Mouse

Mice just want to have fun: Playpens facilitate faster training in non-invasive techniques for improved refinement and well-being

Practical mechanisms that can be implemented by animal facilities to enhance refinement include the use of non-aversive handling, non-invasive alternative procedures, and additional environmental enrichment. Thus, we sought to collate these techniques by developing a protocol that utilizes positive reinforcement...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Animal Training, Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Krall, C., Hopper, L. M., Hutchinson, E. K. 2023. Mice just want to have fun: Playpens facilitate faster training in non-invasive techniques for improved refinement and well-being. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 11(4) (July/August), 22-24.

Overcoming the hurdles of lab animal enrichment: Natural behaviors vs. scientific need

The Animal Resources Core (ARC) at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI) at Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH) faces many of the same challenges other institutions manage in terms of enrichment for laboratory animals. A Behavior Assessment Team (BAT) was developed...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Chinchilla, Fish, Goat, Mouse, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Sheep, Zebrafish

Citation: Mantz, M., Pugerud, A. 2024. Overcoming the hurdles of lab animal enrichment: Natural behaviors vs. scientific need. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 12(1) (January/February), 32-34.

A cost-effective restraint method for safer subcutaneous scruff injections and reducing stress in mice and handlers

Subcutaneous injection is a vital technique in mouse-based biomedical research. Compared to other injections, the subcutaneous method poses fewer technical challenges and reduces acute toxicity risks due to slower absorption. Several suitable subcutaneous injection sites exist in mice, including the...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Fitzwater, A., Zhang, L. 2024. A cost-effective restraint method for safer subcutaneous scruff injections and reducing stress in mice and handlers. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 12(1) (January/February), 52-53.

Thirty years of telemetry-based data acquisition for cardiovascular drug safety evaluation: Applications and optimization

Conducting safety evaluations of new drugs using conscious animals has been a specialty of our working group for thirty years. In this article, we review the various technical challenges and solutions dealt with over the years to improve both the...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, External Bodily EquipmentAnimal Type: Dog, Guinea Pig, Macaque, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Pig, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Alizadeh, E. A., Graf, K., Schiwon, J. et al. 2023. Thirty years of telemetry-based data acquisition for cardiovascular drug safety evaluation: Applications and optimization. Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods 122, 107279.

Why all healthy laboratory animals should be rehomed, no matter how small

This paper explores the ethical imperative of rehoming all healthy animals of sentient species after experiments have finished or when they have become otherwise redundant. We take into account disparate perspectives in animal ethics and see how they point in...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General, Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Van Loo, P. L. P., Janssens, M. R. E. 2023. Why all healthy laboratory animals should be rehomed, no matter how small. Animals 13(17), 2727.

More exploratory house mice judge an ambiguous situation more negatively

Exploration tendency, one of the most investigated animal personality traits, may be driven by either positive (when seeking interesting information) or negative (to reduce the uncertainty of the environment) affective/emotional profiles. To disentangle the valence of the affective state associated...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, PersonalityAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Verjat, A., Devienne, P., Rödel, H. G. et al. 2021. More exploratory house mice judge an ambiguous situation more negatively. Animal Cognition 24(1), 53–64.

Reduction in cold stress in an innovative metabolic cage housing system increases animal welfare in laboratory mice

Housing in metabolic cages can induce a pronounced stress response. Metabolic cage systems imply housing mice on metal wire mesh for the collection of urine and feces in addition to monitoring food and water intake. Moreover, mice are single-housed, and...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Wittek, L., Touma, C., Nitezki, T. et al. 2023. Reduction in cold stress in an innovative metabolic cage housing system increases animal welfare in laboratory mice. Animals 13(18), 2866.

A novel dental caries model replacing, refining, and reducing animal sacrifice

In vitro and in vivo models simulating the dental caries process enable the evaluation of anti-caries modalities for prevention and treatment. Animal experimentation remains important for improving human and animal health. Nonetheless, reducing animal sacrifice for research is desirable. The...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Wolfoviz-Zilberman, A., Houri-Haddad, Y., Beyth, N. 2021. A novel dental caries model replacing, refining, and reducing animal sacrifice. Applied Sciences 11(15), 7141.

The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals (9th ed.)

The latest edition of the seminal reference on the care and management of laboratory and research animals. The newly revised ninth edition of The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals delivers an up-to-date...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Euthanasia, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Relocation & Transport, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Amphibian, Bird, Capuchin, Cat, Cattle, Cephalopod, Crustacean, Dog, Equine, Ferret, Finch, Fish, Fowl, Frog & Toad, Gerbil, Goat, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Invertebrate, Lizard, Macaque, Marmoset, Mole Rat, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Animal, Other Bird, Other Fish, Other Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Reptile, Rodent, Sheep, Snake, Tree Shrew, Turtle & Tortoise, Vervet (African Green Monkey), Zebrafish

Citation: Golledge, H., Richardson, C. (Eds.) 2024. The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals (9th ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. 1040 p.

Mice prone to tinnitus after acoustic trauma show increased pre-exposure sensitivity to background noise

Noise-induced tinnitus is generally associated with hearing impairment caused by traumatic acoustic overexposure. Previous studies in laboratory animals and human subjects, however, have observed differences in tinnitus susceptibility, even among individuals with similar hearing loss. The mechanisms underlying increased sensitivity...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive TestingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Rybalko, N., Suchánková, Š., Bureš, Z. et al. 2023. Mice prone to tinnitus after acoustic trauma show increased pre-exposure sensitivity to background noise. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17.