Environmental Enrichment

Strain differences in temporal changes of nesting behaviors in C57BL/6N, DBA/2N, and their F1 hybrid mice assessed by a three-dimensional monitoring system

Nest building is one of the innate behaviors that are widely observed throughout the animal kingdom. Previous studies have reported specific brain regions and genetic loci associated with nest building in mice. These studies mainly evaluated the nest structure, without...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Goto, T., Okayama, T., Toyoda, A. 2015. Strain differences in temporal changes of nesting behaviors in C57BL/6N, DBA/2N, and their F1 hybrid mice assessed by a three-dimensional monitoring system. Behavioural Processes 119, 86-92.

Cats prefer species-appropriate music

Many studies have attempted to use music to influence the behavior of nonhuman animals; however, these studies have often led to conflicting outcomes. We have developed a theoretical framework that hypothesizes that in order for music to be effective with...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Snowdon, C. T., Teie, D., Savage, M. 2015. Cats prefer species-appropriate music. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 166, 106-111.

Identifying environmental and management factors that may be associated with the quality of life of kenneled dogs (Canis familiaris)

This paper describes the use of a validated quality of life assessment tool (described elsewhere) to identify environmental and management factors that may affect quality of life in dogs kennelled in rehoming centres. Dogs were allocated to one of the...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Kiddie, J., Collins, L. 2015. Identifying environmental and management factors that may be associated with the quality of life of kenneled dogs (Canis familiaris). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 167, 43-55.

Cuttlefish in captivity: An investigation into housing and husbandry for improving welfare

The European cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is often kept in public aquaria, is becoming more common in aquaculture, and is also the most frequently used cephalopod in European research. Since 1st January 2013, all cephalopods (Mollusca) have been protected under UK/EU...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Cephalopod, Invertebrate

Citation: Tonkins, B. M., Tyers, A. M., Cook G. M. 2015. Cuttlefish in captivity: An investigation into housing and husbandry for improving welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 168, 77-83.

The effects of social interaction and environmental enrichment on the space use, behaviour and stress of owned housecats facing a novel environment

Every day, millions of domestic cats are held temporarily in captive environments, such as boarding catteries and rescue shelters. Being in confinement can potentially invoke high levels of stress for these animals. Therefore, there is a need to develop appropriate...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Rehnberg, L. K., Robert, K. A., Watson, S. J. et al. 2015. The effects of social interaction and environmental enrichment on the space use, behaviour and stress of owned housecats facing a novel environment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 169, 51-61.

Advantages and risks of housing changes to improve animal wellbeing in a breeding colony of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

Between 1975 and 2014, housing conditions for laboratory-housed marmosets changed dramatically after the introduction of new guidelines designed to improve their care and wellbeing. According to these guidelines, our facility provided marmosets with outside enclosures, switched to deep litter as...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Marmoset, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Bakker, J., Ouwerling, B., Hedit, P. J. et al. 2015. Advantages and risks of housing changes to improve animal wellbeing in a breeding colony of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). JAALAS 54(3), 273-279.

The behavioral effects of single housing and environmental enrichment on adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Environmental enrichment provides laboratory-housed species the opportunity to express natural behavior and exert control over their home environment, thereby minimizing stress. We sought to determine whether providing an artificial plant in the holding tank as enrichment influenced anxiety-like behaviors and...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Collymore, C., Tolwani, R. J., Rasmussen, S. 2015. The behavioral effects of single housing and environmental enrichment on adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). JAALAS. 54(3), 280-285.

Effects of habitat complexity on pair-housed zebrafish

Sexually mature zebrafish were housed as single male-female pairs with or without plastic vegetation for 1, 5, or 10 d for comparison of whole-body cortisol measured by radioimmunoassay. Individually housed male zebrafish were used as controls. In the fish that...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Keck, V. A., Edgerton, D. S., Hajizadeh, S. et al. 2015. Effects of habitat complexity on pair-housed zebrafish. JAALAS 54(4), 378-383.

The effects of audiobooks on the behaviour of dogs at a rehoming kennels

Domestic dogs are often kept in kennelled environments. These may be stressful, and impact negatively upon welfare, due to unpredictable variations in space, social interaction and noise. Auditory stimulation such as music has been demonstrated to enhance animal welfare in...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Brayley, C., Montrose, V. T. 2016. The effects of audiobooks on the behaviour of dogs at a rehoming kennels. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 174, 111-115.

The impact of early postnatal environmental enrichment on maternal care and offspring behaviour following weaning

The early postnatal period is a sensitive period in rodents as behavioural systems are developing and maturing during this time. However, relatively little information is available about the impact of environmental enrichment on offspring behaviour if enrichment is implemented only...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Li, K. A., Lund, E. T., Voigt, J.W. 2016. The impact of early postnatal environmental enrichment on maternal care and offspring behaviour following weaning. Behavioural Processes 122, 51-58.