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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

A Protocol for Housing Mice in an Enriched Environment
09:30

A Protocol for Housing Mice in an Enriched Environment

Published on: June 8, 2015

An environmental enrichment model for mice.

Yehezkel Sztainberg1, Alon Chen

  • 1Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.

Nature Protocols
|August 21, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Environmental enrichment reduces anxiety in mice. This protocol details a simple, replicable method using a specially designed cage and enrichment items over six weeks for consistent results.

Area of Science:

  • Animal behavior and welfare science
  • Neuroscience and behavioral pharmacology

Background:

  • Environmental enrichment (EE) enhances sensory, cognitive, motor, and social stimulation compared to standard housing.
  • A key effect of EE is the reduction of anxiety levels in animals.
  • Variability in EE protocols leads to inconsistent findings across studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe a simple and replicable environmental enrichment strategy for inducing anxiolytic-like effects in mice.
  • To provide detailed instructions for constructing an enrichment cage facilitating ease of use and observation.
  • To outline specific enrichment items, their arrangement, renewal frequency, and cleaning procedures.

Main Methods:

  • Construction of a specialized enrichment cage for mice.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2026

A Protocol for Housing Mice in an Enriched Environment
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Published on: June 8, 2015

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A Method to Define the Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Colon Microbiome Biodiversity in a Mouse Colon Tumor Model

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06:50

The Use of the Puzzle Box as a Means of Assessing the Efficacy of Environmental Enrichment

Published on: December 29, 2014

  • Implementation of a 6-week environmental enrichment protocol.
  • Detailed procedures for item selection, placement, renewal, cleaning, and sterilization.

    • Main Results:

    • The described protocol induces a robust and replicable anxiolytic-like effect in mice.
    • The specialized cage design simplifies experimental manipulation, cleaning, and observation.
    • Standardized procedures ensure consistency and reduce variability in experimental outcomes.

    Conclusions:

    • This protocol offers a standardized approach to environmental enrichment for reducing anxiety in mice.
    • The method promotes reliable and reproducible anxiolytic-like effects, addressing inconsistencies in prior research.
    • The detailed instructions facilitate the adoption of this enrichment strategy in research settings.