Environmental Enrichment

Loose housing of small goat groups: Influence of visual cover and elevated levels of feeding, resting and agonistic behavior

Frequent social conflicts among goats due to their strict rank relationships can pose problems in loose housing of goats by negatively influencing feeding and resting times of low-ranking group members. In this study, we tested whether enrichment of loose-housing pens...

Year Published: 2009Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Goat

Citation: Aschwanden J, L Gygax, Wechsler B, et al. 2009. Loose housing of small goat groups: Influence of visual cover and elevated levels of feeding, resting and agonistic behavior. App Anim Behav Sci. 119;171-179.

Enrichment from birth accelerates the functional and cellular development of a motor control area in the mouse

There is strong evidence that sensory experience in early life has a profound influence on the development of sensory circuits. Very little is known, however, about the role of experience in the early development of striatal networks which regulate both...

Year Published: 2009Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Simonetti, T., Lee, H., Bourke, M. et al. 2009. Enrichment from birth accelerates the functional and cellular development of a motor control area in the mouse. PLOS ONE 4, e6780.

Animal economics: Assessing the motivation of female laboratory rabbits to reach a platform, social contact and food

We used novel techniques for assessing resource value to investigate what additions to a barren cage female laboratory rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, value. We tested motivation to reach two resources that are potentially practical enrichments: a platform (providing a partly enclosed...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Seaman SC, Waran NK, Mason G. 2008. Animal economics: Assessing the motivation of female laboratory rabbits to reach a platform, social contact and food. Anim Behav. 75;31-42.

Refinement in the literature: Searching for environmental enrichment

This review will examine early research into environmentally enriched housing and how that same concept is applied in various management settings today. .. This paper will also discuss methods of searching the literature to locate information on housing refinements, particularly...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Adams, K. M. 2008. Refinement in the literature: Searching for environmental enrichment. AATEX (Alternatives to Animal Testing and Experimentation) 14(Special Issue), 307-312.

Novel, safe environmental enrichment unit for rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

An exercise cage is described; it was successfully implemented for single-caged animals.

Year Published: 2008Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Watson, M., Ramirez, A., Gonzallez, D. M. et al. 2008. Novel, safe environmental enrichment unit for rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 99 (Abstract).

Successful elimination of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes): a case study using a combination of risperidone and environmental enrichment

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) can result in open wounds, tissue damage, and increased risk of infection. In many cases, increased environmental enrichment is not consistently effective in eliminating this behavior. We report here on the successful elimination of SIB in a...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Videan, E. N., Ely, J., Lammey, M. et al. 2008. Successful elimination of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes): a case study using a combination of risperidone and environmental enrichment. American Journal of Primatology 70(S1), 50. (31st Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #91)

Managing environmental enhancement plans for individual research projects at a National Primate Research Center

We describe a method for managing environmental enhancement plans for individual research projects at a national primate research center where most monkeys are assigned to active research projects. The Psychological Well-being Program (PWB) at the University of Washington National Primate...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Thom, J. P., Crockett, C. M. 2008. Managing environmental enhancement plans for individual research projects at a National Primate Research Center. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science] 47(7), 51-57.

Rethinking Environmental Enrichment? Assessing the Efficacy of Enrichment Strategies

Environmental enrichment is widely regarded as a cornerstone to good animal care practices. The steps to a successful enrichment programare planning, implementation and evaluation. The simple provision of enrichment does not guarantee that the animals are going to use it,...

Year Published: 2009Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Deeks, J. 2009. Rethinking Environmental Enrichment ? Assessing the Efficacy of Enrichment Strategies. Enrichment Record (online publication) 1, 1 & 7-8 .

Rabbit preference for cages and pens with or without mirrors

Five-week-old Pannon White rabbits were housed in a closed climatized rabbitry and randomly assigned to either pens (56 rabbits) having a basic area of 1 m2 with a stocking density of 16 and 12 rabbits/m2 or to 18 individual cages...

Year Published: 2009Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Dalle Zotte, A., Princz, Z., Matics, Z. et al. 2009. Rabbit preference for cages and pens with or without mirrors. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 116, 273-278.

Effects of positive reinforcement training on infant behavioral development in nursery-reared rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

At the California National Primate Research Center, one key to long-term success of macaque breeding colonies is to develop effective infant-rearing strategies that minimize the emergence of behavioral pathologies, which can be one indicator of welfare. Positive reinforcement training (PRT)...

Year Published: 2009Topics: Animal Training, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Brunelli, R. L., Gottlieb, D., Holcomb, K. et al. 2009. Effects of positive reinforcement training on infant behavioral development in nursery-reared rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). American Journal of Primatology 71(S1), 74. (32nd Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #136)