Rat

A renewed look at laboratory rodent housing and management

In this article, recent publications are examined to determine the potential impact of new scientific evidence on current practices for the housing and care of laboratory rodents. The discussion points out recent advances in technology and new knowledge of the...

Year Published: 2006Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Gonder, J. C., Laber, K. 2007. A renewed look at laboratory rodent housing and management. ILAR Journal 48(1), 29-46.

Environmental enrichment:Running wheels; burrows for rats and gerbils

Running wheels provide suitable enrichment rodents.The need to dig a burrow is probably not as strong in rats as it seems to be in mice. In sharp contrast to rats - who are very curious - mice are reluctant to...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Gerbil, Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: LAREF [Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum] 2007. Environmental enrichment:Running wheels; burrows for rats and gerbils. In: Making Lives Easier for Animals in Research Labs: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum. Baumans, V., Coke, C., Green, J., Moreau, E., Morton, D., Patterson-Kane, E., Reinhardt, A., Reinhardt, V., Van Loo, P. (eds), 72-74. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.

Making use of the stress buffering influence of a companion: Post-operative care

We have mice who are recovering from telemetry-implantation while being housed either alone or in pairs. With several years of experience with this surgery, we now are pretty sure that socially housed mice feel better than individually housed mice.I can...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Social Housing & Companionship, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: LAREF [Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum] 2007. Making use of the stress buffering influence of a companion: Post-operative care. In: Making Lives Easier for Animals in Research Labs: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum. Baumans, V., Coke, C., Green, J., Moreau, E., Morton, D., Patterson-Kane, E., Reinhardt, A., Reinhardt, V., Van Loo, P. (eds), 101. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.

Feeding enrichment for mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats and sheep

Feeding enrichment is a practical option for animals kept in research laboratories. The regular provision of thoroughly cleaned, whole fruits and vegetables and of seeds scattered on woodchips or corncob bedding is probably the easiest yet most effective way to...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cat, Guinea Pig, Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Sheep

Citation: LAREF [Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum] 2007. Feeding enrichment for mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats and sheep. In: Making Lives Easier for Animals in Research Labs: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum. Baumans, V., Coke, C., Green, J., Moreau, E., Morton, D., Patterson-Kane, E., Reinhardt, A., Reinhardt, V., Van Loo, P. (eds), 51-60. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.

Non-invasive measurement of adrenocortical activity in male and female rats

Rats are widely used in biomedical research as animal models for human diseases. However, due to their small body size, blood sampling is complicated and invasive and thereby can seriously interfere with endocrine functions and possibly compromise the animals' welfare....

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

Citation: Lepschy, M., Touma, C., Hruby, R. et al. 2007. Non-invasive measurement of adrenocortical activity in male and female rats. Laboratory Animals 41(3), 372-387.

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.