Environmental Enrichment and Refinement for Rodents and Rabbits: An Annotated Bibliography Last update 2007 Annie Reinhardt Animal Welfare Institute

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This bibliography offers animal caregivers, animal technicians, veterinarians, and students guidance to practical information on refinement and environmental enrichment for rodents and rabbits kept in research institutions.

Guides, Guidelines, and Regulations
Inanimate Enrichment
Bedding & Nesting Material

Bedding & flooring
Nesting material

Shelters

Nest boxes
Mouse house/igloo etc.
Tunnels, tubes & burrows

Space & Cage Design

Size of enclosure
Complexity of space (General, visual barriers & cover, platforms, ramps, etc.)
Floor pen
Light

Enrichment Objects

Gnawing blocks, gnawing sticks
Running wheels
Toys, mirror, various

Feeding Enrichment
Social Enrichment
Group-Housing & Group Formation
Pair-Housing
Human Interaction
Refinement
Inanimate Enrichment: Refinement

Reduction of aggression
Reduction of anxiety, fear & excitability
Reduction of stress
Reduction of abnormal behavior
Brain function
Learning performance
Immune function
Wound healing
Prevention of obesity

Social Enrichment: Refinement

Social Buffer: Reduction of anxiety, fear & stress
Group and pair housing: Alleviation of abnormal behavior

Training to Cooperate: Refinement: Reduction of Stress
Variables
Single Housing, Solitary Confinement, Barren cage & Understimulation
Stress from Laboratory Procedures (Restraint & handling, blood collection, injection)
Stress from Husbandry Routine

Cage cleaning
Transfer to unfamiliar environment, transportation

Light
Various

Exposure to stressed conspecific
Separation from companion
Cage level & multi-tier system
Noise
Color of cage
Observer effect
Environmental enrichment

Species-Typical Behavior

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