Mouse

Thinking outside of the tunnel for non-aversive mouse handling

The key to non-aversive methods of handling lies in understanding what capture method creates the least anxiety in mice: be this tunnel or cupping or another method. It is important that we do not get so focussed on tunnel handling,...

Year Published: 2021Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Moore, J., Wickert, M. 2021. Thinking outside of the tunnel for non-aversive mouse handling. Animal Technology and Welfare 20(2), 161-163.

A tunnel is not enough: Mice benefit from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel

Mouse shelters can provide mice with security, help them thermoregulate, offer darkness to prevent damage to their eyes and enable climbing and gnawing opportunities. For laboratory mice, there is a vast array of commercially available cage furniture, so choosing which...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Burn, C. C., Popat, R. 2021. A tunnel is not enough: Mice benefit from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel. Animal Technology and Welfare 20(3), 203-210.

Maximising efficacy of your health monitoring programme

There are a multitude of health monitoring techniques/ methods available. It can be difficult to know which of these to use and when to use them. This is an attempt to simplify, maximise the efficacy of and ultimately reduce the...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Chinchilla, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Dickinson, A. 2021. Maximising efficacy of your health monitoring programme. Animal Technology and Welfare 20(3), 255-257.

An examination of nest-building behaviour using five different nesting materials in C57BL/6J and BALB/c mice

The aim of our study was to assess the nest-building behaviour of two mouse (Mus musculus) strains using different nesting materials and examine possible sex- and housing-specific effects. Adult mice of two strains (C57BL/6J; n = 64 and BALB/cAnNCrl; n...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Obermueller, B., Castellani, C., Till, H. et al. 2021. An examination of nest-building behaviour using five different nesting materials in C57BL/6J and BALB/c mice. Animal Welfare 30(4), 467-477.

Diagnostic ability of methods depicting distress of tumor-bearing mice

Subcutaneous tumor models in mice are the most commonly used experimental animal models in cancer research. To improve animal welfare and the quality of scientific studies, the distress of experimental animals needs to be minimized. For this purpose, one must...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Xie, W., Kordt, M., Palme, R. et al. 2021. Diagnostic ability of methods depicting distress of tumor-bearing mice. Animals 11(8), 2155.

All the pups we cannot see: Cannibalism masks perinatal death in laboratory mouse breeding but infanticide is rare

Perinatal mortality is a major issue in laboratory mouse breeding. We compared a counting method using daily checks (DAILY_CHECK) with a method combining daily checks with detailed video analyses to detect cannibalisms (VIDEO_TRACK) for estimating the number of C57BL/6 pups...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Brajon, S., Morello, G. M., Capas-Peneda, S. et al. 2021. All the pups we cannot see: Cannibalism masks perinatal death in laboratory mouse breeding but infanticide is rare. Animals 11(8), 2327.

Voluntary oral administration of drugs in mice

Oral administration of substances is a common procedure in scientific experiments using laboratory animals and typically is achieved in conscious animals by using the intragastric gavage technique. While highly effective, this method can be technically challenging particularly in small animals...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Zhang, L. 2011. Voluntary oral administration of drugs in mice. Protocol Exchange [version 1, protocol preprint].

Environmental enrichment and mouse models: Current perspectives

The provision of environmental enrichment to numerous species of laboratory animals is generally considered routine husbandry. However, mouse enrichment has proven to be very complex due to the often contradictory outcomes (animal health and welfare, variability in scientific data, etc.)...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Bayne, K. 2018. Environmental enrichment and mouse models: Current perspectives. Animal Models and Experimental Medicine 1(2), 82-90.

DIY: Dehydrated watermelon training chips

This simple DIY training treat is great for NHP, swine, rabbits, rodents, and dogs. Note that dehydrated watermelon may resemble muscle tissue!

Year Published: 2021Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Baboon, Capuchin, Chimpanzee, Chinchilla, Dog, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Lambert, K. 2021. DIY: Dehydrated watermelon training chips. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 9(4) (July/August), 48.

Constructing and programming a cost-effective murine running wheel with digital revolution counter

Voluntary wheel running is a valuable metabolic intervention and well-established measure of physical activity in preclinical rodent models. Herein, we describe detailed assembly instructions and provide necessary resources for researchers to build their own running wheels from commercial-off-the-shelf parts and...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Edwards, J., Olson, B., Marks, D.L. 2021. Constructing and programming a cost-effective murine running wheel with digital revolution counter. Lab Animal 50, 202-204.