Fish Behavior for the Exotic Pet Practitioner

Interpreting fish behavior is an important component of providing veterinary care. There are over 28,000 species of fish and while only a handful are commonly encountered by exotic pet and public display veterinarians, there are still hundreds of species to consider. Three models —natural history (species typical modal action patterns), medical (disease state), and learning experience (classical and operant conditioning)—are useful for taking an actionable, holistic approach to interpreting behavior. Models help clinicians formulate appropriate differentials, ensuring th ey do not exclusively consider disease, particularly in unfamiliar species.
Source: Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Source Type: research