University of Manchester - Animal Welfare in Research

Animal Welfare in research atThe University of Manchester

The University of Manchester is an internationally renowned research organisation which uses animals to pioneer groundbreaking medical research.

After all...

good welfare and good research go hand in hand

To make sure our research is world-class, we must ensure that our animal care and welfare standards are the highest they can be.

Enrichment keeps an animal's day interesting and is just as essential to animal welfare as nutrition and veterinary care.

How do we achieve and maintain high standards of welfare?

One of the key elements for achieving high welfare is enrichment. Enrichment provides animals with a creative outlet for physical activity and mental exercise, as well as choice and control over how they spend their time.

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UFAW also defines the goal of environmental enrichment as to make an environment more complex and dynamic, to provide more stimulation, cognitive challenges, and opportunities to make choices or control social interactions and behave in more diverse species-specific ways.

What exactly is enrichment?

The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) define environmental enrichment as “changing a captive animal’s environment in a way that improves the animal’s quality of life."

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"Well that was a mouthful! To put it simply, enrichment is anything that makes an animal's life more enjoyable and mimics what they would experience in the wild."

UFAW (n.d)

How do you implement enrichment?

Enrichment is usually given in one of the following forms:

SENSORY

(Smell, Taste, Touch, Sounds and Visuals)

PHYSICAL

OCCUPATIONAL

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NUTRITIONAL

(Enclosure Design/Complexity and Toys)

SOCIAL

(Delivery and Type of Food)

(Puzzles and Exercise)

(Contact or Non-Contact)

So, now you know what enrichment is and why it is important...Let's take a look at how it is implemented here at The University of Manchester

Click on the animals to find out more about them , and explore how we enrich their lives...

Here at Manchester we house a number of different species used for medical research. These are:

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Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Sheep (Ovis aries)

African Striped Mice(Rhabdomys pumilio)

Mice(Mus musculus)

Guinea Pig(Cavia porcellus)

Rat(Rattus norvegicus)

African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus laevis & tropicalis)

Click on the animals to find out more about them , and explore how we enrich their lives...

Here at Manchester we house a number of different species used for medical research. These are:

Back

Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Sheep (Ovis aries)

African Striped Mice(Rhabdomys pumilio)

Mice(Mus musculus)

Guinea Pig(Cavia porcellus)

Rat(Rattus norvegicus)

African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus laevis & tropicalis)

The laboratory zebrafish is a freshwater fish originating from Asia. The use of zebrafish in research began relatively recently in the 1970s/80s, but their significance has grown quickly and they are now the second most used animal in scientific research. This is largely due to their rapid growth, transparent embryos and easily alterable genes.

Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

In many cases, the use of zebrafish is seen as a replacement method. Animal research regulations state that you must use the “least sentient animal capable of providing meaningful insight” for your research projects. Therefore, some types of studies that historically used mice or rats are now carried out In fish, as they are considered less sentient than these often-used rodents.

Understanding Animal Research (2020)

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Sentience, in a broad sense, is the capacity to feel. In a narrower sense, it refers to the capacity to have feelings with a positive or negative quality, such as feelings of pain, pleasure, boredom, excitement, frustration, anxiety and joy. (source)

Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

In many cases, the use of zebrafish is seen as a replacement method. Animal research regulations state that you must use the “least sentient animal capable of providing meaningful insight” for your research projects. Therefore, some types of studies that historically used mice or rats are now carried out in fish, as they are considered less sentient than these often-used rodents.

Understanding Animal Research (2020)

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So, how do you enrich the life of a Zebrafish?

Although it may seem difficult to tell if a zebrafish is happy, recent studies have found that when given a choice, zebrafish will choose to spend more time in an enriched tank vs. not enriched.

When deciding what enrichment the zebrafish will enjoy, we can consider their natural habitat and make some simple additions

Click on each of the enrichment categories to the right to explore the enrichment we use for zebrafish.

Physical

Nutritional

Social

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So, how do you enrich the life of a Zebrafish?

Physical

Nutritional

Social

Although it may seem difficult to tell if a zebrafish is happy, recent studies have found that when given a choice, zebrafish will choose to spend more time in an enriched tank vs. not enriched.

