Environmental Enrichment

Development of bed-building behaviors in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Implication for critical period hypothesis and captive management

Wild great apes build beds for sleeping by combining tree branches or other vegetation, but the development of this behavior is poorly understood. We investigated the development of bed-building behaviors by conducting complementary cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of captive chimpanzees....

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Yamanashi, Y., Bando, H., Matsunaga, M. et al. 2020. Development of bed-building behaviors in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Implication for critical period hypothesis and captive management. Primates 61(5), 639-646.

DIY: Enrichment items

This article with photos describes how to make a cat ball toy using empty toilet paper and paper towel rolls.

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Buchanan, K. 2020. DIY: Enrichment items. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(1) (January/February), 38.

DIY: Foraging balls

This article describes the steps for making a DIY guinea pig or rabbit cardboard foraging ball. Pictures are provided for each step as well as the completed ball. These cardboard foraging balls can be made as large as you want,...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Buchanan, K. 2020. DIY: Foraging balls. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(3) (May/June), 51.

DIY: Frozen chicken broth treats

This article gives the recipe for making dog treats. These treats are not only refreshing for dogs, but also easy to make. Mix and match dog friendly fruits and veggies to make many treat varieties.

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Buchanan, K. 2020. DIY: Frozen chicken broth treats. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(6) (November/December), 37.

DIY: Peanut butter pumpkin yogurt pops

This article with photos describes how to make a snack for dogs.

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Buchanan, K. 2020. DIY: Peanut butter pumpkin yogurt pops. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(2) (March/April), 49.

Does ‘playtime’ reduce stimulus-seeking and other boredom-like behaviour in laboratory ferrets?

Much environmental enrichment for laboratory animals is intended to enhance animal welfare and normalcy by providing stimulation to reduce 'boredom'. Behavioural manifestations of boredom include restless sensation-seeking behaviours combined with indicators of sub-optimal arousal. Here, we explored whether these signs...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Ferret

Citation: Burn, C. C., Raffle, J., Bizley, J. K. 2020. Does 'playtime' reduce stimulus-seeking and other boredom-like behaviour in laboratory ferrets? Animal Welfare 29(1), 19-26.

Effects of early and current environmental enrichment on behavior and growth in pigs

Enriched environments are known to beneficially affect the behavior of pigs, as compared with barren pens. The influence of enrichment may, however, depend on pigs' early life housing experiences. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effects...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Luo, L., Reimert, I., Middelkoop, A. et al. 2020. Effects of early and current environmental enrichment on behavior and growth in pigs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7, 268.

Effects of enriched housing on the neuronal morphology of mice that lack zinc transporter 3 (ZnT3) and vesicular zinc

In the central nervous system, certain neurons store zinc within the synaptic vesicles of their axon terminals. This vesicular zinc can then be released in an activity-dependent fashion as an intercellular signal. The functions of vesicular zinc are not entirely...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: McAllister, B. B., Thackray, S. E., Garciá de la Orta, B. K. et al. 2020. Effects of enriched housing on the neuronal morphology of mice that lack zinc transporter 3 (ZnT3) and vesicular zinc. Behavioural Brain Research 379, 112336.

Effects of olfactory and auditory enrichment on heart rate variability in shelter dogs

Animal shelters can be stressful environments and time in care may affect individual dogs in negative ways, so it is important to try to reduce stress and arousal levels to improve welfare and chance of adoption. A key element of...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Amaya, V., Paterson, M. B. A., Descovich, K., et al. 2020. Effects of olfactory and auditory enrichment on heart rate variability in shelter dogs. Animals 10(8), 1385.

Effects of olfactory and auditory enrichment on the behaviour of shelter dogs

Shelter environments are stressful for dogs, as they must cope with many stimuli over which they have little control. This can lead to behavioural changes, negatively affect their welfare and downgrade the human‐animal bond, affecting re-homing success. Arousal is evident...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Amaya, V., Paterson, M. B. A., Phillips, C. J. C. 2020. Effects of olfactory and auditory enrichment on the behaviour of shelter dogs. Animals 10(4), 581.