Do captive fish need cognitive enrichment? A test with a puzzle feeder in guppies

For many mammalian and avian species, it has been proposed that cognitive enrichment, such as puzzle feeders, can improve welfare in captive conditions. A well-established method to evaluate the need for cognitive enrichment is to observe the preference of the animal between freely available food and a puzzle feeder. We investigated this preference in a teleost fish, the guppy. In most of our experimental trials, guppies first chose the feeder with freely available food over the puzzle feeder, in contrast with what was observed in most other species. Nevertheless, the guppies' number of choices for the puzzle feeder was significantly greater than zero. Moreover, after consuming the freely available food, most of the guppies tackled the puzzle feeder. This pattern of results suggests that guppies displayed a certain interest in the puzzle feeder that was overshadowed by their strong attraction towards the free food. Interestingly, several measures of performance indicated that female guppies responded more positively towards the puzzle feeder as compared to the males, suggesting sex differences in the preference for cognitive enrichment. In conclusion, our study highlights the potential significance of cognitive enrichment for captive fish. Considering that the number of individual fish maintained in captivity exceeds by far that of any other vertebrate group, it is paramount to investigate cognitive enrichment in other teleost species.The possibility of displaying natural behaviours, throught specific cognitive enrichments, plays a crucial role in improving the welfare of mammals and birds in captivity. In this study we investigated whether the same occurs for a fish species, the guppy. When presented with the choice between freely available food and puzzle feeder, guppies selected the former option more often than chance. However, data suggested limited albeit significant interest for the puzzle feeder. This interest was stronger in females compared to males. This study suggests the importance of considering cognitive enrichments for captive fish.image