Rat

Rat boredom-like behaviour in a monotonous versus a varied foraging task: Effects of sensory variation

Evidence increasingly reveals that non-human animals in monotonous situations can show boredom-like states, distinctively manifesting as increases in both arousal-seeking, restless behaviour and low arousal, drowsy behaviour. However, task related boredom has been little investigated in animals, but could have...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Burn, C. C., Ng, K. H. T., Parker, M. O. 2025. Rat boredom-like behaviour in a monotonous versus a varied foraging task: Effects of sensory variation. Animal Cognition 28(1), 57.

Refining the adjuvant-induced rat model of monoarthritis by optimizing the induction volume and injection site

Arthritis is a highly prevalent and disabling condition characterized by pathological joint-damage, clinical symptoms of pain and loss of normal joint function. Monoarthritis can be modelled in rodents via intraarticular injection of Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA), inducing both joint inflammation...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Berke, M. S., Hansen, C. P., Kromann, S. et al. 2025. Refining the adjuvant-induced rat model of monoarthritis by optimizing the induction volume and injection site. Scientific Reports 15(1), 40281.

A review of pain assessment methods in laboratory rodents

Ensuring that laboratory rodent pain is well managed underpins the ethical acceptability of working with these animals in research. Appropriate treatment of pain in laboratory rodents requires accurate assessments of the presence or absence of pain to the extent possible....

Year Published: 2020Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Chinchilla, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Mouse, Other Rodent, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Turner, P. V., Pang, D. S., Lofgren, J. L. 2019. A review of pain assessment methods in laboratory rodents. Comparative Medicine 69(6), 451–467.

What is your tattoo ink telling you?

Tattooing traumatizes the skin, which can result in microbial infections with the severity ranging from minor to life-threating septicemia. Additionally, the metals in colored tattoo ink are known to cause dermal inflammation in some people. In the laboratory animal research...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Identification MethodAnimal Type: All/General, Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Young, T., Whiteside, T., Locklear, J. 2020. What is your tattoo ink telling you? Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(2) (March/April), 62-65.

Similar levels of emotional contagion in male and female rats

Emotional contagion, the ability to feel what other individuals feel without necessarily understanding the feeling or knowing its source, is thought to be an important element of social life. In humans, emotional contagion has been shown to be stronger in...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Han, Y., Sichterman, B., Maria, C. et al. 2020. Similar levels of emotional contagion in male and female rats. Scientific Reports 10(1), 2763.

Social housing ameliorates the enduring effects of intermittent physical stress during mid-adolescence

Our prior work showed that exposing single housed rats to intermittent physical stress (IPS) in mid-adolescence (PD35-46) led to increased risk-taking/decreased anxiety behaviour in adulthood, as indexed by their greater willingness to explore the open-arms of an elevated plus maze....

Year Published: 2020Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Wilkin, M. M., Menard, J. L. 2020. Social housing ameliorates the enduring effects of intermittent physical stress during mid-adolescence. Physiology & Behavior 214, 112750.

Social isolation in rats: Effects on animal welfare and molecular markers for neuroplasticity

Early life stress compromises brain development and can contribute to the development of mental illnesses. A common animal model used to study different facets of psychiatric disorders is social isolation from early life on. In rats, this isolation can induce...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Begni, V., Sanson, A., Pfeiffer, N. et al. 2020. Social isolation in rats: Effects on animal welfare and molecular markers for neuroplasticity. PLOS ONE 15(10), e0240439.

Welfare impact of carbon dioxide euthanasia on laboratory mice and rats: A systematic review

Background: There has been increased concern about the suitability of CO2 as a method for euthanasia of laboratory mice and rats, including the potential discomfort, pain or distress that animals may experience prior to loss of consciousness; time to loss...

Year Published: 2020Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Turner, P. V., Hickman, D. L., van Luijk, J. et al. 2020. Welfare impact of carbon dioxide euthanasia on laboratory mice and rats: A systematic review. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7, 411.

The smell of hunger: Norway rats provision social partners based on odour cues of need

When individuals exchange helpful acts reciprocally, increasing the benefit of the receiver can enhance its propensity to return a favour, as pay-offs are typically correlated in iterated interactions. Therefore, reciprocally cooperating animals should consider the relative benefit for the receiver...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Schneeberger, K., Röder, G., Taborsky, M. 2020. The smell of hunger: Norway rats provision social partners based on odour cues of need. PLOS Biology 18(3), e3000628.

Understanding rat emotional responses to CO2

The aim of this review is to summarize evidence regarding rat emotional experiences during carbon dioxide (CO2) exposure. The studies reviewed show that CO2 exposure is aversive to rats, and that rats respond to CO2 exposure with active and passive...

Year Published: 2020Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Améndola, L., Weary, D. M. 2020. Understanding rat emotional responses to CO2. Translational Psychiatry 10, 253.