Environmental Enrichment

Free-choice exploration increases affiliative behaviour in zebrafish

Cognitive stimulation has been shown to be rewarding and capable of eliciting positive emotions in several species. In contrast to the abundant learning and exploration opportunities available in nature, captive environments can be under-stimulating—with the potential to induce anhedonia and...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Graham, C., von Keyserlingk, M. A. G., Franks, B. 2018. Free-choice exploration increases affiliative behaviour in zebrafish. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 203, 103-110.

Pre-weaning environmental enrichment increases piglets’ object play behaviour on a large scale commercial pig farm

Environmental enrichment is a legal requirement for European pig farms. The suitability of enrichment materials for neonatal pigs is understudied and has not been tested in commercial settings. This study investigates the effect of hanging objects and substrate as two...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Yang, C.-H., Ko, H.-L., Salazar, L. C. et al. 2018. Pre-weaning environmental enrichment increases piglets' object play behaviour on a large scale commercial pig farm. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 202, 7-12.

The behavioural effects of olfactory stimulation on dogs at a rescue shelter

Many domestic dogs are kept in rescue and rehoming shelters which are frequently stressful and under-stimulating environments. Dog welfare is often compromised within these environments and there is a need to determine new practical and effective methods of improving the...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Binks, J., Taylor, S., Wills, A. et al. 2018. The behavioural effects of olfactory stimulation on dogs at a rescue shelter. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 202, 69-76.

Zebrafish welfare: Natural history, social motivation and behaviour

Zebrafish are now one of the most used animal model species in scientific research worldwide. Our current knowledge of wild zebrafish is limited to an estimated range of their natural habitats and their tendencies to form groups. In laboratories, zebrafish...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Graham, C., von Keyserlingk, M. A. G., Franks, B. 2018. Zebrafish welfare: Natural history, social motivation and behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 200, 13-22.

Nest-building behaviour and activity budgets of sows provided with different materials

Domestic sows are still highly motivated to build a nest before farrowing. Many pig houses have slurry systems that do not allow use of long straw or other bulky materials that could block the drains, which provides an incentive to...

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

Citation: Rosvold, E. M., Newberry, R. C., Framstad, T. 2018. Nest-building behaviour and activity budgets of sows provided with different materials. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 200, 36-44.

Environmental enrichment in the 21st century

More than a quarter of a century has elapsed since the Animal Welfare Act mandated that research facilities develop and follow a plan to promote the psychological well-being of captive primates. Since passage of this law, considerable effort and resources...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Baboon, Capuchin, Chimpanzee, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Coleman, K., Novak, M. A. 2017. Environmental enrichment in the 21st century. ILAR Journal 58(2), 295-307.

Effects of exercise and enrichment on behaviour in CD-1 mice

A host of scholarly work has characterized the positive effects of exercise and environmental enrichment on behaviour and cognition in animal studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the uptake and longitudinal impact of exercise and enrichment on...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Aujnaraina, A. B., Luoa, O. D., Taylor, N. et al. 2018. Effects of exercise and enrichment on behaviour in CD-1 mice. Behavioural Brain Research 342, 43-50.

Generalization of effects of environmental enrichment on seeking for different classes of drugs of abuse

Background: Addiction is a chronic disease characterized by persistent vulnerability to relapse during abstinence. In animal models of addiction, accumulating evidence suggests that exposure to environmental enrichment (EE) during periods of abstinence can have curative effects on addiction and reduce...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Sikora, M., Nicolas, C., Istin, M. et al. 2018. Generalization of effects of environmental enrichment on seeking for different classes of drugs of abuse. Behavioural Brain Research 341, 109-113.

Decreased environmental complexity during development impairs habituation of reinforcer effectiveness of sensory stimuli

Previous research has shown that rats reared in simple/impoverished environments demonstrate greater repetitive responding for sensory reinforcers (e.g., light onset). Moreover, the brains of these rats are abnormally developed, compared to brains of rats reared in more complex/enriched environments. Repetitive...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Wang, R., Hausknechta, K. A., Haj-Dahmane, S. et al. 2018. Decreased environmental complexity during development impairs habituation of reinforcer effectiveness of sensory stimuli. Behavioural Brain Research 337, 53-60.

Enriched environment alters the behavioral profile of tenascin-C deficient mice

Tenascin-C (TnC) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein implicated in a variety of processes ranging from brain development to synaptic plasticity in the adult vertebrates. Although the role of the TnC gene in regulation of behavior has been investigated, it remained...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Stamenkovic, V., Milenkovic, I., Galjak, N. et al. 2017. Enriched environment alters the behavioral profile of tenascin-C deficient mice. Behavioural Brain Research 331, 241-253.