When deciding what enrichment the zebrafish will enjoy, we can consider their natural habitat and make some simple additions

Click on each of the enrichment categories to the right to explore the enrichment we use for zebrafish.

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Shoaling Zebrafish

When we look at forms of enrichment and consider the natural history of zebrafish we can easily make changes to their social environment to enrich their lives.

We know that zebrafish live in groups otherwise known as shoals. So a simple start to zebrafish enrichment is to ensure they are in groups large enough to mimic those that they would experience in the wild.

Becomes Many.....

One Fish....

At Manchester, we have strict rules on the number of fish that should be held in a tank. Too many or too few fish and the fish will become stressed, which in turn may have a negative impact on the scientific outcomes being measured.

Did you know - Zebrafish with altered genes can have different colour patterns? We use these differences at Manchester to pair up lone fish without the risk of getting them mixed up. We call these 'buddy' fish.

Why is this fish different? Click to find out.

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Artemia

Also known as Sea Monkeys, these tiny creatures actually aren't so tiny and can grow up to 2cm long! We usually only feed them to our fish when they are around 0.1cm though. Thousands of artemia are put into a fish tank during feeding and they start to swim around the tank. This allows our fish to express hunting behaviours, just as they would in the wild.

Feeding Zebrafish

Looking at the zebrafish's natural history, we know that in the wild they feed on microscopic invertebrates that are free-floating in the water.

When zebrafish find these invertebrates, they start a 'feeding frenzy' gulping down as many of them as possible.

We mimic this in the lab by feeding zebrafish once per day with tiny organisms called Artemia and Rotifers....

Rotifers

Rotifers are a type of microscopic aquatic invertebrate, most are less than 0.5mm in size! They exist in waters all around the world and swim using their tail as a motor. They take in food using tiny 'arm' like structures on their head to waft food into their open mouths.

Click to See the Feeding in Action

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Zebrafish Physical Environment

It is important for any animal to have variation in its physical environment. You will see examples of this when you visit aquariums where plants, rocks and hides are provided for the animals.

It is more difficult to provide this variation in a laboratory environment as space is limited and some factors need to be closely controlled.

However, we do place great importance on enriching the physical environment of our animals wherever we can.Let’s look at how we achieve this with zebrafish...

Hides

Similar to plants, hides provide somewhere for zebrafish to seek refuge, just as they would in and around rocks in their natural habitats. The great thing about our hides, is they provide cover for the fish but they are translucent so we can still see the fish to check their health. Click the hides to see them in action...

Plants

In the wild, zebrafish would experience lots of different plants. As zebrafish live in shallow waters, plants would be an important factor in their environment to help them hide from predators like birds. Unfortunately, we can't introduce live plants into a fish tank because they would affect the water quality quite quickly. So instead, we add a range of plastic floating plants! Click on the plants to see them in action...

African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus laevis & tropicalis)

The African Clawed Frog, known in laboratories as Xenopus, are a species native to Africa that have been used in research for nearly a century. In 1962 they actually became the first vertebrate to ever be cloned, and in 1992 became one of the few species sent into space!

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Xenopus can be split into two distinct species with tropicalis being smaller and living in warmer waters and laevis being larger and living in cooler waters. Xenopus are not a highly studied model with just over 8000 used in the UK in 2021 (7th most used)

Understanding Animal Research (2021)

Xenopus grow in see-through eggs, meaning their genes can be changed easily and at early stages. This, along with their ability to regenerate tissues, makes them a great model for developmental biology.

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Understanding Animal Research (2021)

African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus laevis & tropicalis)

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So, how do you enrich the life of a Xenopus?

In the wild, xenopus frogs would typically spend a lot of their time sat motionless in the water waiting for prey such as small invertebrates to pass by. This is a behaviour that is replicated in the lab and as such it can be hard to identify suitable enrichment and assess it's effect on their welfare

The main type of enrichment we currently use with our xenopus is around changes to the physical environment to match what they would experience in the wild.

