Rat

Specifically unspecific – Simple devices as feasible and effective enrichment for small mammals

Although enrichment is an essential part of modern zoo animal husbandry, research on effective enrichment for small mammals is scarce, albeit they are regularly kept in zoos. To develop solutions that are inexpensive, readily applicable, and adaptable for a variety...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Nonhuman Primate, Other Animal, Other Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Göbel, M., Kaiser, S., Richter, H. et al. 2024. Specifically unspecific – Simple devices as feasible and effective enrichment for small mammals. Animal Behavior and Cognition 11(3), 305–329.

Report of the 2023 RSPCA/UFAW/IAT Rodent Welfare Group Meeting

This report summarises the meeting and covers discussions ranging from housing and husbandry to refinement in procedures, education, and learning from companion rate care. It includes some action points for readers to consider raising at their own establishments.

Year Published: 2024Topics: Drug/Substance Administration, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Barnabe, M., Applebee, K., Hurst, J. et al. 2024. Report of the 2023 RSPCA/UFAW/IAT Rodent Welfare Group Meeting. Animal Technology and Welfare 23(2), 81–90.

The 3Hs Initiative—Housing, handling, and habituation

We have looked at our housing, handling and habituation approaches to identify areas to make improvements. This is critical for our resaerch outputs and has the benefit of reducing the cumulative suffering the animals experience by reducing stress and negative...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Animal Training, Drug/Substance Administration, Handling, Housing, RestraintAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Bartlett, J., Hinchcliffe, J., Jackson, M. et al. 2024. The 3Hs Initiative—Housing, handling, and habituation. Animal Technology and Welfare 23(2), 91–99.

Exploring pet rat care: A comprehensive survey of husbandry, health, behavior, and the associations between caretaker attitudes, attachment, and husbandry practices

Pet rats are still understudied in terms of animal welfare and human-animal interaction research. An extensive online survey targeting German-speaking rat caretakers was conducted (n = 978). One of the study's goals was to investigate husbandry practices, health indicators, rat...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat

Citation: Schneidewind, S., Lesch, R., Heizmann, V. et al. 2024. Exploring pet rat care: A comprehensive survey of husbandry, health, behavior, and the associations between caretaker attitudes, attachment, and husbandry practices. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 75, 1–19.

Feel-good songs: Application of a novel playback paradigm to induce a positive affective state in juvenile male Wistar rats

Across animal welfare science there is a lack of validated models of positive affective states. Previous work has shown that presentation of contrastingly valenced ultrasonic vocalisations (USVs) to rats alters their behaviour. However, the potential of using playback of USVs...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, VocalizationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hammond, T. J., Brown, S. M., Meddle, S. L. et al. 2024. Feel-good songs: Application of a novel playback paradigm to induce a positive affective state in juvenile male Wistar rats. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 275, 106296.

Non-invasive acquisition of vital data in anesthetized rats using laser and radar application

The aim of this study was to verify the possibility of obtaining vital sign information using a laser and radar sensor in a manner that is non-invasive and painless for test animals. A dataset was obtained from respiratory movement of...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Kawabe, T., Kita, S., Ohmura, I. et al. 2024. Non-invasive acquisition of vital data in anesthetized rats using laser and radar application. Laboratory Animals 58(6), 591–601.

Comparison of sucrose and maltose as reinforcers in an operant choice paradigm

Two experiments compared the reinforcing effects of sucrose and maltose across a range of concentrations. The results were interpreted using the Multiplicative Hyperbolic Model of reinforcer value (MHM). In Experiment 1, rats were exposed to a discrete-trials schedule in which...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Animal TrainingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Bradshaw, C. M. 2024. Comparison of sucrose and maltose as reinforcers in an operant choice paradigm. Behavioural Processes 220, 105075.

How much “enrichment” is enough for laboratory rodents? A systematic review and meta-analysis re-assessing the impact of well-resourced cages on morbidity and mortality

Laboratory rodent housing often fails to meet rodents' behavioral and physiological needs. We previously found that compared to well-resourced (often called 'enriched') housing, conventional cages increase mortality rates and the morbidity of stress-sensitive experimentally-induced diseases (anxiety, cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression,...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Cait, J., Winder, C. B., Mason, G. J. 2024. How much “enrichment” is enough for laboratory rodents? A systematic review and meta-analysis re-assessing the impact of well-resourced cages on morbidity and mortality. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 278, 106361.

Refinement of intranasal delivery in rats: A cadaveric study

The intranasal route enables direct delivery of multiple substances from the nose to the brain, through olfactory and trigeminal pathways, bypassing the blood–brain barrier and avoiding systemic absorption. Despite the potential of this route, the various administration approaches make data...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Pereira, M. N., Venâncio, C., Pinto, M. de L. et al. 2024. Refinement of intranasal delivery in rats: A cadaveric study. Laboratory Animals 58(4), 324–333.

Periodic stays in a ‘playcage’ as an environmental enrichment measure for laboratory rats housed in individually ventilated cages: Short report

Male Zucker Diabetic Sprague Dawley rats were housed in standard individually ventilated cages with floor area of 1500 cm2, and were placed in a ‘playcage' (a large open cage) for three visits per week from the age of 16–18 weeks. The...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Gudbrandsen, O. A. 2024. Periodic stays in a ‘playcage' as an environmental enrichment measure for laboratory rats housed in individually ventilated cages: Short report. Laboratory Animals 58(4), 365–368.