Open Jou nal o Animal Sciences, 2015, 5, 77-85
Published Online Ap il 2015 in SciRes. h p://www.sci p.o g/jou nal/ojas
h p://dx.doi.o g/10.4236/ojas.2015.52010
How o ci e his pape : Ko honen, H.T. and Eskeli, P. (2015) A S udy on Mul i-En iched Housing En i onmen in Blue Foxes.
Open Jou nal o Animal Sciences, 5, 77-85. h p://dx.doi.o g/10.4236/ojas.2015.52010
A S udy on Mul i-En iched Housing
En i onmen in Blue Foxes
Hannu T. Ko honen, Pekka Eskeli
Na u al Resou ces Ins i u e Finland (Luke), Silmäjä en ie, Kannus, Finland
Email: hannu. .ko honen@luke. i
Recei ed 9 Feb ua y 2015; accep ed 22 Ma ch 2015; published 27 Ma ch 2015
Copy igh © 2015 by au ho s and Scien i ic Resea ch Publishing Inc.
This wo k is licensed unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion In e na ional License (CC BY).
h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/
Abs ac
A adi ional ox cage was u nished wi h bo h ac i a ing en i onmen al en ichmen s (EE) (a bone,
a sc a ching pla e, a hockey buck, a ceiling ope and a wall ope and s aw) and EEs enabling es -
ing o obse a ion (a wi e-mesh pla o m and a op nes box). The aim was o ind ou o which
ex en blue oxes (Vulpes lagopus) u ilized hese EEs, and o collec p ac ical expe iences o he EEs.
The expe imen al animals we e 12 adul blue ox ixens ha had been housed in cages u nished
wi h a pla o m and a bone o abou 1.5 yea s be o e hey we e ans e ed o he mul i-en iched
cages. The equency and du a ion o he ac i e con ac s wi h he EEs we e measu ed wi h con i-
nuous eco ding on Days 1, 2, 7 and 16 a e he ans e , wi h h ee hou s (13:30 - 14:30, 18:00 -
19:00 and 2:00 - 3:00) on each day. The o al use o he EEs was 15 imes pe hou and mo e han
20% o he ime. Fo mos EEs bo h he ime spen in con ac and he equency o con ac s wi h
he EEs declined s eeply a e Day 1, e lec ing a no el y e ec o he EEs. This decline was no so
e iden o he pla o m, op nes box and wall ope. These h ee EEs we e also he ones used he
mos by he oxes. The opes we e badly damaged du ing he expe imen s, whe eas o he EEs e-
mained in good condi ion. Explo a i i y ma kedly inc eased when animals we e ans e ed om
home cage o en iched cages. Explo a i i y emained high du ing en i e s udy pe iod when oxes
we e kep in en iched en ichmen . Fu he mo e, i emained high also a e ans e ing o an-
imals back o home cages. Cap u e eac ion was qui e simila in home and en iched cages. The
amoun o s e eo ypy a ied among eco ding days (P < 0.05). When oxes we e ans e ed om
home cages o mul i-en iched cages, no change was ound in he amoun s e eo ypy du ing Days 1
and 2. The ea e , he amoun o s e eo ypy showed a declined end. S e eo ypy ended o inc ease
when oxes we e ans e ed back o home cages. Ou esul s indica ed ha oxes used eadily he
oppo uni ies o mo e di e se beha iou s.
Keywo ds
Vulpes lagopus, Animal Wel a e, Beha iou , En i onmen al En ichmen
H. T. Ko honen, P. Eskeli
78
1. In oduc ion
En i onmen al en ichmen (EE) e e s o en i onmen al modi ica ions o he housing en i onmen o cap i e-
kep animals ha enhance he pe o mance o s ongly mo i a ed species-speci ic beha iou s and/o lead o he
exp ession o a mo e complex beha iou al epe oi e [1]. The ul ima e aim o EE is o imp o e he physical and
psychological wel a e o animals [2].
