Mouse

Identification of appropriate measures for the assessment of laboratory mouse welfare

A Delphi consultation process was used to examine the validity and feasibility of potential resource-input and animal-based outcome measures of laboratory mouse welfare identified by a comprehensive literature search. The consultation was an iterative two-stage technique that used web and...

Year Published: 2008Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Leach, M. C., Thornton, P. D., Main, D. C. J. 2008. Identification of appropriate measures for the assessment of laboratory mouse welfare. Animal Welfare 17, 161-170.

Can we improve the welfare of laboratory mice by cleaning their cages less frequently? Lab Animal 37(5), 216-217

Preliminary results suggest that the frequency of cage cleaning did not affect the stress response in the mice studied.

Year Published: 2008Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Latham, N., Mason, G., Dawkins, M. 2008. Can we improve the welfare of laboratory mice by cleaning their cages less frequently? Lab Animal 37(5), 216-217.

Effects of a running wheel-igloo enrichment on aggression, hierarchy linearity, and stereotypy in group-housed male CD-1 (ICR) mice

Environmental enrichment is an important strategy to improve the welfare of laboratory animals. Running wheels might serve as enrichment devices for laboratory mice, since mice use them extensively when they are provided. However, competition among group-housed mice for such highly...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Howerton, C. L., Garner, J. P., Mench, J. A. 2008. Effects of a running wheel-igloo enrichment on aggression, hierarchy linearity, and stereotypy in group-housed male CD-1 (ICR) mice. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 115, 90-103.

Home Improvement: C57BL/6J Mice Given More Naturalistic Nesting Materials Build Better Nests

Environmental enrichment of laboratory mice can improve the quality of research, but debate arises over the means of enrichment and its ability to be used in a sterile environment. One important form of enrichment is nesting material. Mice in the...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Hess, S. E., Rohr, S., Dufour, B. D. et al. 2008. Home Improvement: C57BL/6J Mice Given More Naturalistic Nesting Materials Build Better Nests . Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science] 47(6), 25-32.

Report of the 2006 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group meeting

The RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group holds a one-day meeting every autumn to discuss current welfare research and to exchange views on rodent welfare issues. A key aim of the group is to encourage people to think about the lifetime experience...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Euthanasia, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Reed, B., Hawkins, P., Latham, N. et al. 2008. Report of the 2006 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group meeting. Lab Animal 37(5), 216-222.

Study of environmental enrichment for mice using a Nestpak?

The use of Nestpaks proved to be a useful environmental enrichment for our mice, causing them to work in nest construction from start to finish rather than having a nest pre-constructed.

Year Published: 2008Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Rustell, L. 2008. Study of environmental enrichment for mice using a Nestpak?. Animal Technology and Welfare 7(1), 21-23.

Decreased corticolimbic allopregnanolone expression during social isolation enhances contextual fear: A model relevant for posttraumatic stress disorder

Mice subjected to (3-4 weeks) exhibit enhanced contextual fear responses and impaired fear extinction. These responses are time-related to a decrease of 5alpha-reductase type I (5alpha-RI) and allopregnanolone (Allo) levels in selected neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and...

Year Published: 2008Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Pibiri, F., Nelson, M., Guidotti, A. et al. 2008. Decreased corticolimbic allopregnanolone expression during social isolation enhances contextual fear: A model relevant for posttraumatic stress disorder. Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences 105, 5567-5572.

Double-mouse perch designed as an enrichment and life-saving device

This device [suspended from wire grid] is a well-used form of enrichment and an effective life-saving platform during accidental cage flooding.

Year Published: 2008Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Phillips, K. A., King, G., Ibanez, A. et al. 2008. Double-mouse perch designed as an enrichment and life-saving device. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 95-96 (Abstract).

Individual housing of mice – Impact on behaviour and stress responses

The replicability of results derived from studies in rodents might be influenced by stress caused by inappropriate housing conditions. Here we compared the experimental behaviour and stress response (circulating corticosterone level and adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase activity) of individually-housed male and...

Year Published: 2009Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Arndt SS, Laarakker MC, van Lith HA, et al. 2009. Individual housing of mice - Impact on behaviour and stress responses. Physio and Behav. 97;385-93.

Enrichment from birth accelerates the functional and cellular development of a motor control area in the mouse

There is strong evidence that sensory experience in early life has a profound influence on the development of sensory circuits. Very little is known, however, about the role of experience in the early development of striatal networks which regulate both...

Year Published: 2009Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Simonetti, T., Lee, H., Bourke, M. et al. 2009. Enrichment from birth accelerates the functional and cellular development of a motor control area in the mouse. PLOS ONE 4, e6780.