Environmental Enrichment

Rabbit enrichment items: Getting bang for the buck (and doe)

A recent discussion on the Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF) focused on new enrichment ideas for rabbits. Contributors shared their experiences about which toys and treats get rave reviews from rabbits.

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Animal Welfare Institute. 2019. Rabbit enrichment items: Getting bang for the buck (and doe). AWI Quarterly 68(1) Spring, 24-25.

Assessing the safety and suitability of nesting material for singly housed mice with surgically fitted head plates

Nesting material, for example shredded paper, is a common form of enrichment for laboratory mice. However, there has been limited research performed regarding its apparent safety when given to mice fitted with exteriorised devices such as head plates. Anecdotally, shredded...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, External Bodily EquipmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Windsor, Z., Bate, S. T. 2019. Assessing the safety and suitability of nesting material for singly housed mice with surgically fitted head plates. Heliyon 5(7), e02097.

Structural complexity in the hatchery rearing environment affects activity, resting metabolic rate and post-release behaviour in brown trout Salmo trutta

The effects of structural enrichment in the hatchery rearing environment of brown trout Salmo trutta was linked to post-release performance. Enrichment resulted in reduced swimming activity scored in an open field test and reduced movement in a natural river after...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Fish, Trout

Citation: Watz, J. 2019. Structural complexity in the hatchery rearing environment affects activity, resting metabolic rate and post-release behaviour in brown trout Salmo trutta. Journal of Fish Biology 95(2), 638-641.

Effects of environmental enrichment on survivorship, growth, sex ratio and behaviour in laboratory maintained zebrafish Danio rerio

Environmental enrichment involves increasing the complexity of a fish's environment in order to improve welfare. Researchers are legally obliged to consider the welfare of laboratory animals and poor welfare may result in less robust data in experimental science. Laboratory zebrafish...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Lee, C. J., Paull, G. C., Tyler, C. R. 2019. Effects of environmental enrichment on survivorship, growth, sex ratio and behaviour in laboratory maintained zebrafish Danio rerio. Journal of Fish Biology 94(1), 86-95.

Horn of calf hooves as chews in laboratory dogs

European law recommends the enrichment of laboratory dogs with chewing objects. This study examines the suitability of the horn of calf hooves for this purpose and was performed with 62 dogs (60 beagles, 2 Foxhound Boehringer Ingelheim) across 3 research...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Döringa, D., Kettera, D. A., Klima, A. et. al. 2016. Horn of calf hooves as chews in laboratory dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 13, 39-45.

Effects of calf horn as chews on the behavior of laboratory dogs

It is increasingly required that non-human animals in laboratories are provided with adequate enrichment to promote the welfare of the animals. In a previous publication we showed that laboratory dogs intensively used the horn of calf hooves as chewing objects....

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Ketter, D. A., Klima, A., Küchenhoff, H. et al. 2020. Effects of calf horn as chews on the behavior of laboratory dogs. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 23(1), 116-128.

Can simple tank changes benefit the welfare of laboratory zebrafish Danio rerio? Journal of Fish Biology 92(3), 653-659

This study examined the effects of simple changes in the tank environment on the wellbeing of laboratory-maintained zebrafish Danio rerio. Groups of D. rerio were either housed in stable environments (where they were maintained in the same tanks throughout the...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Lee, C. J., Tyler, C. R., Paull, G. C. et al. 2018. Can simple tank changes benefit the welfare of laboratory zebrafish Danio rerio? Journal of Fish Biology 92(3), 653-659.

The effect of substrate rearing on growth, aerobic scope and physiology of larval white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus

The effect of substratum on growth and metabolic rate was assessed in larval white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus. Yolk-sac larvae (YSL) were reared in bare tanks or tanks with gravel as substratum from hatch until approximately 16-days post hatch (dph). The...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish

Citation: Boucher, M. A., Baker, D. W., Brauner, C. J. et al. 2018. The effect of substrate rearing on growth, aerobic scope and physiology of larval white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus. Journal of Fish Biology 92(6), 1731-1746.

The effect of rearing structures on behaviour and movement of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss

The relative movement of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss reared on two treatments was investigated to provide insight on the effect of structure in the rearing environment on the behaviour of the fish before potential release into a natural river system....

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Trout

Citation: Self, K. E., Schreck, C. B., Cogliati, K. M. et al. 2018. The effect of rearing structures on behaviour and movement of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss. Journal of Fish Biology 93(3), 449-454.

Survey of behavioral indices of welfare in research chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in the United States

Chimpanzees demand specialized housing and care and the highest degree of attention to animal welfare. The current project used a survey method to collate information on chimpanzee housing and behavioral indices of welfare across all 6 of the chimpanzee research...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Bloomsmith, M. A., Clay, A. W., Lambeth, S. P. et al. 2019. Survey of behavioral indices of welfare in research chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in the United States. JAALAS 58(2), 160-177.