Fa med blue oxes (Vulpes lagopus) a e housed in wi e-mesh cages unde shed. The obliga o y EEs in hei
cages a e an ele a ed pla o m and sui able chewing ma e ial o o he en ichmen ma e ials [3]. Typically, wooden
blocks o bones a e used o he la e pu pose. The e ec s o he pla o ms [4] and chewing objec s [5], as well
as a ious o he EE objec s and ma e ials, i.e. sand loo [6], sc a ching pla e [7], and s aw [8] on he wel a e
ha e been s udied in a ious expe imen al se -ups. Usually he s udies ha e ocused on si ua ions whe e he e
ha e been only one o a ew EEs in a s anda d ox cage [5] [8]. I he oxes had had a ailable se e al EEs si-
mul aneously, he EEs would ha e been p o ided in la ge cage sys ems [4] [9]. Howe e , se e al s udies ha e
shown ecen ly ha p o iding a med mink wi h en i onmen al complexi y, i.e. se e al EEs p o ided simul a-
neously, in s anda d comme cial cages imp o es he mink’s wel a e and ep oduc i e pe o mance [10]-[13].
In he p esen s udy, adi ional a m ox cage was u nished wi h e sa ile en ichmen s. He e we p esen he
esul s o a s udy aiming a designing a mul i-en iched housing en i onmen o blue oxes. EEs mus be p ac i-
cal [14] [15], and he e o e EEs in ou s udy a e sui able o he cage cons uc ions used oday on a ms. Some o
he EEs (a pla o m, nes box on he oo o he cage, bone, sc a ching pla e and s aw) ha e been s udied ea lie ,
bu we in oduce also new EE objec s (a hockey buck, ceiling ope and wall ope). In he p esen pape we epo
he ex en o he use o he EEs by adul emale blue oxes, and also discuss he usabili y and du abili y o he
EEs. Fu he mo e, oxes’ beha iou s we e compa ed in hei home cages and in mul i-en iched en i onmen . A
c ucial ques ion he e is “a e obliga o y en ichmen s in a adi ional home cage su icien o p o ide a p ope be-
ha iou al pa e n o should addi ional equipmen s be placed in o he cage en i onmen simul aneously?”
2. Ma e ial and Me hods
2.1. Expe imen al Se -Up and Animals
This s udy was ca ied ou a Tu kis ila Luo a L d. in Kannus, wes e n Finland (63.54˚N; 23.54˚E). Expe imen al
animals we e 12 adul emale blue oxes. They we e housed in hei home cages abou 1.5 yea s be o e he ex-
pe imen . Beha iou o oxes was eco ded in hei home cages (107 cm × 115 cm × 70 cm, L × W × H) in De-
cembe 2012. The ea e , animals we e ans e ed om hei home cages o mul i-en iched cages o he same
size on 27 Decembe . The home cage was u nished wi h a wi e-mesh pla o m (105 cm long × 25 cm wide, lo-
ca ed 23 cm om he oo o he cage) and a bone (30 cm long × 7 cm diame e ). A e 26 days, he expe i-
men al animals we e ans e ed back o hei home cages on Janua y 2013.
Each mul i-en iched cage had a simila pla o m and a bone as he home cage, bu also i e o he EEs (F on-
delius e al. 2013). A op nes box (wooden walls and ceiling, wi e-mesh loo ; 40 cm wide × 70 cm long × 40
cm high) was si ua ed on he oo o he cage, and he access o he box was ia he pla o m. Addi ional en-
ichmen s we e s aw (placed be ween he walls o he neighbou ing cages), a sc a ching pla e (wooden, moun ed
agains he wall; 45 cm wide × 45 cm high), a wall ope (sisal ibe , om cage o cage, enabled in e ac ion be-
ween wo neighbou ing oxes; diame e 11 mm and leng h 30 - 40 cm) and a ceiling ope (sisal ibe ; hanging
30 cm om he ceiling, diame e 11 mm), and a hockey puck ( ubbe : diame e 76 mm, 25 mm hick).
