ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT (EE) IN LABORATORY ANIMALS

Marijana Vucinic1, Zoran Todorovic2

University of Belgrade, 1Faculty of veterinary medicine, 2Faculty of medicine
ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT IN LABORATORY ANIMALS

Definition
1. Goals
2. Types
3. How to use EE
4. Consequences for scientific outcomes
 EE synonyms

Environmental enhancement

Environmental refinement

Behavioural engineering
 ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT IN LABORATORY ANIMALS

DEFINITION

Definitions vary by EE goals

GOALS:

1. Improving animal welfare

2. Neuroscience - research tool for understanding the effects of

experience on the brain - biochemical, structural, functional
and behavioural effects
 ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT IN LABORATORY ANIMALS

DEFINITIONS

Insetion in a primary enclosure of an animal such stimuli which

motivate it to express physiological behavioural forms in order to
improve animal welfare

An increase in the complexity or naturalness of an enclosure, with the

goal of improving animal welfare
3Rs Replacement, Reduction, Refinement

Environmental refinement/enrichment - any modification in the

environment of captive animals that seeks to enhance the physical and
psychological well-being/welfare of the animals by providing stimuli
which meet the animals species-specific needs
 Hierarchy of needs

physiological needs
safety needs
behavioural needs

life-sustaining needs
health-sustaining needs
comfort sustaining needs
VIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT IN LABORATORY ANIMALS

efinition
oals
ypes
onsequences for scientific outcomes
ow to use EE

Insertion into living space such stimuli

that motivate animals to express
natural forms of behavior
What is the behaviour?
All manifested activities of animals
What is the main goal of an animal behavior?
Keeping of homeostasis by rapid responses to changes in the living
environment in order to achieve physical, thermal, mental comfort, or
experiences of comfort, pleasure, security and safety and satisfaction
Behavioural forms

9 inherited behavioural forms in vertebrate animals

Reactivity
Sleeping and resting behaviour
Ingestion
Locomotion
Hygienic behaviour
Territorial behaviour
Explorative behaviour
Social behaviour
Reproductive behaviour
9 inherited behavioural forms in vertebrate animals
Reactivity
Sleeping and resting behaviour
Ingestion
Locomotion
Hygienic behaviour
Territorial behaviour
Explorative behaviour
Social behaviour
Reproductive behaviour
ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT IN LABORATORY ANIMALS

TYPES

Social enrichment Physical enrichment

 ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT IN LABORATORY ANIMALS

TYPES

Social enrichment

Social contact enrichment - gregarious species should be group

or pair housed with conspecifics

Social non-contact enrichment - visual, auditory and olfactory

communication with conspecifics or contraspecifics through
bars or mesh
 ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT IN LABORATORY ANIMALS

TYPES

Physical enrichment

Structural enrichment/complexity of the enclosure to

provide animals with separate areas for feeding, resting and excretion,
with shelters, nest boxes, nesting material, tubes, and platforms, and
allow the animals to control their environment
Sensory enrichment - visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile and
taste stimuli
Nutritional stimuli different presentation of food, different
textures of food, different taste of food, different types of food
Mice

Motivated to build nest, gnaw, explore environment, hide, climb

Rats

Motivated to burrow, gnaw, chew, hide

Guinea pigs

Not motivated to burrow, but to live in burrows made by other animals

Gerbils

Motivated to dig, to build tunnel system, chew, gnaw..

Hamsters

Burrow-digging, nest building rodents

Rabbits

hopping and rearing animals

 Points to consider when implementing environmental
enrichment
Species, strain, age, sex
Interaction with the experiment
Practical considerations for staff of implementing enrichment
Occupational health and safety aspects
Financial aspects
Good laboratory practice (GLP) aspects
Training of staff and communication with researchers
Unwanted side effects of enrichment on animal welfare
Observability of the animals
Sudden changes of environmental enrichment when animals are transferred
Encourage EE description in the methods section of journal publications
Literature search
EE standardisation
General
Environmental enrichment or enhancement Terms that we can use
Enriched or enhanced environment when searching for
Environmental complexity
Preference testing enrichment information
Housing or caging or rearing conditions
Enriched housing
Pair or group or social housing or social environment or social groups
Pair or group formation
Social isolation or social deprivation
Complex cage or complex housing
Nesting material or nestlets (include bedding or substrate if looking for effects of these things)
Enrichment objects
Toy or toys
Play or playthings
Manipulanda
Foraging boards
Puzzle feeders
Nestlets
Nest box
Wheel(s) (running wheel(s))
Chew sticks
Terms for food items
 EE consequences for scientific outcomes

EE affects both animal behaviour and physiology

EE changes dendritic branching, synaptogenesis, memory

function, cognition, emotionality and behaviour of animals,
neuroendocrine regulation, immunological parameters,
metabolism