Rat

Report of the 1998 RSPCA/UFAW rodent welfare group meeting

The following contributions are included in this database:- Diet restriction through hopper design (Wrightson & Dickson), - Preliminary behaviour data for single and pair housed rats (Heath), - Rat cage modification: Improving welfare (Dickson & Wrightson).

Year Published: 1999Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hawkins, P., Heath, M., Dickson, C. et al. 1999. Report of the 1998 RSPCA/UFAW rodent welfare group meeting. Animal Technology 50, 41-46.

Environmental enrichment in laboratory rodents: Animal welfare and the methods of science

Examined types of and goals for the environmental enrichment of laboratory rodents. Studies concerning environmental complexity, social housing, and increases in cage size suggest that professional judgments are not a reliable basis for evaluating the outcomes of enrichment programs. Successful...

Year Published: 1999Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Galef Jr., B. G. 1999. Environmental enrichment in laboratory rodents: Animal welfare and the methods of science. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 2, 267-280.

Environmental enrichment may alter the number of rats needed to achieve statistical significance

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether two enrichment items, an aspen tube and block, have any impact on commonly analysed clinical chemistry and physiological parameters of Wistar rats and - more importantly - on the extent of...

Year Published: 1999Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Eskola, S., Lauhikari, M., Voipio, H.-M. et al. 1999. Environmental enrichment may alter the number of rats needed to achieve statistical significance. Scandinavian Journal of Laboratory Animal Science 26(3), 134-144.

The use of aspen blocks and tubes to enrich the cage environment of laboratory rats

Female and male outbred Wistar rats (n=48) were allocated into three groups at weaning; control, tube and block groups (n = 8 males and 8 females in each) Animals were conventionally housed for five weeks in groups of four per...

Year Published: 1999Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Eskola, S., Lauhikari, M., Voipio, H.-M. et al. 1999. The use of aspen blocks and tubes to enrich the cage environment of laboratory rats. Scandinavian Journal of Laboratory Animal Science 26(1), 1-10.

Rat cage modification: Improving welfare

Rat cages with grid floors are used extensively for safety assessment studies. ... In an attempt to compromise between the requirements of humans and animals, a nest box was added to the cages, solid inserts were designed to cover 50%...

Year Published: 1999Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Dickson, C., Wrightson, D. 1999. Rat cage modification: Improving welfare. Animal Technology 50, 43-44.

Warning! Nearby construction can profoundly affect your experiments

This is meant to alert people to potentially major effects of construction projects on research results. Because we study the effects of stress on regulation of ACTH and corticosterone secretion and of serotonin receptors and stress on energy balance, we...

Year Published: 1999Animal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Dallman, M. F., Akana, S. F., Bell, M. E. et al. 1999. Warning! Nearby construction can profoundly affect your experiments. Endocrine 11, 111-113.

Behavioral indexes of poor welfare in laboratory rats

Fearfulness associated with single-housing was alleviated by pair-housing, and even further alleviated by group-housing in enriched cages. Problem solving ability was improved when rats were kept in groups in enriched cages rather than in barren single cages.

Year Published: 1999Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Patterson-Kane, E. G., Hunt, M., Harper, D. N. 1999. Behavioral indexes of poor welfare in laboratory rats. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 2, 97-110.

Enriched environment increases neurogenesis in the adult rat dentate gyrusand improves spatial memory

The results suggest that environmental cues can enhance neurogenesis in the adult hippocampal region, which is associated with improved spatial memory.

Year Published: 1999Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Nilsson, M., Perfilieva, E., Johansson, U. et al. 1999. Enriched environment increases neurogenesis in the adult rat dentate gyrusand improves spatial memory. Journal of Neurobiology 39(4), 469-578.

The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory Animals (7th ed): The Laboratory Rat

Description of rat-adequate housing is discussed.

Year Published: 1999Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Koolhaas, J. M. 1999. The Laboratory Rat. In: The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory Animals (7th ed). Poole, T. , English, P. (eds), 313-330. Blackwell Science, Oxford, UK.

Housing and welfare in laboratory rats: effects of cage stocking density and behavioural predictors of welfare

Using male and female Alderley Park (Wistar-derived) rats housed in single-sex groups in standard laboratory cages, we looked at the effect of group size (one, three, five or eight) on competitive behaviour and time budgeting (initial and longer term), changes...

Year Published: 1999Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hurst, J. L., Barnard, C. J., Tolladay, U. et al. 1999. Housing and welfare in laboratory rats: effects of cage stocking density and behavioural predictors of welfare . Animal Behaviour 58, 563-586.