Mouse

Environmental enrichment for laboratory mice: preferences and consequences

Current laboratory housing systems have mainly been developed on the basis of ergonomic and economic factors. These systems provide adequate, basic physiological requirements of animals, but only marginally fulfill other needs, such as the performance of natural behaviour or social...

Year Published: 1996Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Van de Weerd, H. A. 1996. Environmental enrichment for laboratory mice: preferences and consequences. web site.

Reorganising behaviour in laboratory mice with varying cost of access to resources

By using traverses of shallow water, the costs of gaining access to food [length of traverses], shelter, a conspecific, increased space, a running wheel, deep sawdust, or enrichment (e.g., balls, a variety of small objects) were increased for laboratory mice....

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherwin, C. M., Nicol, C. J. 1996. Reorganising behaviour in laboratory mice with varying cost of access to resources. Animal Behaviour 51, 1087-1093.

Preferences of laboratory mice for characteristics of soiling sites

These results show that the mice defecated in localized areas and preferred to defecate in areas containing sawdust [rather than on bare plastic floors]. These results support other evidence which indicates that conventional cage designs for mice do not provide...

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherwin, C. M. 1996. Preferences of laboratory mice for characteristics of soiling sites. Animal Welfare 5, 283-288.

Preferences of individually housed TO strain laboratory mice for loose substrate or tubes for sleeping

Individually housed mice preferred to sleep in sawdust [rather than pre-formed tubes] when this was available. The mice slept in the tubes only after the sawdust was removed. The animals showed no preference for shape, opacity or openness of the...

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherwin, C. M. 1996. Preferences of individually housed TO strain laboratory mice for loose substrate or tubes for sleeping . Laboratory Animals 30, 245-251.

Laboratory mice persist in gaining access to resources: a method of assessing the importance of environmental features

By using traverses of shallow water in two experiments, it was determined how laboratory mice defended gaining access to feed, shelter, a conspecific or increased space (Experiment 1), and to feed, a running wheel, enrichments ('toys') or deep sawdust (Experiment...

Year Published: 1996Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherwin, C. M. 1996. Laboratory mice persist in gaining access to resources: a method of assessing the importance of environmental features. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 48, 203-214.

Effect of environmental enrichment and housing density on immune system reactivity to acute exercise stress

Keeping mice in enriched cages rather than barren standard cages seems to enhance immune function. Environmentally enriched mice behave immunologically much like nonstressed animals. Animals in enriched environment showed a less variable, better regulated immune response.

Year Published: 1996Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Kingston, S. G., Hoffman-Goetz, L. 1996. Effect of environmental enrichment and housing density on immune system reactivity to acute exercise stress. Physiology and Behavior 60, 145-150.

Environmental enrichment: practical applications

A general discussion. Mice show clear choices for cage enrichment, and animals from enrichment environments seem to be better adapted to experimental conditions.

Year Published: 1997Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Baumans, V. 1997. Environmental enrichment: practical applications. In: Animal Alternatives, Welfare and Ethics. van Zutphen, L. F. MM. , Balls, M. (eds), 187-197. Elsevier, Amsterdam.

Environmental enrichment, immunocompetence, and resistance to Babesia microti in male mice

Groups of male CFLP mice housed in cages furnished with shelves and nestboxes showed increased aggression and reduced resistance to an experimental infection of Babesia microti when compared with groups in unfurnished cages. Both a bystander measure of immunocompetence (serum...

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Barnard, C. J., Behnke, J. M., Sewell, J. 1996. Environmental enrichment, immunocompetence, and resistance to Babesia microti in male mice. Physiology and Behavior 60, 1223-1231.

Rodent enrichment devices – evaluation of preference and efficacy

The mice preferred cotton nestles and cardboard rolls over wooden block and commercial toys. When animals wearing wound clips were exposed to the preferred enrichment, premature wound clip removal decreased, suggesting a positive effect of enrichment on the psychological well-being...

Year Published: 1997Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Coviello-Mclaughlin, G. M., Starr, S. J. 1997. Rodent enrichment devices - evaluation of preference and efficacy . Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 36(6), 66-68.

Transgenic Animals

The creation of transgenic animals is resulting in a shift from the use of higher order species to lower order species, and is also affecting the numbers of animals used. An example of the replacement of higher species by lower...

Year Published: 1997Animal Type: All/General, Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Canadian Council on Animal Care [CCAC] 1997. Transgenic Animals. web site From CCAC Resource Supplement, Spring/Summer 1997.