Nonhuman primate cage modifications for environmental enrichment

Both to meet the regulatory requirements of the Animal Welfare Act and the increasing body of evidence supporting that most species of nonhuman primates (NHP) should be group-housed whenever possible, modifications to nonhuman primate caging are described. Perches and cage-connecting tunnels were fabricated for existing macaque caging. These are semi-permanent, easily sanitizable, and allow for all cage functions to operate as designed. All NHP housed in these cages were part of experimental studies approved by the institutional animal care and use committee.