Environmental Enrichment

Animal well-being and housing systems for piglets

Weaned piglets housed with straw performed less tail-biting, rooting, massaging, and nibbling of pen-mates than pigs reared without straw.

Year Published: 1981Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Buré, R. G. 1981. Animal well-being and housing systems for piglets. In: The Welfare of Pigs. Sybesma, W. (ed), 198-207. Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague, Netherlands.

Effects of early environmental enrichment upon open-field behavior and timidity in the domestic chick

Group-housed domestic chicks were reared either with objects (enriched) [golf ball, bottle top, lengths of string etc.] or without objects. ... The increased stimulation provided by environmental enrichment may decrease fearfulness in subsequent fear-inducing situations and may enhance the ability...

Year Published: 1982Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Jones, R. B. 1982. Effects of early environmental enrichment upon open-field behavior and timidity in the domestic chick. Developmental Psychobiology 15, 105-111.

Environmental enrichment and restriction: Effects on reactivity, exploration and maze learning in mice with septal lesions

Mice from enriched living conditions showed less fear responses [resistance to capture, handling; vocalization] than mice from barren standard housing conditions.

Year Published: 1982Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Engellenner, W. J., Goodlett, C. R., Burright, R. G. et al. 1982. Environmental enrichment and restriction: Effects on reactivity, exploration and maze learning in mice with septal lesions. Physiology and Behavior 29, 885-893.

Deep woodchip litter: Hygiene, feeding, and behavioral enhancement in eight primate species

Sixty-seven animals from eight primate species were used to assess improved husbandry techniques. The presence of woodchips as a direct-contact litter decreased inactivity and fighting, and increased time spent on the ground. Placing food in the deep litter led to...

Year Published: 1982Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Capuchin, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Chamove, A. S., Anderson, J. R., Morgan-Jones, S. C. et al. 1982. Deep woodchip litter: Hygiene, feeding, and behavioral enhancement in eight primate species. International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems 3, 308-318.

The enrichment of a bare environment for animals in confined conditions

New earth and food were given at the same time ... and all piglets in these groups used the earth trough [for rooting] before [emphasis added] feeding.

Year Published: 1983Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Wood-Gush, D. G. M., Beilharz, R. G. 1983. The enrichment of a bare environment for animals in confined conditions. Applied Animal Ethology (Applied Animal Behaviour Science) 10, 209-217.

Allowing captive primates to forage

A woodchip litter substrate reduces abnormal behaviours, primarily self-aggression, and encourages foraging, even in the absence of grain. Comparison between the bare floor and litter with grain showed that in the latter monkeys foraged more, manipulated the environment less, were...

Year Published: 1984Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Anderson, J. R. , Chamove, A. S. 1984. Allowing captive primates to forage. In: Standards in Laboratory Animal Management. Proceedings of a Symposium. 253-256. The Universities Federation For Animal Welfare, Potters Bar, UK.

Facilitative effects of maternal environmental enrichment on maze learning in rat offspring

Maternal environmental enrichment during pregnancy can exert a facilitatory influence on the postnatal maze learning abilities of theoffspring.

Year Published: 1985Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive Testing, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Kiyono, S., Seo, M. L., Shibagaki, M. et al. 1985. Facilitative effects of maternal environmental enrichment on maze learning in rat offspring. Physiology and Behavior 34, 431-435.

Brief periods of environmental enrichment facilitates adolescent development of gerbils

The enrichment experience [large outdoor environment] for one hour a month [only!] .. facilitated adolescent development. Area of the ventral gland increased more rapidly in gerbils given environmental enrichment.

Year Published: 1986Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Gerbil, Rodent

Citation: Cheal, M. L., Foley, K., Kastenbaum, R. 1986. Brief periods of environmental enrichment facilitates adolescent development of gerbils. Physiology and Behavior 36, 1047-1051.

Environmental enrichment with sticks for singly-caged adult rhesus monkeys

The addition of branch segments for gnawing was found to be an effective and inexpensive method of environmental enrichment for single-housed adult rhesus macaques.

Year Published: 1987Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Champoux, M., Hempel, M., Reinhardt, V. 1987. Environmental enrichment with sticks for singly-caged adult rhesus monkeys. Laboratory Primate Newsletter 26(4), 5-7.

Environmental enrichment facilitates foraging behavior

Gerbils who had one hour per month access to a complex outdoor enclosure or who were reared in a large cage were more efficient in locating a feeding source than controls [reared/kept in small cages].

Year Published: 1987Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Gerbil, Rodent

Citation: Cheal, M. L. 1987. Environmental enrichment facilitates foraging behavior. Physiology and Behavior 39, 281-283.