Rat

Enrichment of laboratory caging for rats: A review

Rats demonstrate high demand for social contact and prefer lager cages, and cages with shelters, nesting material and foraging devices.

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Patterson-Kane, E. G. 2004. Enrichment of laboratory caging for rats: A review. Animal Welfare 13(S), 209-214.

New housing conditions: Improving the welfare of experimental animals

Prototypes for new housing systems satisfying the most important of these basic needs of the animals were developed. Along with newly introduced socialization programs [they] contribute to improved animal welfare. .. Mice need to be able to rest, hide and...

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Dog, Guinea Pig, Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Ottesen, J. L., Weber, A., Gertler, H. et al. 2004. New housing conditions: Improving the welfare of experimental animals. Alternatives to Laboratory Animals [ATLA] 32(Supplement), 397-404.

The importance of learning young: the use of nesting material in laboratory rats

Unlike mice, adult laboratory rats do not spontaneously build nests when nesting material is offered. As a result, nesting material is often regarded as unsuitable environmental enrichment for laboratory rats. Wild rats and pet rats, however, have been observed to...

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Van Loo, P. L. P., Baumans, V. 2004. The importance of learning young: the use of nesting material in laboratory rats. Laboratory Animals 38, 17-24.

Environmental options for laboratory rats and mice

Environmental enrichment is the alteration of animals' microenvironment to provide them with the opportunity to perform species-specific behaviors that we perceive as positive, while reducing abnormal behaviors. [p. 39] From my experience in providing environmental ernichment benefits for the animal,...

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Key, D. 2004. Environmental options for laboratory rats and mice. Lab Animal 33(2), 39-44.

Housing, care and environmental factors

General discussion on husbandry and regulatory issues pertaining to the housing and care of laboratory animals.

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: All/General, Dog, Guinea Pig, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hansen, A. K. , Baumans, V. 2004. Housing, care and environmental factors. In: The Welfare of Laboratory Animals. Kaliste, E. (ed), 37-50. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

Environmental enrichment facilitates amygdala kindling but reduces kindling-induced fear in male rats

Sixty male rats were housed either in an enriched environment or in isolation, starting immediately after weaning. As adults, they were subjected to either 50 amygdala-kindling stimulations or sham stimulations, followed by testing in an unfamiliar open field. The kindled-enriched...

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Young, N. A., Wintink, A. J., Kalynchuk, L. E. 2004. Environmental enrichment facilitates amygdala kindling but reduces kindling-induced fear in male rats. Behavioral Neuroscience 118, 1128-1133.

Laboratory routines cause animal stress

Based on a literature review the conclusion was drawn that routine handling, venipuncture, and orogastic gavage lead to elevations of heart rate, blood pressure, and glucocorticoid concentrations that persist for 30 to 60 min or more following the event, suggesting...

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: All/General, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Balcombe, J. P., Barnard, N. D., Sandusky, C. 2004. Laboratory routines cause animal stress. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 43(6), 42-51.

New neurons in the dentate gyrus are involved in the expression of enhanced long-term memory following environmental enrichment

Although thousands of new neurons are continuously produced in the dentate gyrus of rodents each day, the function of these newborn cells remains unclear. An increasing number of reports have provided correlational evidence that adult hippocampal neurogenesis is involved in...

Year Published: 2005Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Bruel-Jungerman, E., Laroche, S., Rampon, C. 2005. New neurons in the dentate gyrus are involved in the expression of enhanced long-term memory following environmental enrichment. European Journal of Neuroscience 21, 513-521.

The welfare impact of gavaging laboratory rats

A significant correlation between heart rate and dosage was observed until 10 min after gavaging.

Year Published: 2005Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Bonnichsen, M., Dragsted, N., Hansen, A. K. 2005. The welfare impact of gavaging laboratory rats. Animal Welfare 14, 223-227.

Environmental enrichment for laboratory rodents and rabbits: Requirements of rodents, rabbits, and research

Environmental conditions such as housing and husbandry have a major impact on the laboratory animal throughout its life and will thereby influence the outcome of animal experiments. However, housing systems for laboratory animals have often been designed on the basis...

Year Published: 2005Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Baumans, V. 2005. Environmental enrichment for laboratory rodents and rabbits: Requirements of rodents, rabbits, and research. ILAR Journal 46(2), 162-170.