2.2. Feeding and Heal h E alua ion
Animals we e ed once a day (a 10:30) wi h esh ox eed manu ac u ed by he local eed ki chen (Kalajoen
jäähdy ämö L d.). F esh wa e was a ailable ad libi um om au oma ic wa e ing de ices. The use o expe imen al
animals was e alua ed and app o ed by he Animal Ca e Commi ee. The heal h o expe imen al animals was
checked isually e e y day o ensu e ha he EEs we e no haza dous o he animals. A he same ime also he
condi ion o he EEs was checked, and any des oyed EEs we e eplaced wi h new ones.
2.3. Beha iou om Video Reco dings
The beha iou was moni o ed du ing he expe imen [7] [8]. The ideo eco ding se up comp ised o MIRASYS
eco de (V5016HI), moni o (TFTR 17) and 12 came as (WZI8 PV312-0). Animals we e con inuously ideo
H. T. Ko honen, P. Eskeli
79
eco ded du ing he s udy. The equencies and du a ions o he ac i e con ac s wi h he EEs we e analysed om
ideo- eco dings wi h con inuous eco ding on Days 1, 2, 7 and 16 o he expe imen , o h ee hou s on each
day (13:30 - 14:30, 18:00 - 19:00, and 2:00 - 3:00). Fu he mo e, Day 5 (−5) be o e ans e ing om home cage
o mul i-en iched cage was eco ded and analysed simila ly. In addi ion, Day 30, i.e. 2 days since animals we e
ans e ed om mul i-en iched cages back o home cages was eco ded and analysed.
2.4. Beha iou al Tes s
Explo a i e beha iou was e alua ed by a ball es in which a loo ball was placed in he cage. Con ac o ball
was eco ded [16]. I he e was no con ac wi hin 10 seconds, he es was abo ed. Cap u e es was made be o e
weigh ing o animals. Foxes we e caugh wi h neck ongs. Cap u e eac ion was classi ied as con iden o ea ul
[7].
2.5. S a is ics
Fo he s a is ical analyses, he EEs we e g ouped o “ es ing EEs” (pla o m and op nes box) and “ac i i y EEs”
( he wall ope, ceiling ope, hockey buck, bone, sc a ching pla e and s aw). The analyses we ca ied ou in wo
ways: by aking and by no aking in o accoun his g ouping. The di e ences be ween he use, i.e. du a ions ex-
p essed as % o ime and equencies exp essed as imes pe hou , o he a ious EEs and ou obse a ion days
we e analysed wi h non-pa ame ic F iedman’s and Wilcoxon’s es s, since he assump ions o pa ame ic s a is-
ics we e no ul illed [15] [17].
3. Resul s
3.1. Condi ion Sco e o En ichmen s
The wall ope o each ox had o be eplaced wi h a new ope a leas once du ing he expe imen al pe iod, be-
cause he ope was o ally des oyed. Also mos ceiling opes we e damaged, bu mos ly no o he ex en ha
hey should ha e been eplaced wi h new ones (Table 1). All o he EEs emained in good condi ion du ing he
Table 1. Numbe o oxes wi h condi ion sco e (good, ai ly good, mode a e, and poo ) o wall opes and ceiling opes
du ing he cou se o expe imen s.
Day in mul i-en iched cage
Wall ope
Good Fai ly good Mode a e Poo Changed
1 0 4 2 0 6
2 0 0 4 0 8
5 0 0 10 0 2
7 0 0 8 0 4
10 0 0 4 2 6
13 0 0 1 2 9
16 0 0 9 1 2
Day in mul i-en iched cage
Ceiling ope
Good Fai ly good Mode a e Poo Changed
1 0 9 2 1 0
2 0 7 5 0 0
5 0 0 12 0 0
7 0 0 11 1 0
10 0 0 12 0 0
13 0 0 10 2 0
16 0 0 10 0 2
H. T. Ko honen, P. Eskeli
80
expe imen . No heal h p oblems we e obse ed du ing he expe imen s.