Click on the category to the right to learn more about how we enhance the physical environment of xenopus

Physical

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So, how do you enrich the life of a Xenopus?

Physical

The main type of enrichment we currently use with our xenopus is around changes to the physical environment to match what they would experience in the wild.

Click on the category to the right to learn more about how we enhance the physical environment of xenopus

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XenopusPhysical Environment

Although xenopus are mostly a sedentary species, it is still important to try to improve their environment to mimic what they would experience in the wild.

It can be difficult to do this in a laboratory environment as space is limited and some factors need to be closely controlled.

However, we do place great importance on enriching the physical environment of our animals wherever we can. Let’s look at how we achieve this with xenopus....

Plants

In the wild, xenopus live in shallow muddy waters and tend to just float around for most of their lives, waiting for some food to come their way. One thing we have learned about xenopus is they like to have their bodies out of water sometimes, this helps them breathe as unlike fish they actually breathe air! To help the frogs do this, we provide them with large floating lily pads for them to laze around on. Click on the plants to see them in action.

Hides

Just like all animals, it is important for xenopus to have somewhere to hide away and feel safe. We provide our xenopus with plastic hides for them to spend their time in, and they seem to enjoy them! Click the hides to see them in action.

A Xenopus tropicalis lounges on a large lily pad (you will notice that this frog is yellow! That is because it has a gene that makes it an albino, which is useful for certain types of studies)

Sheep (Ovis aries)

Sheep as a laboratory species are rarely bred specifically for the purposes of scientific research, rather they are often brought in from farms. One of the most well know sheep in science was 'Dolly' the first mammal in the world to be cloned back in 1996.

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Because of their large size and slow reproduction, sheep are not a common model in science and are only the 5th most common animal studied.

Understanding Animal Research (2020)

Despite this, their size makes them an invaluable research model for heart research. A sheeps heart is almost identical to a human heart, meaning that crucial research on heart disease, heart attacks and other disease can be studied effectively using sheep.

Human vs. Sheep's Heart (discretion advised)

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Sheep (Ovis aries)

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Because of their large size and slow reproduction, sheep are not a common model in science and are only the 5th most common animal studied.

Understanding Animal Research (2020)

Human vs. Sheep's Heart (discretion advised)

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So, how do you enrich the life of sheep?

Finding enrichment for some animals is more difficult than others, and sheep can be one of these. Sheep are not the most expressive animals, so how can you tell if a sheep is happy?

Here at Manchester our sheep are kept indoors, which is a very different environment to the one they are used to. Therefore, it's important to provide them with enrichment that helps them with this change.

Click on each of the enrichment categories to the right to explore the enrichment we use for sheep.

Physical

Occupational

Social

Sensory

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So, how do you enrich the life of sheep?

Physical

Occupational

Social

Sensory

Finding enrichment for some animals is more difficult than others, and sheep can be one of these. Sheep are not the most expressive animals, so how can you tell if a sheep is happy?

Click on each of the enrichment categories to the right to explore the enrichment we use for sheep.

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Herding Sheep

When we look at forms of enrichment and consider the natural history of sheep, we can start to make simple changes to improve their lives easily.

We know that sheep are herding animals, ie. they enjoy being together. They are natural prey animals and being together makes them feel much safer.

Becomes Many.....

One Sheep....

At Manchester, we have strict rules on the number of sheep that should be held in a pen. Too few sheep, and they will be more easily spooked so it is important to keep sheep in larger numbers to avoid them becoming stressed.

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SheepPhysical Environment

It is important for any animal to have variation in its physical environment. You will see this when you visit a zoo and there are climbing frames, hides and water features.

It is more difficult to provide this variation in a laboratory environment as space is limited and some factors need to be closely controlled.

However, we do place great importance on enriching the physical environment of our animals wherever we can. Let’s look at how we achieve this with sheep....

Pen Design

Our sheep are housed indoors due to the scientific work they are part of. This means they can't roam freely in a field like they would usually. To tackle this, we give sheep large open pens to roam around in, with different sections that we can open up to allow the sheep to choose where they spend their time. Click the pen to see our sheep housing on our website...

