Rat

Current recommendations for the use of red spectrum lighting in research animal facility planning and design

Light, an environmental factor much like noise, vibration, temperature, and humidity, has long been a concern to lighting engineers, biomedical researchers, and animal care personnel and requires great consideration in the design and planning of research animal facilities and laboratory...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Dauchy, R. T. 2026. Current recommendations for the use of red spectrum lighting in research animal facility planning and design. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 14(2) (March/April), 12-14.

Implications for health assessments of the relationship between body fat percent and body condition scoring in Fisher 344 x brown Norway rats varying by sex and age

Body condition scoring (BCS) has been implemented across farming, veterinary, and research settings1–3 to probe body fat reserves for quick and effective assessment of animal welfare. Some strains of rats, including the male Fischer344 x Brown Norway F1 hybrid (FBN)...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Logan, C. N., Ramirez, M., Smith, S. et al. 2026. Implications for health assessments of the relationship between body fat percent and body condition scoring in Fisher 344 x brown Norway rats varying by sex and age. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 14(1) (January/February), 24-33.

Beyond single metrics: Multi-parameter home-cage monitoring improves welfare assessment

Single outcome measures often fall short of the sensitivity and objectivity expected under European Directive 2010/63, particularly in fast progressing disease models. To address this gap, the German Research Foundation consortium FOR2591 collated data from 55 routinely used models in...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Amphibian, Baboon, Capuchin, Chimpanzee, Frog & Toad, Gibbon, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rat, Rodent, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Talbot, S. R., Tolba, R. H., Bleich, A. 2026. Beyond single metrics: Multi-parameter home-cage monitoring improves welfare assessment. Laboratory Animals 60(1), 20–24.

Individually ventilated cages severely attenuate inter-cage ultrasonic vocalizations in rats

Individually ventilated cages (IVCs) benefit rodent and researcher health but may limit animals’ ability to communicate with cage-neighbours via ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). Despite USVs’ importance in rodent social behaviour, no previous research has investigated IVCs’ impact on between-cage USV transmission....

Year Published: 2025Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Scott, K. J., Bilkey, D. K. 2025. Individually ventilated cages severely attenuate inter-cage ultrasonic vocalizations in rats. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 28(4), 730–739.

Social buffering of stress in rats: A multisystem meta-analysis and translational framework for stress resilience

Background: Social context modulates stress physiology and resilience, yet preclinical rat paradigms vary widely in stressor type, timing of social exposure, contact modality, and endpoint definitions. We synthesized rat studies to quantify directional and, where feasible, standardized effect-size evidence for...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Sarapultsev, A., Komelkova, M., Gusev, E. et al. 2026. Social buffering of stress in rats: A multisystem meta-analysis and translational framework for stress resilience. Physiology & Behavior 307, 115242.

Playing or fighting? Home cage dynamics in crowding or social instability paradigms contribute to stress and reproductive impairments in adult female Wistar rats

Play fighting represents a key behavioral component in group-housed rats, yet its contribution to the outcomes of social stress paradigms remains unassessed. This study characterized play fighting behaviors over time in two social stress conditions involving crowding. We also evaluated...

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

Citation: Poitras, M., Ouellette, É. A., Pellis, S. M. et al. 2025. Playing or fighting? Home cage dynamics in crowding or social instability paradigms contribute to stress and reproductive impairments in adult female Wistar rats. Behavioural Processes 233, 105301.

Beyond comfort: A review of the critical role of bedding selection in rodent welfare, microenvironment, and research reproducibility

This review addresses the critical but often underappreciated influence of bedding selection on rodent welfare, cage microenvironment, occupational health, and research outcomes in biomedical studies. Although contact bedding is widely preferred by mice and rats and is the current industry...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: O’Connell, K. A., Celdran-Bonafonte, D. 2026. Beyond comfort: A review of the critical role of bedding selection in rodent welfare, microenvironment, and research reproducibility. JAALAS 65(2), 146–158.

Gentle stroking induces conditioned place preference in rats: Implications for animal welfare

Gentle tactile interaction with humans has been proposed as a form of social enrichment for laboratory animals; however, its direct reinforcing properties remain underexplored. Therefore, this study tested whether brief, gentle stroking can function as a positive reinforcer in adolescent...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Nagaishi, T., Shiomi, S. 2026. Gentle stroking induces conditioned place preference in rats: Implications for animal welfare. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 83, 35–39.

Sex differences in the enjoyment of enrichment: Affective bias testing confirms female rats prefer more playful and less vigorous tickling

There is increasing interest in positive animal welfare which emphasizes that animals should experience predominantly positive mental states. Positive animal welfare raises challenging biological questions, including how we assess positive experiences. Rat tickling mimics rough and tumble play; it is...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Gonzalez, C., Lawrence, A. B., Mendl, M. et al. 2026. Sex differences in the enjoyment of enrichment: Affective bias testing confirms female rats prefer more playful and less vigorous tickling. Biology Letters 22(4), 20260075.

The analgesic effect of two different extended-release meloxicam formulations for attenuation of hypersensitivity in rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Meloxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) frequently administered every 24 hours to control mild to moderate pain in rodents. Extended-release meloxicam offers a refinement of less frequent dosing and an extended therapeutic window compared with the standard daily-dosed meloxicam...

Year Published: 2026Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Ge, Y., Alamaw, E. D., Jampachaisri, K. et al. 2026. The analgesic effect of two different extended-release meloxicam formulations for attenuation of hypersensitivity in rats (Rattus norvegicus). JAALAS 65(1), 58–64.