Environmental Enrichment

Environmental enrichment attenuates reproductive adversity in a mouse model of Parkinson disease

Environmental enrichment is the provision of different substrates to mimic an animal’s natural environment and encourage natural, species-specific behavior. However, the use of enrichment to improve breeding efficiency in mouse models for neurologic conditions is not well described. There are...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Walsh, C. A., Johnson, L., Cirillo, P. A. et al. 2025. Environmental enrichment attenuates reproductive adversity in a mouse model of parkinson disease. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 64(1), 58–63.

Behavioral effects of floor pens as environmental enrichment for laboratory rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Laboratory animals are indispensable for science, particularly in biomedical research. Their welfare must meet their physical, social and physiological needs. Ethological evaluations are crucial for identifying and correcting abnormal behaviors caused by captivity, often through tools like environmental enrichment (EE)....

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Vilardo, V. B., Pinto, M. S. F., de Carvalho e Silva, A. M. P. T. et al. 2025. Behavioral effects of floor pens as environmental enrichment for laboratory rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 286, 106629.

Regular play opportunities during the grow-finish phase improve pig trainability and learning in a cognitive bias test

Promoting play behaviour could enhance pig welfare in intensive production systems. Play is associated with positive emotions, and regular play opportunities may positively alter pigs’ affective states. The affective state of pigs can be indirectly assessed through a behavioural test...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Steinerová, K., Parker, S. E., Seddon, Y. M. 2025. Regular play opportunities during the grow-finish phase improve pig trainability and learning in a cognitive bias test. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 283, 106502.

The impact of enriched housing on the behaviour and welfare of captive leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius)

Substantial evidence demonstrates the benefits of environmental enrichment in mammals and birds. However, far less is known about this topic in reptiles—an increasingly popular group of pets. This study compared the effects of housing conditions (Standard vs. Enriched) on the...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Rickman, E. L., Wilkinson, A., Pike, T. W. et al. 2025. The impact of enriched housing on the behaviour and welfare of captive leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 283, 106487.

Increasing cage complexity reduces abnormal behaviours in farmed blue foxes

We studied the long-term effects of biweekly rotated enrichment objects and a permanent shelter screen on abnormal behaviour, daily activity, and stress physiology in juvenile female blue foxes (aged 3–9 months). The experiment lasted seven months, from August to February, following...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Other Animal

Citation: Ojala, E. A., Valros, A., Mononen, J. 2025. Increasing cage complexity reduces abnormal behaviours in farmed blue foxes. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 284, 106559.

Behavioral and performance effects on female offspring from rabbit does housed in enriched cages during gestation and lactation

In mammals, intrauterine experiences and early-life conditions can influence future behaviors. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of enriched and conventional cages for rabbit does during gestation and lactation on the behavior and performance of the first generation of...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Nakamura, G. K. C., Alencar, D., Costa, L. B. et al. 2025. Behavioral and performance effects on female offspring from rabbit does housed in enriched cages during gestation and lactation. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 285, 106576.

Biopolymer-based nesting material for sows and its consequence on nest-building behavior, farrowing kinetics and piglet vitality

In the present study, we evaluated the effects of a soluble and biodegradable biopolymer-based material, structurally resembling natural fiber, as an alternative nesting-material for prepartum gilts. A total of 18 first parity sows and their litters were studied. One hour...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, ReproductionAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Monteiro, M. S., Muro, B. B. D., Nicolino, M. V. B. et al. 2025. Biopolymer-based nesting material for sows and its consequence on nest-building behavior, farrowing kinetics and piglet vitality. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 284, 106555.

Shelter or complexity? Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) preference for enrichment structures is a matter of time and frequency of visits

Assessing fish preferences for resources may be an interesting approach to select environmental enrichments to improve their welfare. However, different operational variables may end up indicating distinct preferences. Here we investigated whether Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) express different preferences for...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Fish, Tilapia

Citation: Maia, C. M., Montalt, A. V., Arechavala-Lopez, P. et al. 2025. Shelter or complexity? Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) preference for enrichment structures is a matter of time and frequency of visits. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 283, 106498.

The effects of light and novel enrichment on Eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) behavior and physiology

Reptiles play an important role in education and conservation goals within the zoological community, yet evidence-based management protocols tailored to this group remain notably scarce. To redress this, a study was designed to assess behavioral and physiological changes to different...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Reptile, Snake

Citation: Lynch, E. C., Roznik, E. A., Smith, D. et al. 2025. The effects of light and novel enrichment on Eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) behavior and physiology. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 286, 106598.

Good welfare is attractive: Female zebrafish (Danio rerio) prefer males from complex, well-resourced conditions over males from conventional barren laboratory tanks

Applied ethologists often find that sub-optimal housing (e.g. barren versus “enriched”, well-resourced conditions) impairs animals’ interactions with conspecifics. Furthermore, some housing effects on social/sexual interactions persist even in standardised test situations. For example, in mating tests on three mammalian and...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, ReproductionAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Lavery, J. M., Snaith, K., Pallarca, J. et al. 2025. Good welfare is attractive: Female zebrafish (Danio rerio) prefer males from complex, well-resourced conditions over males from conventional barren laboratory tanks. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 286, 106603.