3.2. The Use o En ichmen s
The pla o m was isi ed mo e equen ly han he op nes box, bu he e was no di e ence be ween he o al
pe cen ages o ime he oxes spen on o in, espec i ely, hese ac i i y en ichmen s (Table 2 and Table 3). The
wall ope was he mos a ou ed o he ac i i y EEs, ollowed by he ceiling ope, he bone, he hockey buck, he
sc a ching pla e and s aw.
In o al, he oxes used he EEs on a e age o mo e han 20% o hei ime and had 15 con ac s pe hou wi h
he EEs (Table 2 and Table 3). Howe e , o mos EEs bo h he ime spen in con ac and he equency o con-
ac s wi h he EEs declined s eeply a e Day 1. This decline was absen o he du a ion o he con ac s wi h he
pla o m and op nes box, and no s a is ically signi ican (P > 0.05) o he du a ion and equency o he use o
he wall ope.
Al hough he o al numbe o con ac s wi h he EEs d opped o less han one hi d a e Day 1, he a e age
numbe o ac i e con ac s wi h he EEs was s ill om eigh o en pe hou on Days 2 - 16. The wall ope, ceiling
ope and bone co e ed app oxima ely 60% - 70% o he con ac s. The o al du a ion o he con ac s wi h he EEs
d opped i s o wo hi ds and hen o one hi d om Day 1 o Days 2 and 7, espec i ely, bu e u ned hen on
Day 16 o almos o he same le el as on Day 1 (Table 2). The pla o m and op nes box accoun ed o 65% - 90%
o he o al ime spen on using he EEs, and he day- o-day luc ua ions esul ed mainly om o he luc ua ions
in he use o he op nes boxes.
Pla o m use a ied wi h ime (P < 0.05). I was highes when oxes we e in hei home cages and lowes in
mul i-en iched cages (Figu e 1). Use o bone was a he low in all da es excep du ing he i s day when oxes
we e ans e ed in o he mul i-en iched cages (Figu e 1).
Table 2. The use o he a ious en ichmen s exp essed as pe cen ages o ime. S a is ics by F iedman’s es (P1, P3, and P5)
o Wilcoxon’s es (P2, and P4): P1 = di e ences be ween he ou days; P2 = di e ences be ween he wo “ es ing en ich-
men s”; P3 = di e ences be ween he six “ac i i y en ichmen s”; P4 = di e ences be ween he “ es ing en ichmen s” and
“ac i i y en ichmen s”; P5 = di e ences be ween he eigh en ichmen s.
En ichmen All days
Day
P1
1 2 7 16
“Res ing
en ichmen s”
Pla o m 8.5 ± 12.3 7.1 ± 9.2 11.7 ± 25.7 6.1 ± 9.7 9.1 ± 18.7 NS
Top nes box 7.7 ± 9.2 11.5 ± 20.1 5.7 ± 12.9 0.7 ± 2.2 12.9 ± 24.4 NS
To al o es ing
en ichmen s 16.2 ± 16.0 18.7 ± 19.2 17.4 ± 33.1 6.8 ± 11.0 22.1 ± 31.4 NS
P2 NS NS NS <0.01 NS
“Ac i i y
en ichmen s”
Bone 0.5 ± 0.6 1.1 ± 1.7 0.2 ± 0.3 0.4 ± 0.9 0.4 ± 0.7 <0.01
Hockey puck 0.4 ± 0.4 1.1 ± 1.1 0.1 ± 0.3 0.3 ± 0.9 0.1 ± 0.2 <0.01
Ceiling ope 1.2 ± 1.2 4.0 ± 5.2 0.2 ± 0.5 0.4 ± 0.7 0.2 ± 0.4 <0.01
Wall ope 2.2 ± 1.4 3.6 ± 3.4 1.1 ± 1.8 2.0 ± 3.4 2.0 ± 3.6 <0.1
S aw 0.2 ± 0.2 0.5 ± 0.4 0.2 ± 0.4 0.03 ± 0.04 0.1 ± 0.1 <0.05
Sc a ching pla e 0.2 ± 0.1 0.4 ± 0.4 0.1 ± 0.1 0.1 ± 0.1 0.2 ± 0.4 <0.01
To al o ac i i y
en ichmen 4.7 ± 2.6 10.8 ± 6.8 1.9 ± 2.1 3.2 ± 4.1 2.9 ± 3.6 <0.001
P3 <0.001 <0.01 <0.1 <0.01 NS
To al o all
en ichmen s 20.9 ± 16.8 29.4 ± 19.3 19.3 ± 33.0 10.0 ± 11.9 25.0 ± 33.5 <0.05
P4 P < 0.1 NS NS NS NS
P5 P < 0.001 P < 0.001 P < 0.1 P < 0.001 NS
H. T. Ko honen, P. Eskeli
81
Table 3. The use o he a ious en ichmen s exp essed as equencies pe hou . S a is ics by F iedman’s es (P1, P3, and P5)
o Wilcoxon’s es (P2, and P4): P1 = di e ences be ween he ou days; P2 = di e ences be ween he wo “ es ing en ich-
men s”; P3 = di e ences be ween he six “ac i i y en ichmen s”; P4 = di e ences be ween he “ es ing en ichmen s” and
“ac i i y en ichmen s”; P5 = di e ences be ween he eigh en ichmen s.
