Abstract
We examined the influence of cage enrichment and different types of short-term experiences on the temperament of farmed mink. We used juvenile Palomino mink (n?=?600, housed in pairs of one male and one female) in a two-factor design with cage environment (BAR: barren vs. ENR: cage enriched with a shelf and a tube throughout) and exposure to one type of short-term experience (Negative: caught and kept in a small trapping cage for 15?minutes, Neutral: no treatment, and Positive: provision of canned cat food treat). The test-naïve mink were evaluated for curiosity and fearfulness in a voluntary approach-avoidance test (stick test) in their home cage after 4 weeks of housing treatment (BAR vs. ENR) on the day following the short-term experience. Both the housing and the type of short-term experience, with no interaction between them, influenced the proportion of mink scored explorative in the first stick test. Mink in the ENR cages were more curious, as they had a shorter latency to exploratory contact (P?