Rat

Physiological profile of juvenile rats: effects of cage size and cage density

Increasing population size and cage density were associated with greater mortality and caused depression in body and organ weights. In general, increasing group size and crowding had more detrimental effects on the growth of females than males. The immune system-related...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Yildiz, A., Hayirli, A., Okumus, Z. et al. 2007. Physiological profile of juvenile rats: effects of cage size and cage density. Lab Animal 36(2), 28-38.

Tools to measure and improve animal welfare: Reward-related behaviour

This paper presents a descriptive overview of the evidence obtained thus far for the three proposed uses of reward-related behavior. First, it was shown that previous experiences influence anticipatory behaviour to rewards in rats. This natural behavioural response may serve...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Van der Harst, J. E., Spruijt, B. M. 2007. Tools to measure and improve animal welfare: Reward-related behaviour. Animal Welfare 16(S), 67-73.

Weekend versus working day: differences in telemetric blood pressure in male Wistar rats

We retrospectively compared Blood Pressure values in adult male Wistar rats during working hours with values from non-working days, using telemetry. Values were obtained at the age of 6 and 12 months during working hours (Friday 10:00-16:00 h, lights on...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Schreuder, M. F., Fodor, M., van Wijk, J. A. E. et al. 2007. Weekend versus working day: differences in telemetric blood pressure in male Wistar rats . Laboratory Animals 41(1), 86-91.

Investigation of a novel refined oral dosing method

Over six days, male Lister Hooded rats wre trained to drink from a syringe containing either a 5-10% surose solution or 1mg/ml donepezil suspended in 5-10% sucrose solution. After just a few days training, there were significant reductions in the...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Rourke, C., Pemberton, D. J. 2007. Investigation of a novel refined oral dosing method. Institute of Animal Technology [IAT] Congress, 46 (Abstract).

Extra-auditory effects of noise in laboratory animals: the relationship between noise and sleep

Sleep disturbances are greater upon exposure to environmental noise, whose frequency spectrum is characterized by high and ultrasonic sounds, than white noise. In chronic noise exposure, an inter-individual variability in SWS deficits is observed and correlated to a psychobiological profile...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Rabat, A. 2007. Extra-auditory effects of noise in laboratory animals: the relationship between noise and sleep. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science] 46, 35-41.

Types and functions of ultrasonic vocalizations in laboratory rats and mice

Understanding the types and functions of ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by laboratory rodents may enable researchers and animal care personnel to use vocalizations as an indicator of an animal's behavior and affect.

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Portfors, C. V. 2007. Types and functions of ultrasonic vocalizations in laboratory rats and mice. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science] 46(1).

Neuroevolutionary sources of laughter and social joy: modeling primal human laughter in laboratory rats

Rats make abundant 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) when they play and exhibit other positive social interactions. This response can be dramatically increased by tickling animals, especially when directed toward bodily areas toward which animals direct their own play solicitations...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Panksepp, J. 2007 . Neuroevolutionary sources of laughter and social joy: modeling primal human laughter in laboratory rats. Behavioural Brain Research 182, 231-244.

What is it like to be a rat? Rat sensory perception and its implications for experimental design and rat welfare

This review of rat sensory perception spans eight decades of work conducted across diverse research fields. It covers rat vision, audition, olfaction, gustation, and somatosensation, and describes how rat perception differs from and coincides with ours. As Nagel's seminal work...

Year Published: 2008Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Burn, C. C. 2008. What is it like to be a rat? Rat sensory perception and its implications for experimental design and rat welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 112(1-2), 1-32.

Effects of cage-cleaning frequency on laboratory rat reproduction, cannibalism, and welfare

Regular cage-cleaning is important for health, but for breeding rats it disrupts the nest and removes olfactory signals important for parental care. To investigate how different cage-cleaning frequencies affect breeding rats health and welfare, we monitored reproductive output, pup mortality,...

Year Published: 2008Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Burn, C. C., Mason, G. J. 2008. Effects of cage-cleaning frequency on laboratory rat reproduction, cannibalism, and welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 114, 235-247.

Effects of housing density on Long Evans and Fischer 344 rats

Results suggest that rats of these strains can be raised at the higher densities tested until any age and regrouped with unfamiliar cagemates without compromising the rats' welfare or subsequent experimental data.

Year Published: 2008Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Bean, K., Nemelka, K., Canchola, P. et al. 2008. Effects of housing density on Long Evans and Fischer 344 rats. Lab Animal 37(9), 421.