En ichmen All days
Day
P1
1 2 7 16
“Res ing
en ichmen s”
Pla o m 2.0 ± 1.2 3.9 ± 3.1 0.9 ± 1.4 2.3 ± 1.5 0.8 ± 0.7 <0.01
Top nes box 0.4 ± 0.3 1.0 ± 1.1 0.2 ± 0.3 0.1 ± 0.1 0.2 ± 0.4 <0.01
To al o es ing
en ichmen s 2.3 ± 1.4 4.9 ± 4.0 1.1 ± 1.6 2.3 ± 1.4 1.0 ± 0.9 <0.01
P2 <0.01 <0.01 <0.05 <0.01 <0.05
“Ac i i y
en ichmen s”
Bone 2.5 ± 1.2 4.6 ± 2.5 1.3 ± 2.1 1.4 ± 1.4 2.6 ± 2.8 <0.01
Hockey puck 1.3 ± 0.8 3.4 ± 2.2 0.5 ± 0.5 0.8 ± 0.8 0.5 ± 0.9 <0.001
Ceiling ope 2.8 ± 1.8 7.7 ± 7.8 1.1 ± 1.8 1.5 ± 2.2 0.9 ± 1.4 <0.01
Wall ope 4.2 ± 1.5 7.1 ± 5.6 3.1 ± 3.3 3.0 ± 4.0 3.7 ± 4.3 NS
S aw 0.8 ± 0.6 1.9 ± 1.5 0.6 ± 1.2 0.2 ± 0.4 0.5 ± 0.5 <0.01
Sc a ching pla e 1.1 ± 0.9 1.9 ± 1.6 0.7 ± 1.1 0.6 ± 0.7 1.1 ± 2.1 <0.05
To al o ac i i y
en ichmen s 12.7 ± 3.9 26.7 ± 12.2 7.3 ± 7.4 7.4 ± 6.6 9.2 ± 6.6 <0.01
P3 <0.001 <0.001 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01
To al o all
en ichmen s 15.0 ± 5.1 31.6 ± 15.1 8.3 ± 8.9 9.7 ± 7.0 10.2 ± 7.0 <0.001
P4 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.05 <0.01
P5 <0.001 <0.001 <0.01 <0.001 <0.01
Figu e 1. Use o pla o m and bone (% o obse a ion ime). −5 is i e days be o e ans e ing animals om hei home
cages o mul i-en iched cages. 1, 2, 7, and 16 a e days in mul i-en iched cages. Foxes we e 26 days in mul i-en iched cages.
30 is ou days since oxes had been ans e ed back o home cages.
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
-5
1
2
7
16
30
Pla o m
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
-5
1
2
7
16
30
Bone

H. T. Ko honen, P. Eskeli
82
3.3. Beha iou al Changes
Locomo o ac i i y, si ing and s anding a ied wi h ime (P < 0.05). Lowes alues o locomo o ac i i y and
si ing we e ound when oxes we e in mul i-en iched cages (Days 2 and 7). The amoun o s anding was low in
Days 2, 7 and 16. The amoun o lying did a y wi h ime (Figu e 2).
