A current trend in zookeeping is to provide animals with enrichment activities. These enrichment activities can include anything from giving bears branches with pre-drilled holes filled with nuts and raisins to providing tigers with oversize balls to roll around and pounce on. Enrichment activities encourage an animal to use their natural, instinctive behaviors. They provide exercise, mental stimulation and emotional satisfaction. Animals provided enrichment activities exhibit fewer stress behaviors such as pacing and less depression.

Research has been done which shows that providing such stimulation actually affects brain development. In one study, baby mice were raised either in a plain environment or in one filled with a variety of stimulus rich toys. When they grew up, the mice were put in mazes to see how they did. The mice raised in the stimulus rich environment were able to learn the maze quicker than the mice raised in the dull environment.

At Country Pet Shoppe, we incorporate similar strategies ourselves. Birds are provided with a variety of toys that are rotated on a regular basis. Mice and hamsters get new houses, wheels and dishes at least once each week, providing them with a variety of textures, shapes and smells. In addition, the critters all receive a variety of fresh foods, hay, cardboard boxes and tubes to shred and explore. We find that enriched critters make the best pets. They are more curious and interactive with their environment which makes them more fun to watch and more interactive with their human friends. It also makes them happier – and happy pets are healthier pets.

You can provide your own pets with enrichment too. We are all familiar with how dogs and cats use their toys to mimic hunting behaviors like chasing a ball or pouncing on the end of a string. Other pets appreciate enrichment as well, especially caged animals whose environments never change otherwise.

There are a wide variety of toys and treats available at local pet stores, but enriching your pet doesn’t have to cost money, it really just requires a bit of creativity on your part. Think about your animal’s senses: vision, smell, touch, hearing and taste. Think about their behaviors in the wild such as problem solving, exploring and foraging behaviors. Then look around your house to see what you can come up with. Cardboard boxes and paper bags can be fun for everyone from cats and rats to birds and bunnies. Branches from apple trees are fun to climb on and chew. Hang your pet’s favorite treat up in their cage; hide it in boxes, or around the cage. Create a playground with boxes, branches, clay pots, or whatever and place treats all around them to encourage your pet to explore. Provide sprouted barley grass or fresh herbs for an interesting experience. Treats frozen in ice to make a popsicle of sorts can be summer fun for all kinds of critters. Play bird songs, or other animal sounds. Even fish like to explore new things put into their tank – or treat them to a different kind of food, like frozen brine shrimp.

Of course, as their human caretaker it’s your responsibility to make sure that whatever you give them is safe. Make sure foods are safe to eat, that they can’t choke on something dangerous and that yard items haven’t been sprayed with bug-killer or something.

Then get creative and have some fun.