Mouse

Progressing the care, husbandry and management of ageing mice used in scientific studies

Driven by the longer lifespans of humans, particularly in Westernised societies, and the need to know more about ‘healthy ageing’, ageing mice are being used increasingly in scientific research. Many departments and institutes involved with ageing research have developed their...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Humane Endpoint, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Wilkinson, M. J. A., Selman, C., McLaughlin, L. et al. 2020. Progressing the care, husbandry and management of ageing mice used in scientific studies. Laboratory Animals 54(3) 225–238.

Manganese-free chow, a refined non-invasive solution to reduce gastrointestinal signal for T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the mouse abdomen

Commercial mouse chow is designed to provide a complete, nutrient-rich diet, and it can contain upwards of 100 mg/kg manganese, an essential mineral. Manganese acts as a relaxation time-shortening contrast agent for both T1 and T2, and where standard chow is...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Kersemans, V., Wallington, S., Allen, P. D. et al. 2020. Manganese-free chow, a refined non-invasive solution to reduce gastrointestinal signal for T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the mouse abdomen. Laboratory Animals 54(4), 353–364.

Not all mice are alike: Mixed-strain housing alters social behaviour

The use of millions of mice in scientific studies worldwide emphasises the continuing need for a reduction of sample sizes, however, not at the expense of scientific validity. Split-plot designs have been suggested to enhance statistical power while allowing a...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Bodden, C., Wewer, M., Kästner, N. et al. 2021. Not all mice are alike: Mixed-strain housing alters social behaviour. Physiology & Behavior 228, 113220.

Rabbits, Guinea Pigs and Mice.

We, the people involved in animal care, are trying to develop improved methods of keeping our animals, methods which will take into account more of the animals' behavioral needs. We now have a large number of rabbits in runs which...

Year Published: 1988Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Mouse, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Love, J A., Gray, G., Boyd, J., Rabbits, Guinea Pigs and Mice. Humane Innovations and Alternatives Vol. 2, 1988, p.47-50

Body length as an objective marker of time to wean in laboratory mice

In laboratory mice, the 21-day weaning standard is the most commonly applied strategy across institutions. However, this strategy has numerous drawbacks, including potential for litter overlap, pup mortality, and weaning extensions. In pursuit of a more objective marker for weaning,...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Wilson, R. L., Dupont, W. D., Hunter, C. L. et al. 2025. Body length as an objective marker of time to wean in laboratory mice. JAALAS 64(5), 962–967.

Thermoneutral environment improves mouse welfare and reduces stress in metabolic cages

Metabolic cages (MCs) are often used to collect feces and urine samples. However, the housing of mice in MCs can be stressful, potentially affecting parameters of interest. Here we compare our standard protocol for individual MC housing (4 days at 23 °C:...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Villiger, P., Calvet, C., Pastor-Arroyo, E. M. et al. 2025. Thermoneutral environment improves mouse welfare and reduces stress in metabolic cages. Lab Animal 54(11), 303–312.

A customised combination of environmental enrichment reduces aggression in CD-1 male mice

Murine aggression has profound implications on animal welfare and husbandry. This report examines how three distinct combinations of environmental enrichment – wheel, igloo and tunnel; wheel, igloo, and tunnel with nesting; and tunnel with nesting – affect aggressive behaviour in...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Veness, A., Galichet, C., Murphy, S. et al. 2025. A customised combination of environmental enrichment reduces aggression in CD-1 male mice. Laboratory Animals 59(5), 588–592.

Sex and strain differences in the micropipette-guided drug administration (MDA) method in mice

To provide an alternative to oral gavage for per os treatments in laboratory mice, we have recently developed and introduced the micropipette-guided drug administration (MDA) method. This procedure is based on the presentation of a palatable solution consisting of sweetened...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Steiner, S., Krzyzaniak, O., Nilsson, F. A. M. et al. 2025. Sex and strain differences in the micropipette-guided drug administration (MDA) method in mice. Laboratory Animals 59(5), 578–587.

Improving pain management for murine orthotopic xenograft models of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Despite ongoing research, realistic in vitro models for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that can mimic the complex pathology are still not available, highlighting the need for continuous animal-based investigation. As part of the 3R principles, constant refinement of animal experiments...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Analgesia, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Schreiber, T., Lange, S., Talbot, S. R. et al. 2025. Improving pain management for murine orthotopic xenograft models of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Lab Animal 54(11), 313–320.

Social housing conditions, hierarchical status and testing order affect behavioral test outcomes of male C57BL6/J mice

Male mice are frequently used for behavioral neuroscience research, but outcomes of behavioral tests are often variable across studies, contributing to poor reproducibility. Social housing conditions, social hierarchical status and within-cage order of testing are factors that likely influence behavioral...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Schipper, L., van Heijningen, S., Karapetsas, G. et al. 2025. Social housing conditions, hierarchical status and testing order affect behavioral test outcomes of male C57BL6/J mice. Physiology & Behavior 293, 114859.