The use of foraging enrichments
The mice actively interacted with all the foraging enrichments, which indicates their interest in this form of enrichment. The active engagement is likely motivated by the positive reinforcement from the rewards. The higher interaction dynamics in foraging enrichments with greater complexity and difficulty could be explained as these enrichments require more effort and prolonged time for the mice to manipulate in order to get the rewards. This aligns with the findings in the literature, suggesting the importance of cognitive design in foraging enrichment for mice. Additionally, the observed strain difference in interaction dynamics with foraging enrichments implies that the effectiveness of these enrichments may vary between strains.
Behavioural changes induced by the foraging enrichments
After the exposure of the foraging enrichments, the stereotypic gnawing behaviour decreased significantly in the home cage. This may indicate a decrease in chronic stress experienced by the mice due to inactivity. The result aligns with the majority of enrichment studies in mice, suggesting that foraging enrichments share similar effects in reducing stereotypic behaviours compared to the conventional enrichments.
The increased locomotory and explorative behaviours in the open field test also suggest reduced anxiety and improved affective state in the mice. These findings are consistent with the literature, as mice are generally more active and explorative in anxiety tests after the implementation of enrichments.
Conclusion
This study substantiated the mice’s active engagement with the foraging enrichments. The observed behavioural changes in the mice suggest a lower stress level and improved affective state, possibly due to the foraging opportunities and cognitive stimulation facilitated by the foraging enrichments. These findings align with the current knowledge of the positive effects of conventional enrichments studied in mice, highlighting the potential welfare benefits of implementing the foraging enrichment for laboratory mice.