Environmental Enrichment

Repurposing and recycling an institutionally retired enrichment device

One aspect of maintaining and updating an environmental enrichment program is regular review of enrichment devices and their current uses. The review includes maintaining an accurate inventory to reflect the animal census, evaluating species-specific use, product sustainability and the replacement...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Hedrick, C., Rowley, M., Lewis, S. 2014. Repurposing and recycling an institutionally retired enrichment device. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 564 (Abstract #P56).

Developing an enrichment plan for water-regulated nonhuman primates

Environmental enrichment for nonhuman primates is an essential requirement in laboratory animal research. The Animal Welfare Regulations and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals state that the facility's enrichment program must enhance the psychologic wellbeing of...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Baboon, Capuchin, Chimpanzee, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Rose, A. M., Ferrecchia, C. E., Van Andel, R. 2014. Developing an enrichment plan for water-regulated nonhuman primates. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 565 (Abstract #P60).

Enhancing environmental enrichment without breaking the bank

Although our enrichment program meets all USDA, AAALAC, and IACUC standards, we wanted to do more for the animals. Due to a limited budget, we were faced with the challenge of enhancing our program without increasing spending. We began by...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Schimmel, A., Hlavka, R. 2014. Enhancing environmental enrichment without breaking the bank. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 562-563 (Abstract #P51).

Use of dynamic and rewarding environmental enrichment to alleviate feather pecking in non-cage laying hens

Feather pecking (FP) can cause feather loss, resulting in physical injuries, which may lead to cannibalism. FP appears to be a redirection of foraging behavior, which intensifies when hens have difficulty coping with stress and fear. Dynamic environmental enrichment (EE)...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Daigle, C. L., Rodenburg, T. B., Bolhuis, J. E. et al. 2014. Use of dynamic and rewarding environmental enrichment to alleviate feather pecking in non-cage laying hens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 161, 75-85.

A committee approach to environmental enrichment

The Department of Comparative Medicine has established an enrichment program committee to provide assessment of animal enrichment. To improve the quality of this committee the members have developed and implemented an effective strategy using good laboratory procedures and the use...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Schaller, T. L. 2014. A committee approach to environmental enrichment. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 534 (Abstract #PS35).

Nonhuman primate enrichment room planning, design, and use

Princeton University continually makes efforts to improve and enhance the quality of life of our NHPs used in research. A part of this effort is to continue to improve our environmental enrichment program, promoting the expression of species-typical behaviors. Having...

Citation: Willey, S. 2014. Nonhuman primate enrichment room planning, design, and use. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 539 (Abstract #PS52).

Assessment of foraging devices as a model for decision-making in nonhuman primate environmental enrichment

Continued progress to move evidence-based best practices into community and regulatory animal welfare standards depends in part on developing common metrics to assess cost, benefit, and relative value. Here we describe a model approach to evidence-based evaluation and an example...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Bennett, A. J., Perkins, C. M., Harty, N. M. et al. 2014. Assessment of foraging devices as a model for decision-making in nonhuman primate environmental enrichment. JAALAS 53(5), 452-463.

What is the impact of low testosterone levels on the anatomical and behavioral repertoire of long-term enriched housing of male mice? Behavioral Processes 108, 57-64

Environmental enrichment is a strategy to improve animal welfare, providing brain plasticity with changes at cellular, molecular and behavioral levels. In order to test the long-term effects of enriched housing and the importance of testosterone levels for the expression of...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental Enrichment, ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Lima, F. B., de Oliveira, E. S. 2014. What is the impact of low testosterone levels on the anatomical and behavioral repertoire of long-term enriched housing of male mice? Behavioral Processes 108, 57-64.

Effects of group housing on sow welfare: a review

Factors that have been shown to impact the welfare of group-housed sows are discussed in this review. Floor space allowance markedly affects sow welfare. In addition to quantity of floor space, the quality of space is important: spatial separation between...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Verdon, M., Hansen, C. F., Rault, J. L. et al. 2015. Effects of group housing on sow welfare: a review. Journal of Animal Science 93(5), 1999-2017.

Stereotypic mice are aggressed by their cage-mates and tend to be poor demonstrators in social learning tasks

Stereotypic behaviours (SBs) are linked with behavioural inflexibility and resemble symptoms of autism, suggesting that stereotypic animals could have autistic-like social impairments. SBs are also common in caged mice. We therefore hypothesised relationships between stereotypic and social behaviours, predicting that...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Harper, L., Choleris, E., Ervin, K. et al. 2015. Stereotypic mice are aggressed by their cage-mates and tend to be poor demonstrators in social learning tasks. Animal Welfare. 24(4), 463-473.