Scratching Posts

In the fields, you will often spot fences and bushes covered in sheep wool. This is because a fleece can get awfully itchy for a sheep! This means it is important for them to be able to scratch and itch when they need to. That is why, in our pens, we have tree branches and brushes for our sheep to scratch themselves on when they need to. Click the branches to see our scratching posts!

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Sheep Occupational Enrichment

One of the most difficult forms of enrichment to devise for animals is occupational enrichment. This enrichment requires an understanding of how animals will behave when introduced to a new object.

Many animals will simply ignore new objects in their environment, but some will interact with them and this interaction is a form of occupational enrichment

Let's look at how we achieve occupational enrichment with Sheep....

Feed Puzzles

Sheep are very interested in their food and love hay, but even more than hay, they love 'sheep nuts'. These are small feed pellets made from seeds and grains that give a little variety to the diet of a sheep.Our sheep get these nuts once per day, and to make things a little more interesting for them we also add the nuts to puzzle feeders once per week. These puzzle feeders make the food a little harder to get to and keep the sheep busy for a period of time. Click on the feeder to see them in action...

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Sheep Sensory Enrichment

Sensory enrichment is usually carried out in terms of taste or smell, these are the two easiest senses to stimulate in animals.

However, sometimes it is possible to give auditory or sound-based enrichment, and this is actually something we do for our sheep.

Let's look at how.....

Radio

Sheep are naturally very 'jumpy' animals because as prey animals it is important that they are always alert to dangers. In the lab, there can be a lot of unexpected noises that could startle our sheep, so to reduce this reaction we actually play our sheep classical radio to get them used to a level of background noise and to human voices.

African Striped Mice (Rhabdomys pumilio)

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The African Striped Mouse, commonly referred to as the Rhabdomys, is a very special species in research. They are currently only bred in a handful of research facilities around the world, including here at Manchester.

Rhabdomys are a special species in science due to their unique eyes. Unlike most rodents, the rhabdomys have a similar visual system to a human!

This means that, unlike most rodents, they make a great model for vision research such as treatments for blindness and how light affects our biological clocks. This unique feature of rhabdomys means they are a possible replacement for more 'sentient' species such as primates in some research areas.

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African Striped Mice (Rhabdomys pumilio)

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Rhabdomys are a special species in science due to their unique eyes. Unlike most rodents, the rhabdomys have a similar visual system to a human!

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So, how do you enrich the life of Rhabdomys?

Rhabdomys, like most rodents, are an extremely inquisitive species and are also quite intelligent. This means finding ways to enrich their lives can be quite simple.

We can use almost all forms of enrichment for rodents but one that we won't mention here is social - all rodents are social creatures and must be socially housed where possible.

Click on each of the categories to the right to explore the enrichment we use for rhabdomys.

Occupational

Physical

Nutritional

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So, how do you enrich the life of Rhabdomys?

Occupational

Physical

Nutritional

Rhabdomys, like most rodents, are an extremely inquisitive species and are also quite intelligent. This means finding ways to enrich their lives can be quite simple.

We can use almost all forms of enrichment for rodents but one that we won't mention here is social - all rodents are social creatures and must be socially housed where possible.

Click on each of the categories to the right to explore the enrichment we use for rhabdomys.

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RhabdomysPhysical Environment

It is important for any animal to have variation in its physical environment. This may include objects to explore, climb on or hide in.

In a laboratory environment this enrichment needs to be carefully considered as space is limited and some factors need to be closely controlled.

Let’s look at how we achieve physical enrichment with rhabdomys...

Nesting

Our rhabdomys are naturally a grassland species so they would have lots of nesting options to choose from in the wild. That's why in the lab, we offer them a wide range from paper, to wood wool and even hay.

Shelters

All animals like to be able to hide themselves away when they want to. We provide our rhabdomys with a range of shelters from cardboard houses (which they can also rip up into nesting) to plastic houses and even cardboard tunnels

Click on the items to explore more about them....

Chewing Items

Rodents have teeth that never stop growing! As such they need to keep chewing to file them down. They do a lot of this when eating their food but we also provide them with chewable items like wooden sticks and balls.