The amoun o s e eo ypy a ied be ween eco ding days (P < 0.05; Figu e 3). When oxes we e ans e ed
om home cage o mul i-en iched cages, no change was ound in he amoun s e eo ypy du ing Days 1 and 2.
The ea e , he amoun o s e eo ypy ended o declined, being lowes on Day 16. The amoun o s e eo ypy
ended o inc ease when oxes we e ans e ed back o home cages (Day 30).
3.4. Beha iou al Tes Reac ions
Explo a i i y ma kedly inc eased (P < 0.05) when animals we e ans e ed om hei home cages o en iched
cages (Figu e 4). Explo a i i y emained high du ing en i e s udy pe iod when oxes we e kep in en iched
en ichmen . Fu he mo e, i emained high also a e ans e ing o animals back o home cages. Cap u e eac-
ion was qui e simila in home and en iched cages (Figu e 3).
4. Discussion
En i onmen al en ichmen can be conside ed as he addi ion o en i onmen al ea u es ha enhance he com-
plexi y o he cap i e animal’s en i onmen , esul ing in bene icial e ec on beha iou and o he aspec s o bio-
logical unc ion [1] [8]. In he p esen s udy, adi ional cage wi h pla o m and gnawing objec was u nished
wi h 6 addi ional en ichmen s. Se e al app oaches we e used he e o e alua e possible bene icial e ec s o
a ailable en ichmen s. The basic idea o he mul i-en iched cages o a med blue oxes was he e o p o ide he
animals wi h oppo uni ies o ul il a ious beha iou al mo i a ions, and hence s imula e he animals bo h
physically and men ally. Fo example, he pla o m and op nes box we e expec ed o se e as places o es ing
and obse a ion and encou age e ical mo emen , whe eas he ac i i y EEs s imula e pa icula ly explo a ion
and play bu also sc a ching, chewing, pulling and ipping [15].
Figu e 2. Locomo o ac i i y, and si ing, lying and s anding beha iou (% o obse a ion ime) du ing he cou se o he
s udy. −5 is i e days be o e ans e ing animals om hei home cages o mul i-en iched cages. 1, 2, 7, and 16 a e days in
mul i-en iched cages. Foxes we e 26 days in mul i-en iched cages. 30 is ou days since oxes had been ans e ed back o
home cages.
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
-5
1
2
7
16
30
Locomo o ac i i y
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.00
10.00
-5
1
2
7
16
30
S anding
0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
80.00
-5
1
2
7
16
30
Lying
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
16.00
-5
1
2
7
16
30
Si ing
H. T. Ko honen, P. Eskeli
83
Figu e 3. The amoun o s e eo ypy (% o obse a ion ime).
−5 is i e days be o e ans e ing animals om hei home
cages o mul i-en iched cages. 1, 2, 7, and 16 a e days in
mul i-en iched cages. Foxes we e 26 days in mul i-en iched
cages. 30 is ou days since oxes had been ans e ed back
o home cages.
Figu e 4. The amoun o explo a i e and con iden oxes (as
numbe o animals) a ball and cap u e es s. −1 is one day
be o e ans e ing animals in o he mul i-en ichd cages. 6
and 26 a e days in mul i-en iched cages. 30 and 35 a e ou
and nine days since oxes we e ans e ed back in o hei
home cages.
Housing sys ems p omo ing explo a ion can be expec ed o imp o e animal wel a e, o , con e sely, condi-
ions which do no encou age animals o beha e explo a i ely o en end o be un a ou able also in e ms o
animal wel a e [18] [19]. Ou p esen esul s clea ly showed ha explo a i i y ma kedly inc eased when animals
we e ans e ed in o he mul i-en iched cages. Explo a i i y emained high du ing en i e s udy pe iod when
oxes we e kep in en iched en ichmen . Fu he mo e, i emained high also a e ans e ing o animals back o
home cages. This indica es ha en iched en i onmen inc eases oxes’ explo a i i y and, hus, enhances animal
wel a e. The numbe o con iden oxes was same bo h in home and en iched cages. This ends us o conclude
ha inc ease o en ichmen s in he cage do no p omo e animal’s con iden o human being.
