Environmental Enrichment

Inventive enrichment to facilitate weight gain in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) during invasive studies

To provide the highest standard of care to marmosets during invasive surgical studies, studies that often lead to weight loss, it is paramount to call upon inherent species-specific enrichment tactics to mitigate weight loss. Weight loss is common in marmosets...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Heyworth, C. 2019. Inventive enrichment to facilitate weight gain in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) during invasive studies. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 7(4) (December), 38-41.

Revamping porcine enrichment

Pigs may exhibit stereotypic behaviors due to lack of proper mental stimulation. Stereotypic behaviors include self-inflicted wounds, biting at the pen, polydipsia, cage destruction, and loud vocalizations. These behaviors may be alleviated with proper daily enriching stimulation. Pigs enjoy a...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Heyworth, C. 2019. Revamping porcine enrichment. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 7(3) (September), 63-65.

Fight Club: Using housing conditions to curb male cage aggression

Those who have worked with C57BL/6 males know how aggressive they can be towards their cage mates. We poured over academic journals, reading every article we could find regarding male home cage aggression. Three articles piqued our interest and suggested...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherrill, C., Kavanagh, K. 2019. Fight Club: Using housing conditions to curb male cage aggression. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 7(1) (March), 38-40.

Eureka! Enhanced water recipe and enrichment for oocyte quality and embryo development in the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis)

Husbandry staff set a goal to develop a health monitoring program for a Xenopus laevis colony that included not only specific pathogen freedom, but wellness. This article describes environmental enrichment and a water recipe for the insurance of proper water...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Amphibian, Frog & Toad

Citation: Heyworth, C., Owens, D. 2019. Eureka! Enhanced water recipe and enrichment for oocyte quality and embryo development in the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis). Laboratory Animal Science Professional 7(1) (March), 43-45.

Use of more naturalistic nesting material helps decrease food shredding in mice

Shredding of feed (food grinding or food wasting) is a common behavior among certain strains of mice. It is seen in both captive and wild rodents and may either be an abnormal behavior or a normal behavior that is simply...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: MacDuff, A., Loera, F., Adamson, T. W. 2019. Use of more naturalistic nesting material helps decrease food shredding in mice. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 7(1) (March), 46-48.

Environmental and psychological enrichment for NHPs reimagined and repurposed

This article describes creative enrichment ideas for nonhuman primates, including celery stalks embedded with seeds; paper rolled into tubes, braided and filled with fruit and seeds; pineapple crowns loaded with treats; dry spaghetti noodles coated with honey and seeds; and...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Baboon, Capuchin, Chimpanzee, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Heyworth, C., Olivo, D. 2018. Environmental and psychological enrichment for NHPs reimagined and repurposed. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 5(4) (December), 39-43.

Development of edible environmental enrichment objects for weaned pigs

Studies on environmental enrichment for weaned pigs have predominantly focused on stimulating exploration through “nonedible toys.” The research on edible enrichment objects is very limited. For this reason, the aim of this study was to develop and characterize edible environmental...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Durán, E., Churio, O., Lagos, J. et al. 2019. Development of edible environmental enrichment objects for weaned pigs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 34, 7-12.

Environmental enrichment prevents pup mortality in laboratory mice

Early death of mouse pups is a commonly known problem in breeding mice colonies, which is still often regarded as ‘normal' or is even overlooked due to the counting procedures applied. As reduced breeding performance probably indicates reduced well-being, this...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Leidinger, C. S., Thöne-Reineke, C., Baumgart, N. et al. 2019. Environmental enrichment prevents pup mortality in laboratory mice. Laboratory Animals 53(1), 53–62.

The influence of stocking density and enrichment on the occurrence of feather pecking and aggressive pecking behavior in laying hen chicks

The housing conditions and environments experienced during the rearing period can influence the development of feather pecking in chickens during this time and in the subsequent laying period. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Zepp, M., Louton, H., Erhard, M. et al. 2018. The influence of stocking density and enrichment on the occurrence of feather pecking and aggressive pecking behavior in laying hen chicks. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 24, 9-18.

Use of beds by laboratory beagles

Comfortable resting areas for laboratory dogs have been recommended by many authors and by the European Directive 2010/63/EU. They are particularly important for geriatric dogs for age- and health-related reasons. Systematic research in this area has not been done. Therefore,...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Döring, D., Backofen, I., Schmidt, J. et al. 2018. Use of beds by laboratory beagles. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 28, 6-10.