However, we do place great importance on enriching the physical environment of our animals wherever we can.

A Rhabdomys balances on the edge of a plastic tunnel whilst eating a seed

An inquisitive Rhabdomys checks out it's surroundings from the top of a cardboard tunnel

A Rhabdomys pokes its head out of a nest it has made using wood wool, inside of a cardboard tube.

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FeedingRhabdomys

An easy way to enrich the lives of captive animals is to vary their diet. At Manchester we place much importance on introducing a variety of foods where possible.

In the wild, rhabdomys would have access to a range of grasses and seeds to forage.

In a lab setting, there are some constraints on the foods you can give to any animal, but we provide a wide variety to our rhabdomys -Take a look on the right to see what this includes...

Seeds

Our rhabdomys love seeds! We have trialled a lot of them to find which are best for them - currently, our rhabdomys get a mix of Linseed, Flax Seeds, Chia Seeds, Sesame and Pumpkin Seeds.

Specialist Foods

Our rhabdomys receive the same specialist diet as our rats and mice, this feed provides our animals with a well-balanced diet. In addition, we also provide our rhabdomys with some specialist treats like 'Star-Puffs', these look just like the cereal you might eat in the morning!

Hay

Just like seeds we have trialled a number of different types of hay with our rhabdomys, even including a type that has popcorn in it! Our rhabdomys love foraging through this hay to find the good bits.

Click on the foods to explore more about them....

A Rhabdomys eating a pumpkin seed

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RhabdomysOccupational Enrichment

Occupational enrichment can be difficult to devise for laboratory animals. However, there is always one simple addition that rodents can be provided with, and that is exercise

Take a look on the right to find out more....

Wheels

Most rodents enjoy running around on a wheel placed in their cage and our rhabdomys are no different. We provide all of our rhabdomys with a running wheel and they love it! Running wheels also form part of the scientific studies which rhabdomys are involved in. Scientists can use computers attached to the wheels to track the rhabdomy's activity at different times of the day.

Mice share around 90% of our genes and, as mammals, have organ systems that are very similar to our own. This makes them a very good model for studying human diseases. Further to this, they also reproduce quickly, are easy to care for and can be genetically modified.

Mouse (Mus musculus)

The laboratory mouse is a descendant of the common house mice you may have had in your own homes. They were first used in research as far back as the 17th Century and their genes were first altered in the early 20th century.

Mice are one of the most commonly used animals in scientific research accounting for over 87% of animals used in 2020.

Understanding Animal Research (2020)

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Mouse (Mus musculus)

Mice are one of the most commonly used animals in scientific research accounting for over 87% of animals used in 2020.

Understanding Animal Research (2020)

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So, how do you enrich the life of Mice?

Mice, like most rodents, are an extremely inquisitive species and are also quite intelligent. This means finding ways to enrich their lives can be much easier than with many other species

We can provide many forms of enrichment for rodents but one that we won't mention here is social - all rodents are social creatures and must be socially housed where possible.

Click on each of the categories to the right to explore the enrichment we use for mice.

Occupational

Physical

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So, how do you enrich the life of Mice?

Occupational

Physical

Mice, like most rodents, are an extremely inquisitive species and are also quite intelligent. This means finding ways to enrich their lives can be much easier than with many other species

We can provide many forms of enrichment for rodents but one that we won't mention here is social - all rodents are social creatures and must be socially housed where possible.

Click on each of the categories to the right to explore the enrichment we use for mice.

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MicePhysical Environment

It is important for any animal to have variation in its physical environment. You will see this when you visit a zoo and there are climbing frames, hides and water features.

It is more difficult to provide this variation in a laboratory environment as space is limited and some factors need to be closely controlled.

However, we do place great importance on enriching the physical environment of our animals wherever we can. Let's look at how we achieve this in Mice....

Nesting

The Mice usually receive a type of paper bedding that we call 'Sizzle', mice love this and can make a warm nest out of it. Some of our mice also receive a cotton based nesting material depending on the scientific work they are part of.

