Minimum legal standards for laboratory animal care may be insufficient for positive welfare, and the science of enrichment and environmental complexity is transforming research animal husbandry.
Laboratory animal welfare operates on two levels: legal minimum standards and genuine welfare provision. Minimum standards set floors below which housing is legally impermissible, but floors are not ceilings. Research increasingly shows that enriched environments — nest boxes, tunnels, social housing, foraging enrichment — improve both animal welfare and research quality by reducing stress-induced confounders. Institutions that exceed minimum standards produce more valid research results while simultaneously reducing animal suffering. The business case and welfare case for enhanced laboratory animal care are aligned, providing a compelling argument for voluntary improvement beyond compliance.