Animal Husbandry, Behavior, and Handling
Core concepts
Understand species-specific handling and restraint (dogs, cats, horses, cattle, small mammals, birds, reptiles), including minimal-restraint and low-stress techniques. Know basic husbandry: housing, nutrition, enrichment, and social needs. Understand behavior terminology - ethology, social structure, territoriality, and the difference between normal and abnormal behavior. Recognize fear, anxiety, and aggression signals, and how handling affects welfare. Know the five freedoms and basic welfare assessment. Understand zoonotic disease prevention and personal protective equipment during handling.
Traps
Questions test species-specific restraint (e.g., scruffing cats vs. towel wrapping; cattle vs. horse handling). Distinguish normal behavior from behavioral pathology, and fear from aggression. Watch for welfare questions that hinge on the five freedoms. Do not confuse enrichment with basic needs.
Worked example / rule of thumb
Use the "low-stress handling" rule: minimize restraint, use treats and towels, and observe body language before contact. Rule of thumb: the five freedoms - freedom from hunger/thirst, discomfort, pain/injury/disease, fear/distress, and freedom to express normal behavior - frame most welfare questions.
Study focus
Prioritize species-specific restraint, low-stress techniques, the five freedoms, and behavior terminology. Understand zoonotic risk and PPE during handling.