Shelters

All animals like to be able to hide themselves away when they want to. We provide our mice with a range of shelters from cardboard houses (which they can also rip up into nesting) to plastic or cardboard tunnels

Click on the items to explore more about them....

Chewing Items

A mouse dozes inside a cardboard house

A Mouse hiding inside a red plastic house, these houses are great as mice cannot see through red! So to the mouse, the house is opaque, but we can still see through it and check the health of the mouse.

A Mouse inside of a clear plastic tunnel. These tunnels are used to aid in handling mice, you can encourage the mouse into the tunnel and fully health check it without needing to directly handle the mouse.

A Mouse interacts with a wooden ball, which allows the mouse to wear down their teeth but also provides some fun as the ball rolls around!

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MiceOccupational Enrichment

Occupational enrichment can be difficult to devise for laboratory animals. However, there's always one simple addition that rodents can be provided with and that is exercise

Take a look on the right to find out more....

Wheels

Most rodents enjoy running around on a wheel placed in their cage and our mice are no different. Running wheels are actually a new development for mouse cages as previously there was not enough space alongside all of the other enrichment. At Manchester, we have recently been trialling new wheels and they have been very successful - click on the wheel to the left to see them in action!

Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

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Perhaps the most famous laboratory species, the lab rat has been used in research since the early 1800s. Since then it has become one of the most common lab animals used in all types of scientific research.

In more recent years, the use of rats has declined, with the smaller and more easily cared for mouse becoming the primary model for research.

Nowadays, rats are only the 3rd most used laboratory species, behind mice and zebrafish. However, rats remain an important model for many research areas including those concerned with learning and memory. Rats can easily be taught to carry out tasks, and then studied over a period of time to see what factors affect their ability to learn and remember.

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Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

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In more recent years, the use of rats has declined, with the smaller and more easily cared for mouse becoming the primary model for research.

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So, how do you enrich the life of Rats?

Rats, like most rodents, are an extremely inquisitive species and are also quite intelligent. This means finding ways to enrich their lives can be much easier than with many other species.

We can use many forms of enrichment for rodents but one that we won't mention here is social - all rodents are social creatures and must be socially housed where possible.

Click on each of the categories to the right to explore the enrichment we use for rats.

Occupational

Physical

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So, how do you enrich the life of Rats?

Occupational

Physical

Rats, like most rodents, are an extremely inquisitive species and are also quite intelligent. This means finding ways to enrich their lives can be much easier than with many other species.

We can use many forms of enrichment for rodents but one that we won't mention here is social - all rodents are social creatures and must be socially housed where possible.

Click on each of the categories to the right to explore the enrichment we use for rats.

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RatsPhysical Environment

Rats are very inquisitive and playful animals so it is particularly important to provide them variation in their physical environment.

It can be difficult to vary the environment in a laboratory setting as space is limited and some factors need to be closely controlled.

However, we place great importance on enriching the physical environment of our animals wherever possible Let’s look at how we achieve this with rats....

Nesting

Our rats usually receive a type of paper bedding that we call 'Sizzle'. Most of our Rats aren't actually very interested in this nesting material but it is important to provide it nevertheless so they have the choice.

Chewing Items

Rodents have teeth that never stop growing! As such they need to keep chewing to file them down. To help with this, we provide them with chewable items like wooden sticks and balls.

Shelters

All animals like to be able to hide themselves away when they want to. We provide our rats with a range of shelters from cardboard houses (which they can also rip up into nesting) to plastic houses and even cardboard tunnels

Click on the items to explore more about them....

The Cage

Our rats are housed in a special 'double-decker' cage with a mezzanine level. Manchester pioneered the design of this cage to ensure Rats could exhibit natural stretching behaviours as they would in the wild.

Here you can see Rats using both levels of their cage.

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RatsOccupational Enrichment

Occupational enrichment can be difficult to devise for laboratory animals. However, rats are naturally a very inquisitive species so introducing new objects to them can be a simple way to provide this form of enrichment

Take a look on the right to find out what new objects we can introduce....

