Table 1. Enrichment items.
Category | Specific items | Farmers' evaluation |
Balls | Golf balls | Good; used by mink |
Perforated plastic ‘wiffle’ balls | Good as long as robust (manufacturers vary); used by mink | |
Cat toys with bells | Too destructible and costly | |
Animal products | Pigs' ears, cows' ears, hide strips, cow hooves | Very attractive to mink, but too destructible |
Pieces of marrow bone | Too costly | |
Other chewing items | Cut portions of fire hose | Uninteresting to mink |
Plastic T-shaped plumbing fixtures | Good; used by mink | |
Hanging lengths of garden hose suspended from the top of each cage | Good if tied securely | |
Pieces of wood, wooden spoons | Uninteresting to mink | |
Nylon rope, sisal twine | Too destructible; may unravel to create choking hazards | |
Tunnels | Large plastic pipes, wire mesh tunnels | OK if large/strong enough |
Italics indicate items that were selected for use in Experiment 2.