Therrian, S. 2014. Environmental enrichment for Xenopus laevis. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 583. (Abstract #P133).

Environmental enrichment has become an important aspect of animal husbandry within research facilities. Such enrichment has been shown to improve the quality of life for research animals and provide a more natural habitat. Different enrichment tools are used to benefit several species of research animals. Our aquatic species Xenopus laevis lacked enrichment and this issue was largely unaddressed. We often observed physical signs of stress such as red leg, sores on the nose, and excessive skin sloughing. They also startled easily and remained in the back of the tank. In order to reduce stress and improve enrichment in the aquatic environment, we brainstormed different types of enrichment we could experiment with. In a colony of 16 frogs we began by introducing various enrichment tools into the frog's environment, such as plastic nonleaching aquarium plants, colored rocks, and tunnels. The frogs were also moved to larger tanks and socially housed. During this process, the frogs were monitored for reduction in signs of stress and for any behavioral changes. We rotated the different types of enrichment through the cages and observed to see which were more effective. Later we introduced weekly food enrichment using frozen bloodworms as a secondary enrichment. We considered the introduction of plant enrichment the most successful. Since introducing plant enrichment we have not had a single case of red leg, sore nose, or excessive skin sloughing. Frogs with plants also startled less from any room movement. Hand feeding and using food enrichment resulted in frogs presenting themselves at the front of cages frequently, resulting in the frogs being more interactive with the technicians at feeding time. It was also noted that when a frog went from social housing to single housing it showed signs of a depressed-like state, with a notable loss of appetite. When returned to a socially housed tank its normal behavior and appetite returned. Overall, by providing our frogs with an enriched habitat they showed no physical signs of stress, adapted to our technicians, and became easier to handle. By interacting with the frogs on a regular basis and learning each frog's normal behavior, it became easier to identify problems. This has helped our technicians to alert researchers of possible environmental or stress-related issues before any physical symptoms become evident.