Increasing foraging times with appetitive and consummatory foraging enrichment in grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus)

Foraging enrichment is considered one of the most effective ways to enhance expression of species-typical behaviours and prevent the development of abnormal (repetitive) behaviours in captive animals. However, foraging enrichments for parrots have thus far not been able to approximate natural foraging time budgets nor completely eliminate abnormal behaviours such as feather damaging behaviour. This […]

Effects of spatial food distribution on search behavior in rats (Rattus norvegicus)

To analyze how search strategies are adapted according to the geometric distribution of food sources, the authors submitted rats to a search task in which they had to explore 9 food trays in an open field and avoid visiting already-depleted trays. Trays were spatially arranged in 4 independent configurations: a cross, a 3 × 3 […]