Mouse

Design and validation of an Arduino-based, cost-effective heated anesthesia induction chamber for mice

Rodents are highly susceptible to peri-anesthetic hypothermia because of their small body size, large surface area to volume/mass ratio, and anesthetic-induced thermoregulatory depression. Early heat loss during induction is rapid and can be difficult to reverse, emphasizing the need for...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Corea, A., Tucker, K., Benites, C. E. et al. 2026. Design and validation of an arduino-based, cost-effective heated anesthesia induction chamber for mice. JAALAS 65(2), 286–296.

Assessing nest-building performance in mice: A multifactorial study of strain, age, sex, and environmental factors

Providing nesting material is one of the main forms of environmental enrichment for laboratory mice. Nest building is an innate behavior, widely observed in wild mice, which construct complex, dome-shaped, multi-layered structures. Although various materials can be used in microisolator...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Cintra, L., Hernandes, C. F., Alexandre-Ribeiro, S. R. et al. 2026. Assessing nest-building performance in mice: A multifactorial study of strain, age, sex, and environmental factors. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 83, 98–105.

Robust noninvasive detection of hyperglycemia in mouse models of metabolic dysregulation using the novel Urination Index biomarker

Blood glucose is one of the most essential parameters in metabolic research. Yet, accurate blood glucose monitoring in mouse models of diabetes is challenging owing to the substantial stress associated with the measurements and the variability in diabetes development among...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Brachs, S., Dall, M., Zimbalski, L.-K. et al. 2025. Robust noninvasive detection of hyperglycemia in mouse models of metabolic dysregulation using the novel Urination Index biomarker. Lab Animal 54(12), 379–389.

Social housing of male CD-1 mice (Mus musculus) in the toxicological setting: A 28-day social compatibility study of male mice following oral gavage of theophylline

Group or pair housing of social animals in laboratory settings is beneficial to animal welfare. Social housing of male mice can be difficult due to possible aggressive behaviors, leading to injury and resulting in animals not being able to continue...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Blakie, L., Alves, S., Chase, F. T. et al. 2026. Social housing of male CD-1 mice (Mus musculus) in the toxicological setting: A 28-day social compatibility study of male mice following oral gavage of theophylline. JAALAS 65(1), 92–111.

The effects of housing temperature on mouse physiology and implications for disease modeling

Housing temperature has a critical role in preclinical research by affecting the physiological and metabolic responses of laboratory mice. Exposure to temperatures below the thermoneutral zone triggers adaptive responses, such as behavioral changes, increased energy expenditure and altered immune function,...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Bellucci, A., Baranowski, B. J., Wright, D. C. 2026. The effects of housing temperature on mouse physiology and implications for disease modeling. Lab Animal 55(4), 108–116.

Transfer to a naturalistic setting restructures fear responses in laboratory mice

Appropriate classification of a novel stimulus as threatening or benign depends on a repertoire of prior environmental experiences involving challenge, risk, and opportunity. Without this library, individuals may classify harmless stimuli as dangerous — a hallmark of generalized anxiety. In...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Housing, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Zipple, M. N., Loflin, B., Kuo, D. C. et al. 2025. Transfer to a naturalistic setting restructures fear responses in laboratory mice. Current Biology 35(24), R1175–R1176.

Ethological constraints and welfare-related bias in laboratory mice: Implications of housing, lighting, and social environment

Laboratory mice are the most widely used model organisms in biomedical and behavioral research, yet growing concerns regarding reproducibility and translational validity have highlighted the substantial influence of housing and husbandry conditions on experimental outcomes. Although domestication is often assumed...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Török, H. K., Bárdos, B. 2026. Ethological constraints and welfare-related bias in laboratory mice: Implications of housing, lighting, and social environment. Animals 16(2).

Report of the 2024 RSPCA/UFAW rodent welfare group meeting

The RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group has held a one-day meeting every autumn for the last 31 years. These meetings provide an opportunity for members to discuss current welfare research, exchange views on welfare issues and share their experiences of the...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Animal Training, Drug/Substance Administration, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Imaging & Electrophysiological RecordingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Stevens, C., Robinson, E., Jackson, M. et al. 2025. Report of the 2024 RSPCA/UFAW rodent welfare group meeting. Animal Welfare and Technology 4(3), 219–226.

Small changes, big differences: Collaborative refinements in animal research

Our unit opened in 2017, during the procurement of new equipment we had the opportunity to purchase a digital ventilated rack system from Tecniplast UK. The cages are referred to as the Digitally Ventilated Cage or DVC. This system uses...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Drug/Substance Administration, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Onions, L., WIlkinson, G. 2025. Small changes, big differences: Collaborative refinements in animal research. Animal Technology and Welfare 24(3), 239–240.

Prevalence and management practices of ophthalmic lesions in laboratory mice

The regular inspection of the eye health is an essential part of the veterinary care task in an animal facility in order to achieve robust results during experimentation. The aim of the study was to find out, when and how...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Husbandry & Management, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Matzek, D., Rumpel, S., Kassumeh, S. et al. 2026. Prevalence and management practices of ophthalmic lesions in laboratory mice. Scientific Reports 16(1), 8732.