Efficacy of 3 Types of Foraging Enrichment for Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Primate facilities provide environmental enrichment to improve animal wellbeing, increase opportunities for expression of species-typical behaviors, and decrease the occurrence of stereotypic behaviors. The current study assessed the efficacy of 3 types of foraging enrichment: puzzle balls, supertubes, and shakers. We assigned 48 rhesus macaques to 3 experimental groups, each of which received (after a 3-wk baseline observation period) 1 of the 3 enrichment devices intermittently for 3 wk.

The Response of Group-Housed Baboons to Three Enrichment Toys

The behaviour of group-housed baboons was compared before and after the provision of durable cage toys. One adult male hamadryas baboon and 13 adult female olive baboons living in a large enclosure were observed after they were given seven nylon bones, seven Kong™ toys and seven Plaque Attackers™. Observations were conducted four times per week on each subject over a 6-week period.

Puzzle Feeders and Gum Feeders as Environmental Enrichment for Common Marmosets

Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus jacchus) are highly social New World monkeys that consume a principally gummivorous and insectivorous diet. We examined the efficacy of two types of foraging devices, Puzzle-Feeders™ and gum feeders, as environmental enrichment for marmosets housed singly (n = 16) or in sibling (n = 4) and heterosexual (n = 8) pairs. In experiment 1, marmosets were exposed to each of the two types of foraging devices for three hours, once per week for two weeks.