Play Pens

As a very inquisitive and intelligent species, it is important to regularly alternate enrichment to keep them satisfied. One great way that we have discovered to do this, is playpens! A growing form of enrichment in the UK, this involves regularly moving rats from their home cage into a large playpen to play with other rats and explore new objects. Click on the cage to the left to see them in action!

Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus)

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The guinea pig is a species that has been used in scientific research as far back as the 1600s. In more recent times the guinea pig became a crucial part of vitamin C research when in 1907 it was found that guinea pigs require vitamin C in their diet, just like humans.

Due to their docility and simple husbandry, guinea pigs remained a popular research model up until the 1980s.

However, since then other models such as mice and zebrafish have become more popular and in 2020 guinea pigs accounted for only 0.2% of animals used in the UK. Today, guinea pigs are most commonly used for nutritional research, allergen testing and hearing studies.

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Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus)

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Due to their docility and simple husbandry, guinea pigs remained a popular research model up until the 1980s.

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So, how do you enrich the life of Guinea Pigs?

Guinea pigs are a very nervous species but once settled in an environment they are also very inquisitive. This means finding ways to enrich their lives can be quite simple.

We can use almost all forms of enrichment for guinea pigs but one that we won't mention here is social - all rodents are social creatures and must be socially housed where possible.

Click on each of the categories to the right to explore the enrichment we use for guinea pigs.

Occupational

Nutritional

Physical

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So, how do you enrich the life of Guinea Pigs?

We can use almost all forms of enrichment for guinea pigs but one that we won't mention here is social - all rodents are social creatures and must be socially housed where possible.

Click on each of the categories to the right to explore the enrichment we use for guinea pigs.

Occupational

Nutritional

Physical

Guinea pigs are a very nervous species but once settled in an environment they are also very inquisitive. This means finding ways to enrich their lives can be quite simple.

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Guinea PigPhysical Environment

Despite their nervous disposition, guinea pigs enjoy exploring their environment and interacting with a variety of objects.

In a laboratory environment this can be difficult as space is limited and some factors need to be closely controlled.

However, we do place great importance on enriching the physical environment of our animals wherever we can. Let’s look at how we achieve this with guinea pigs....

Hides, Tunnels and Nesting

As a type of rodent, it is important for guinea pigs to have hiding places and nesting materials. This is perhaps even more important for guinea pigs as they can be quite 'jumpy', especially around new people. Our guinea pigs are provided with a range of houses, large tunnels and hay to create nests with. Click on the items to see them in action.

Pen Design

Guinea pigs are a large rodent species that like to run around, that is why we house our guinea pigs in a large open floor pen. This allows us to house more guinea pigs together to improve their social enrichment, plus gives them a choice over where they want to spend time and who they want to spend it with! Click the pen to see it in action.

Here you can see a group of guinea pigs all hiding away under a large shelter

Here you can see a group of Guinea Pigs zooming around their wide-open pen

Here you can see a group of guinea pigs trying their hardest to all fit under one plastic house!

Here you can see a guinea pig surrounded by hay, and the great thing about hay is that it is also edible!

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FeedingGuinea Pigs

An easy way to enrich the lives of captive animals is to vary their diet. At Manchester we think that providing a wide variety of food is an important way to enrich our guinea pigs’ diet

Guinea pigs enjoy a wide range of foods, although it is important to include those rich in Vitamin C!

In a lab setting, there are some constraints on the foods we can give to our animals, but we try to provide a wide variety to our guinea pigs - Take a look on the right to learn more...

Fruits and Veg

We give our guinea pigs a wide range of fruits and vegetables to keep them happy and healthy. These include leafy greens, apples and broccoli Click the food to see the guinea pigs snacking away...

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Guinea PigsOccupational Enrichment

Occupational enrichment can be difficult to devise for laboratory animals. However, one thing you can do is introduce feeding puzzles

Take a look on the right to see how we do this...

Tube Puzzles

We use cardboard tubes as physical enrichment at Manchester, but with a little 'arts&crafts' they can become puzzles. For our guinea pigs, we stuff their tubes full of hay and treats so that they can spend some time having fun digging them out.Click on the tubes to the left to see them in action!

University of Manchester - Animal Welfare in Research

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