dart study enrichment- what are we doing? results of a cross-industry survey

DART Study Enrichment-what are we doing?

Results of a cross-industry survey

What is EE?Environmental enrichment (EE) is any

modification in the environment of the captive animals that seeks to enhance its physical and psychological well-being by providing stimuli meeting the animals’ species-specific needs

Types of EE Social enrichment, which can involve either direct or indirect (visual,

olfactory, auditory) contact with conspecifics (other individuals of the same species) or humans.

Occupational enrichment, which encompasses both psychological enrichment (e.g., devices that provide animals with control or challenges) and enrichment that encourages exercise.

Physical enrichment, which can involve altering the size or complexity of the animal’s enclosure or adding accessories to the enclosure such as objects, substrate, or permanent structures (e.g., nestboxes).

Sensory enrichment, or stimuli that are visual (e.g., television), auditory (music, vocalizations), or in other modalities (e.g., olfactory, tactile, taste).

Nutritional enrichment, which can involve either presenting varied or novel food types or changing the method of food delivery.

Why use EE?Reduce the incidence or severity of

undesirable or abnormal behaviors◦Barbering and related alopecia◦Self-mutilation◦Repetitive/stereotypic behaviors◦Depressed behaviors◦“Crazy” bunnies

Help with tooth over-growthRegulatory body directives

◦AAALAC, etc.

Where are we now?Survey sent to 13 companies

with in- house DART programs in the US and Europe addressing:◦EE practices for rats & rabbits◦Uses of edible vs. non-edible

enrichment

11 respondents, with responses from CROs, pharmaceutical, and chemical companies with in-house animal facilities.

RABBITS

Rabbits: Non-edible

Yes No

Do you use non-edible EE for rabbits? 11 0

Do you play music? 8a 3

Do you give manipulatives? 11 0

a – One respondent only plays music for Dutch-Belted rabbits

Rabbit Music

During light cycle

Work Hours (~7am - 3pm) 24 hours/day

3 / 8 3 / 8 2 / 8

When?

Why?

Rabbit MusicWhat? (≥1 response/respondee)

◦ Pop 1◦ Rock 2◦ New Age 1◦ Radio 3◦ Country 1◦ Classical 3◦ Easy Listening 1◦ Anything with no loud bass or startling

sounds 1CRP (rabbit vendor) uses both music and talk (spoken word) radio. 

Rabbit Manipulatives Hanging stainless-steel items:

◦ Washer rings

◦ Chains

◦ Bells

◦ Mirrors

◦ Rattles

◦ Bowls

◦ Triangles

Rolling toys: Jingle ball (contains SS washer noise makers), SS ball, Taz balls, PVC pipe

Chew toys: Aspen wood block, Flexi keys, Nylabones, Cyclone chew, Dumbbell, Cardboard trays/tunnels

BMS rabbit caging

AZ rabbit caging

Rabbit Exercise Methodology rabbits group-housed in floor pens Study animals rotated into a exercise pens (AZ

example below)

Rabbits: Edible Enrichment

Do you use edible enrichment for rabbits?

Yes – 11a / 11

Routine only? 4 / 11

Inappetence only? 2 / 11

Routine + additional for inappetence?

5 / 11

a – One respondent gives food enrichment to pre-study or non-study rabbits only; all others give enrichment to study animals (routine and/or inappentence)

Routine edible enrichment

What? (≥1 response/respondee)

◦ Kale 1◦ Timothy hay cubes (1× daily-weekly)

4◦ Rabbit stixa (Bio-Serv®) 2◦ Alfalfa cubes 1◦ Fruit 1◦ Veggies 1◦ Loose hay 1◦ Bunny blocks (Bio-Serv®) 1◦ Cereal 1

a – Certified, high-fiber pineapple-flavored, maintenance diet, supplement, or enrichment treat

Edible enrichment for inappetence

What? (≥1 response/respondee)

◦ Loose hay ◦ Fresh produce (carrots, apples)◦ Yogurt◦ Wheat cereal◦ Timothy hay cubes (1× daily-weekly)◦ Gel diet◦ Bunny blocks (Bio-Serv®) ◦ Dry diet moistened 50:50 (w/w) with warm

water◦ Fruity gems (Bio-Serv®) ◦ Organic granola

Criteria for inappetenceVeterinary recommendation Food consumption

◦< 30 g/day◦< 50 g/day◦< 100 g/day

Fecal outputConsiderations: age, sex, arrival

date, behaviorBased on individual animal condition,

not group mean patterns

Edible enrichment considerationsDrug-food interactions

◦Grapefruit - Cyp 3A4 inhibitor◦Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage,

kale – Cyp 1A2 enzyme inducers

Anti-coagulants & dietary Vitamin K◦Kale/spinach

RATS

Rats: Non-edible

Yes No

Do you use non-edible EE for rats? 11 0

Do you play music? 1a

Do you give manipulatives? 11 0

a – Was not specifically queried, but one respondent uses music for all animals, including rats.

Rat Manipulatives

Hanging stainless-steel items: ◦ Nuts and bolts

◦ Jingle Tags

◦ “Mouse relaxer”

Hiding Devices: huts, tunnels, houses Chew toys: Nylapucks, gummy bones, nylabones,

wood blocks, cyclone chews, chewsticks Nesting/bedding materials: Aspen wood shavings,

Crink’lNest, nestlets, alpha twist, sizzlenest Other: Non-woven gauze

BMS: Custom-made with SS nuts instead of nylon spacers. They love them!!

BMS: Tunnels are always a rat favorite…we have seen entire litters cram themselves inside one.

Rats: Edible Enrichment

Do you use edible enrichment for rats? Yes – 6 / 11

Routine? 1 / 11

Inappetence? 2 / 11

Ever? 3a / 11

a 2 respondents routine for non-study rats (methodology or training rats); 1 used for behaviorial reward in specific instances

Types of edible enrichment (rat)

Routine (≥1 response/respondee)

◦ Cereal 1◦ Yogurt drops 1◦ Bacon yummies 1◦ Supreme Mini-treats 1◦ BLT 1

Inappetencea (≥1 response/respondee)

◦ Fruity gems◦ Gel diet◦ Portion of bunny block

aCriteria: marked decrease in food consumption, body-weight loss, few or no feces, certain behavioral changes

SummaryUse of enrichment is pervasive in

DART studies.◦Rabbits: Music, manipulatives, and

edible forms are all routinely used◦Rats: Manipulatives and nesting

materials are common, with only minimal uses of edible enrichment

Consumption of edible enrichment is not routinely measured in nearly all instances

Thank you to all survey respondents!

Any Questions?