Effects of pair housing on behavior, cortisol, and clinical outcomes during quarantine-like procedures for rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Background: Compatible pair housing of macaques in research settings increases species-typical behaviors and facilitates beneficial social buffering. It is not yet established whether these benefits are maintained after intrafacility transfer and domestic quarantine, which are two stressors that can lead to behavioral and clinical abnormalities.

Methods: We evaluated 40 adolescent male rhesus macaques who were single- or pair-housed immediately following an intrafacility transfer.