Fur chewing in blue foxes: mechanisms of development, causation and prevention

Finland is the biggest producer of blue fox pelts in Europe. Some blue foxes, in particular breeding females, chew their own fur. The causation of fur chewing has not been studied earlier, and therefore prevention of fur chewing is challenging. Our study aims to clarify the mechanism of the development of fur chewing and factors affecting fur chewing, as well as its association to the welfare experienced by the animal and production variables. The results aid to develop means to reduce fur chewing on fur farms.