for social access to conspecifics. In captive laboratory settings, creating a system to provide this opportunity can be challenging, especially concerning sexually mature animals. The majority of macaques are group housed at Panther Tracks Learning Center. When it is necessary to pair house, animals receive temperament evaluations and a review of their history. Potential pairs are selected and relocated to side-by-side cages with opaque dividers. Then they are placed together through a step-wise barrier method of introduction, which has been successful, but takes a significant amount of time. This method was compared to a quicker sedation method. Thirty-four Macaca fascicularis males ranging from 6-14 years in age received temperament evaluations, and were then designated into pairs. Each pair was randomly assigned to the step-wise barrier method, or the sedation method. All animals were monitored multiple times each day for 1 week post-introduction. If a fight arose between partners that required veterinary intervention, a pair was considered failed. Of the 9 step-wise barrier method pairs, 2 failed. Of the 8 sedation method pairs, 1 failed. There was no significant difference between the two methods of introduction (Fisher's Exact Test; P-value=1.000); therefore, other variables such as partner selection or acclimation before beginning introductions may be more influential to the success of the resulting pair.