Dust bathing

As dust bathing (also: dust bathing ) refers to a encountered especially among birds form of comfort behavior, but it can be also observed in many other terrestrial vertebrates such as horses and zebras.

Also as a sand bath filled with sand or other bedding material shell is called in the house and farm animals, in which the animals can sand bath. Similarly, the term is also used in the leisure industry and in chemistry.

The sand bath in the animal kingdom

Similar to the much more common water bath, a sand or dust bath, and wallowing in the mud is cleaning the plumage, skin and coat. In many animal species, it is probably a substitute for action, if appropriate open water areas are missing. Many birds also have a plumage that makes wetting with water almost impossible; in many species of pigeons, the water bubbled example from so strong that a water would bring no benefit.

The animals of many species use repeated certain sunny places to sand or dust bathing, for example, the capercaillie; they are called Huder Kuhlen. This obviously also brings the sensible heat in the bottom substrate when it is applied to the body, a thermal comfort.

Birds crouch in the sand bathing close to the ground and wiggle the body back and forth, with the loose soil material is spun up. They also usually spread from one or both wings. Then they shake most violently and show grooming behavior.

The judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court to the cage hen keeping of 6 July 1999 ordered the sand bathing is also the "own personal care " to which is obliged to allow each animal husbandry of a hen.

The behavior of the dust bathing is popular with local species, with a few exceptions ( sparrows, wren ) apart, limited to ground-birds, but can, for example, when Brillentäubchen ( Metriopelia cecilae ) and in the Galapagos Dove ( Nesopelia galapagoensis g ) are observed. Jürgen Nicolai described in 1962, the dust- bathing Brillentäubchen and its emergence in the course of phylogeny as:

" The birds were here like chickens in small sandy hollows, scooped with the beak from the edge of the trough sand under your body, then hochzuschleudern him with shaking body movements and to bring through the established springs on the skin. (...) The dust-bathing of birds is probably derive from the water bath. The movement of elements of both behaviors are still largely similar, and their modifications in the service of the new feature are easy to recognize. The close relationship between the two central nervous behavior is also evident from the fact that young birds of species 'still' have both behaviors connect their dust bath usually directly on the water bath. (...) On the observer makes this behavior because of the temporary total pollution of the plumage a downright nonsensical impression. ( ... ) What is evolutionary, interest ' is it, next to a water Baden to develop a dust-bathing and finally the former in favor of the second limit or completely abandon about it can be for the time being do not yet tell. "

When capercaillie, there are now studies showing that significant amounts of parasites were found in their Huder Kuhlen. Feather mites and lice (called feather lice ) hold on to the soil particles and are then thrown out of the plumage when shaking with high speed.

Chinchillas

Among the common domestic animals are chinchillas those animals that have daily sand baths for their health the most. Although her ​​thick, consisting of extremely fine hair coat is not water resistant, have also chinchillas sebaceous glands. When sand bath, during which the animals repeatedly roll in the sand, is excess fat stored on the sand particles and is then shaken out of his fur. To protect the Chinchillas their fur prior to bonding and felting and prevent skin problems before. Optimal is a pet shops offered, quartz- free chinchilla sand, as, for example, contains Vogelsand too many sharp-edged grains and the hair tips would harm.

Deer and wild boar

Deer and wild pigs wallow in mud wallows regularly, with the result that her back is then completely encrusted. Once the mud has dried, he jumps off in larger chunks from the body or is rubbed off on so-called Malbäumen. Externally, seated on the skin parasites are baked literally in this crust of mud and can thus be removed from the body.

Elephants

Also, buffalo and elephant wallow occasionally in sand, dust or mud. When elephants can also be observed that they absorb soil material with her trunk and, preferably after bathing and then blow over her body. The elephant " powdering " his skin in this way one, can dry the material and then scrubs on a tree. Parasites are doing rubbed like sandpaper. In particular, this behavior serves to protect the numerous folds of skin and in this respect the dusting of sensitive body parts in humans comparable. This sawdust is alternatively often made ​​available in zoos.

Marion Garai and Fred Kurt described the behavior of the elephants as:

" Personal care (...) is an important activity to maintain a healthy skin as protection from sun and ectoparasites. These elephants need water, mud, sand and objects on which they may be scratching. But often play those non-social ' activities play a role in social encounters. Throwing sand is used not only to einzupudern the body, but also acts as threatening behavior. Social skin and coat care, as they are common in primates and rodents, come on elephants living in captivity, hardly before. With savages, but already. In rains they rub their bodies at each other. They also clean newborns with grass bundles. In captivity, these behaviors can usually not good because partner, space and substrates are lacking. "