The dec ease in he use o he EEs mos p obably e lec s he no el y e ec ha hey had immedia ely a e
being p o ided o he oxes [15]. This e ec was no as clea o he pla o m, op nes box and wall ope as o
he o he EEs. The oxes had had pla o ms in hei home cages be o e he expe imen , and he e o e, hey we e
amilia wi h he pla o ms, which may ha e esul ed in he a he s eady day- o-day use o he pla o m as
measu ed by he ime spen on he pla o m. The mo e equen isi s o he pla o m on Day 1 han la e could
be explained by he need o pa ol he new cage, including he op nes box ha could be en e ed only ia he
pla o m. The p e e ence o he wall ope was clea es on Days 2, 7 and 16, and he longe las ing in e es o-
wa ds he wall ope han o he “ac i i y EEs” migh be (a leas ) pa ially explained by he no el y b ough wi h
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
-5
1
2
7
16
30
S e eo ypy
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
-1
6
26
30
35
Explo a i e, ball es
Con iden , cap u e es
H. T. Ko honen, P. Eskeli
84
he enewed opes.
The du abili y o he sisal opes was e y poo , and in u u e s udies al e na i es o sisal has o be conside ed.
The e we e no du abili y p oblems wi h any o he EEs. Howe e , he s udy pe iod was oo sho o indica e any
o he han acu e du abili y p oblems. The p esen esul s indica e ha ou adul blue oxes used hese oppo uni-
ies di e sely.
The amoun o s e eo ypic beha iou ypically is a clea indica o o animal wel a e. In a med oxes, he
amoun o s e eo ypy ypically is no high [19]. Also in he p esen s udy he amoun o s e eo ypy was a he
low in gene al. Thus, i is di icul o make any a - eaching conclusions on he e ec s o en ichmen s on
s e eo ypy. Howe e , some a ia ion wi h ime and/o cage u nished was e iden . Lowes amoun o s e eo ypy
was ound on Days 7 and 16 a mul i-en iched cages. Fu he mo e, amoun o s e eo ypy was highes a e
ans e ing oxes back o home cages. These changes, al hough no signi ican , emps us o conclude ha he
amoun o s e eo ypy may be lowe in mul i-en iched ha in mo e ba en en i onmen . This inding equi es
u he s udies.
Pla o m and bone we e he only en ichmen s wha we e a ailable o oxes du ing he en i e s udy. I was
seen ha pla o m was used mos ly when oxes we e a hei home cage, i.e. in si ua ion when o he en ichmen s
excep bone we e no a ailable. So, i looks ha oxes compensa e lack o en ichmen s by inc eased use o pla -
o m. Use o gnawing bone, on he o he hand, seems o be low despi e o en ichmen s a ailable. Acco ding o
he p esen esul s en ichmen alue o bone is low compa ed o pla o m. Beha iou al da a did no e eal any
d ama ic di e ences be ween home and en iched cages. Pa icula ly lying on cage loo emained a he simila
h oughou he s udy.
5. Conclusion
Fo mos s udied en ichmen s bo h he ime spen in con ac and he equency o con ac s wi h he en ichmen s
declined s eeply a e Day 1, e lec ing a no el y e ec o en ichmen s. This decline was no so e iden o he
pla o m, op nes box and wall ope. Mul i-en iched en i onmen inc eased oxes’ explo a i i y, and hus p ob-
ably enhanced animal wel a e. Ou esul s indica ed ha he blue oxes used eadily he oppo uni ies o mo e
di e se beha iou in a mul i-en iched en i onmen .
Acknowledgemen s
This s udy was inancially suppo ed by he Finnish Fu B eede s’ Associa ion.
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