Mouse

Attempting enrichment harmonization across multiple sites and embracing our differences

A glabal enrichment committee incorporates active members from each of the company's 6 sites and works towards harmonization of enrichment practices. One of the hot topics is attempting to standardize mouse enrichment and social housing practices. This has proven to...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Allen, C., Duggan, L., Fox, M. et al. 2018. Attempting enrichment harmonization across multiple sites and embracing our differences. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 5(4) (December), 48-51.

Fight Club: Using housing conditions to curb male cage aggression

Those who have worked with C57BL/6 males know how aggressive they can be towards their cage mates. We poured over academic journals, reading every article we could find regarding male home cage aggression. Three articles piqued our interest and suggested...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherrill, C., Kavanagh, K. 2019. Fight Club: Using housing conditions to curb male cage aggression. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 7(1) (March), 38-40.

Use of more naturalistic nesting material helps decrease food shredding in mice

Shredding of feed (food grinding or food wasting) is a common behavior among certain strains of mice. It is seen in both captive and wild rodents and may either be an abnormal behavior or a normal behavior that is simply...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: MacDuff, A., Loera, F., Adamson, T. W. 2019. Use of more naturalistic nesting material helps decrease food shredding in mice. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 7(1) (March), 46-48.

Automated monitoring of mouse feeding and body weight for continuous health assessment

Routine health assessment of laboratory rodents can be improved using automated home cage monitoring. Continuous, non-stressful, objective assessment of rodents unaware that they are being watched, including during their active dark period, reveals behavioural and physiological changes otherwise invisible to...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Ahloy-Dallaire, J., Klein, J. D., Davis, J. K. et al. 2019. Automated monitoring of mouse feeding and body weight for continuous health assessment. Laboratory Animals 53(4), 342–351.

Non-aversive photographic measurement method for subcutaneous tumours in nude mice

We have developed a new method for the measurement of subcutaneous tumour volume which consists in taking photographs of mice in their home cages, to refine the standard method of measurement with calipers. We consider this new method to be...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Resasco, A., Carranza Martin, A. C., Ayala, M. A. et al. 2019. Non-aversive photographic measurement method for subcutaneous tumours in nude mice. Laboratory Animals 53(4), 352–361.

Home sweet home cage

This feature describes creative ways in which technology can be used to study animals within their home cages, eliminating the need to handle, restrain, and separate them from cage mates. One example includes voluntary brain imaging in mice. In biomedical...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Imaging & Electrophysiological RecordingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Neff, E. P. 2018. Home sweet home cage. Lab Animal 47(10), 261–264.

Environmental enrichment prevents pup mortality in laboratory mice

Early death of mouse pups is a commonly known problem in breeding mice colonies, which is still often regarded as ‘normal' or is even overlooked due to the counting procedures applied. As reduced breeding performance probably indicates reduced well-being, this...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Leidinger, C. S., Thöne-Reineke, C., Baumgart, N. et al. 2019. Environmental enrichment prevents pup mortality in laboratory mice. Laboratory Animals 53(1), 53–62.

Optimal tube length of orotracheal intubation for mice

Endotracheal tube (ETT) management is an essential technique in handling mice with mechanical ventilators. Malposition into bronchi causes not only lethal complications for them but also less efficient mechanical ventilation. However, in general, it is difficult to know whether the...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Cannulation, Catheterization, & IntubationAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Nosaka, N., Crother, T. R., Chen, S. et al. 2019. Optimal tube length of orotracheal intubation for mice. Laboratory Animals 53(1), 79–83.

Assessing the safety and suitability of nesting material for singly housed mice with surgically fitted head plates

Nesting material, for example shredded paper, is a common form of enrichment for laboratory mice. However, there has been limited research performed regarding its apparent safety when given to mice fitted with exteriorised devices such as head plates. Anecdotally, shredded...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, External Bodily EquipmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Windsor, Z., Bate, S. T. 2019. Assessing the safety and suitability of nesting material for singly housed mice with surgically fitted head plates. Heliyon 5(7), e02097.

Welfare and scientific considerations of tattooing and ear tagging for mouse identification

Ear tagging is perceived as less painful or stressful than tattooing and therefore is generally considered less harmful or costly to welfare. However, ear tags are more difficult to read than tattoos and can fall out, and mice usually require...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Identification MethodAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Roughan, J. V., Sevenoaks, T. 2019. Welfare and scientific considerations of tattooing and ear tagging for mouse identification. JAALAS 58(2), 142-153.