Rat

Antistress pattern induced by oxytocin

The antistress effects caused by oxytocin may have health-promoting effects.

Year Published: 1998Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Uvnas-Moberg, K. 1998. Antistress pattern induced by oxytocin. News in Physiological Science 13, 22-26.

Oxytocin may mediate the benefits of positive social interaction and emotions

During breastfeeding or suckling, maternal oxytocin levels are raised by somatosensory stimulation. Oxytocin may, however, also be released by nonnoxious stimuli such as touch, warm temperature etc. in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid. Consequently, oxytocin may be involved in physiological...

Year Published: 1998Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Uvnas-Moberg, K. 1998. Oxytocin may mediate the benefits of positive social interaction and emotions. Psychoneuroendocrinology 23(8), 819-835.

Effect of predatory stress on sucrose intake and behavior on the plus-maze in male mice

The authors accomodated mice in the same room as rats, and noticed that these mice left a higher number of fecal boli in the elevated plus-maze test and that they showed a higher level of anxiety than control rats. It...

Year Published: 1999Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Calvo-Torrent, A., Brain, P. F., Martinez, M. 1999. Effect of predatory stress on sucrose intake and behavior on the plus-maze in male mice. Physiology and Behavior 67, 189-196.

Preliminary behaviour data for single and pair housed rats

Singly housed rats spent most of the time in the back of the cage, while pairs spent most time by the food hoppers. This may have been exacerbated by the presence of humans, as pair housed rats were more confident...

Year Published: 1999Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Heath, M. 1999. Preliminary behaviour data for single and pair housed rats. Animal Technology 50, 47-48.

Working together to improve rodent well-being

Highlights of the RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group reports. Barn-dried, first-cut hay is pliable enough for the transgenic mice to construct ball-shaped nests, connected chambers, and runs (paper materials are not suitable). .... When supplied with hay, gerbils become very active...

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

Citation: Hawkins, P. 1999. Working together to improve rodent well-being. Lab Animal 28(2), 30-32.

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.