Rat

Performance and consistency of circulating warm water blankets for rodents

General anesthesia as used for rodent research can have adverse effects on physiologic mechanisms. Thermoregulation is often greatly inhibited, with resultant deleterious effects on cardiac and respiratory function. These potential effects can be mitigated by providing external heat support. The...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Chinchilla, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Mouse, Other Rodent, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Nicolis, I. N., Beale, C. N., Bidot, W. A. et al. 2022. Performance and consistency of circulating warm water blankets for rodents. JAALAS 61(1), 96-100.

Evaluation of carbon dioxide euthanasia of female Sprague Dawley rats alone or with unfamiliar conspecifics

Most studies evaluating methods of euthanasia to date have focused on the euthanasia of individual animals. However, larger chambers are commonly used to euthanize multiple cages of animals at once. This study evaluated the use of a commercially available system...

Year Published: 2022Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hickman, D. L. 2022. Evaluation of carbon dioxide euthanasia of female Sprague Dawley rats alone or with unfamiliar conspecifics. JAALAS 61(2), 195-200.

Ultrasonic vocalization analysis as a novel metric to assess cage enrichment in rats

Laboratory rodent housing conditions vary significantly across laboratories and facilities. Variation in housing can be associated with animal stress leading to study variability and the subsequent inability to replicate experimental findings. Optimization and standardization of animal housing are necessary to...

Year Published: 2022Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Bigelow, L. J., Cohen, A. J., Pimm, R. et al. 2022. Ultrasonic vocalization analysis as a novel metric to assess cage enrichment in rats. JAALAS 61(2), 140-148.

Thinking outside the lab: Can studies of pet rats inform pet and laboratory rat welfare?

Surveys provide a low-cost means to obtain large amounts of data that are ideal for conducting exploratory research, and they are becoming an increasingly valuable tool in a veterinary context. We investigated whether surveys of pet rat owners might provide...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Handling, Housing, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Neville, V., Mounty, J., Benato, L., Hunter, K. et al. 2022. Thinking outside the lab: Can studies of pet rats inform pet and laboratory rat welfare? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 246, 105507.

Environmental enrichment for rats and mice housed in laboratories: A metareview

Environmental enrichment has been widely studied in rodents, but there is no consensus on what enrichment should look like or what it should achieve. Inconsistent use of the term “enrichment” creates challenges in drawing conclusions about the quality of an...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Ratuski, A. S., Weary, D. M. 2022. Environmental enrichment for rats and mice housed in laboratories: A metareview. Animals 12(4), 414.

Pre-exposure via wire-mesh partition reduces intraspecific aggression in male, wild-type Norway rats

There are instances when animals are introduced and expected to live alongside unfamiliar conspecifics within zoos, laboratories and wildlife sanctuaries. These pairings of unfamiliar animals may result in stress, trauma, or even death, in addition to reduced confidence in data...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Stryjek, R., Modlinska, K. 2022. Pre-exposure via wire-mesh partition reduces intraspecific aggression in male, wild-type Norway rats. Animal Welfare 31(2), 175-186.

Thinking outside the lab: Can studies of pet rats inform pet and laboratory rat welfare?

Year Published: 2022Topics: Handling, Housing, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

An apparatus for automatically training and collecting individualized behavioral data with socially housed rodents

Background: Conventional methods for individually housing, training, and testing rodents in behavioral assays can impose constraints that may limit some kinds of experimental external validity, preempt environmental enrichment, impose heavy experimenter time burdens that limit high-throughput data collection, and negatively...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive Testing, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Butcher, G., Davidson, A., Sloanc, A. et al. 2021. An apparatus for automatically training and collecting individualized behavioral data with socially housed rodents. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 365, 109387.

Use of running plates by floor housed rats: A pilot study

The outfit of husbandry facilities of, and the enrichment provided for, experimental rodents plays an important role in the animals' welfare, and hence also for the societal acceptance of animal experiments. Whether rats and mice benefit from being provided with...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Frei, J., Clauss, M., Winkler, D. E. et al. 2021. Use of running plates by floor housed rats: A pilot study. Laboratory Animals 55(6), 521-530.

Attitudes of laboratory animal professionals and researchers towards carbon dioxide euthanasia for rodents and perceived barriers to change

Evidence indicates that carbon dioxide (CO2) induces negative affective states (including anxiety, fear and distress) in laboratory rodents, but many countries still accept it for euthanasia. Alternative methods (e.g. inhalant anaesthetic) may represent a refinement over CO2 but are not...

Year Published: 2021Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Brunt, M. W., Améndola, L., Weary, D. M. 2021. Attitudes of laboratory animal professionals and researchers towards carbon dioxide euthanasia for rodents and perceived barriers to change. Laboratory Animals 55(6), 531-539.