Rat

Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals

This 30-chapter volume informs students and professionals about the behavioral biology of animals commonly housed in laboratory and other captive settings. Each species evolved under specific environmental conditions, resulting in unique behavioral patterns, many of which are maintained in captivity...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Rearing & Weaning, Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Amphibian, Baboon, Capuchin, Cat, Cattle, Chicken, Crocodile & Alligator, Dog, Equine, Ferret, Finch, Fish, Fowl, Frog & Toad, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lizard, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Reptile, Rodent, Salamander, Sheep, Snake, Squirrel Monkey, Turtle & Tortoise, Vervet (African Green Monkey), Zebrafish

Citation: Coleman, K., Schapiro, S. J. (Eds.) 2022. Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals (1st Ed.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 560 p.

Jacketed telemetry in rats: A novel non-invasive method for cardiorespiratory phenotyping during treadmill exercise

The development of alternative methods for monitoring cardiorespiratory function without restraint or surgical implantation is attracting growing interest for both ethical and scientific reasons. For this purpose, a new non-invasive jacketed telemetry tool consisting in a radio device maintained in...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, External Bodily EquipmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Tanguy, S., Cambier, A., Fontana-Pires, L. et al. 2025. Jacketed telemetry in rats: A novel non-invasive method for cardiorespiratory phenotyping during treadmill exercise. Laboratory Animals 59(2), 215–225.

Retrospective descriptive report comparing access systems to refine intravenous self-administration in rats

For operant self-administration, permanent intravenous cannulas need to remain open and operational for months without infections or blockages. Here, we report retrospectively on our experiences and observations using different access systems during three studies. We identified a refined method for...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Cannulation, Catheterization, & Intubation, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lozeman-van ’t Klooster, J. G., Lesscher, H. M. 2025. Retrospective descriptive report comparing access systems to refine intravenous self-administration in rats. Laboratory Animals 59(3), 364–368.

Preceding sevoflurane inhalation in rats reduces the stress of intraperitoneal injection both in inexperienced experimenters and subject rats

In this study, we found that sevoflurane inhalation in rats prior to intraperitoneal injection decreased stress in both inexperienced experimenters and subject rats. Inexperienced experimenters anaesthetised male Sprague Dawley rats by intraperitoneal injection of anaesthetics, with or without preceding sevoflurane...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Ishibashi, H., Motohashi, H. 2025. Preceding sevoflurane inhalation in rats reduces the stress of intraperitoneal injection both in inexperienced experimenters and subject rats. Laboratory Animals 59(2), 272–275.

Extended oxygen supplementation after thoracotomy in rats may improve welfare

A retrospective comparison of welfare indicators in male rats undergoing thoracotomy for intrapleural dosing is presented. The initial cohort (n = 7) breathed room air after recovery from anaesthesia, while later cohorts (n = 12) had oxygen supplementation for up to 48 h post-surgery....

Year Published: 2025Topics: Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Few, B., Dugdale, A. 2025. Extended oxygen supplementation after thoracotomy in rats may improve welfare. Laboratory Animals 59(2), 283–289.

Pharmacokinetics and effectiveness of precise voluntary consumption compared to subcutaneous administration of cephalosporins in rats following orthopedic surgery

The administration of antibiotics is a critical variable when developing animal models of infection. Handling and needle use, however, can cause distress in the animals, leading not only to irritability of the animal but potentially skewed inflammatory data in studies...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Shiels, S. M., Sandoval, C. M., Riddle, L. E. et al. 2025. Pharmacokinetics and effectiveness of precise voluntary consumption compared to subcutaneous administration of cephalosporins in rats following orthopedic surgery. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 64(3), 385–392.

Opinion: Ethical challenges in depression research: The tail suspension test, the forced swim test, and alternative behavioral models

Behavioral tests in laboratory animals, particularly rodents, are considered vital for understanding the mechanisms underlying depression and evaluating potential treatments. However, ethical concerns regarding the use of traditional methods, such as the tail suspension test and the forced swimming test,...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive TestingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Mohseni, F., Rafaiee, R. 2025. Opinion: Ethical challenges in depression research: The tail suspension test, the forced swim test, and alternative behavioral models. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 64(3), 352–355.

Impact of enrichment of metabolic cages with ball-shaped shelters in studies of protein metabolism in rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Housing in metabolic cages for quantitative collection of urine and feces is necessary for nitrogen (N) metabolism studies but may have negative consequences for rat welfare. We hypothesized that providing shelters in metabolic cages would affect the rats’ behavior and...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lærke, H. N., Ternman, E. M., Stødkilde, L. et al. 2025. Impact of enrichment of metabolic cages with ball-shaped shelters in studies of protein metabolism in rats (Rattus norvegicus). Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 64(2), 301–309.

Impact of an implanted intra-abdominal telemetry transmitter on fecal excretion of corticosterone and IgA in adult male F344 and BN rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Telemetry is a widely used method for obtaining physiologic data from rats, but it is uncertain how distressing it is for the animals to live with an implanted transmitter for long periods. The present study aimed to assess this impact...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Kemppinen, N., Meller, A., Kalliokoski, O. et al. 2025. Impact of an implanted intra-abdominal telemetry transmitter on fecal excretion of corticosterone and IgA in adult male F344 and BN rats (Rattus norvegicus). Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 64(3), 495–499.

Ge, Y., Alamaw, E. D., Ray, R. R. et al. 2025. Analgesic efficacy of a long-acting transdermal buprenorphine in rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Zorbium is the first long-acting transdermal buprenorphine (LAT-bup) approved by the FDA for relieving postoperative pain in cats for 72 h. This study aimed to investigate LAT-bup’s efficacy for attenuating postoperative mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity in a rat incisional pain...

Year Published: 2025Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Ge, Y., Alamaw, E. D., Ray, R. R. et al. 2025. Analgesic efficacy of a long-acting transdermal buprenorphine in rats (Rattus norvegicus). Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 64(3), 406–413.