Rat

Social and Physical Environmental Enrichment Differentially Affect Growth and Activity of Preadolescent and Adolescent Male Rats

Environmental enrichment for laboratory animals is a widely accepted practice for many species, but few studies address the periods of preadolescence and adolescence. Provision of igloos, tunnels, nesting materials, and social or communal housing are commonly used enrichment strategies in...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Zaias, J., Queeney, T. J., Kelley, J. B. et al. 2008. Social and Physical Environmental Enrichment Differentially Affect Growth and Activity of Preadolescent and Adolescent Male Rats. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science] 47(2).

Enforced restraint of rodents: A discussion by the Refinement & Enrichment Forum

The question was asked: "Rodents are often restrained for data collection procedures, such as blood collection and injection, by coaxing them into tubes, for example syringe cylinders or perspex tubes. What can be done to buffer the stress response of...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Animal Training, RestraintAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Barley, J., Mikkelsen, L. F., Francis, R. et al. 2007. Enforced restraint of rodents: A discussion by the Refinement & Enrichment Forum. Animal Technology and Welfare 6(1), 11-13.

Quality of life and the rodent laboratory

Preference studies show that lab mice and rats value opportunities to take cover, build nests, explore, forage, and gain social contact, behavioural needs that are by and large thwarted by standard laboratory housing systems. Eighty additional studies were reviewed to...

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

Citation: Balcombe, J. P. 2007. Quality of life and the rodent laboratory. Animal Welfare 16 Supplement(Poster abstract), 166.

Effect of noise on microvascular integrity in laboratory rats

Housing rats in an environment with high personnel activity increases microvascular leakiness to albumin in the mesenteric microcirculation and causes mast cell degranulation. ...All groups exposed to excess noise had significantly more leaks per venule length and greater leak area...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Baldwin, A. L., Bell, I. R. 2007. Effect of noise on microvascular integrity in laboratory rats. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science] 46(1), 58-65.

Can sleep behaviour be used as an indicator of stress in group-housed rats (Rattus norvegicus)?

We assessed the value of sleep behaviour as a novel measure of stress in group-housed animals. We observed, non-invasively, sleep behaviour in 144 group-housed rats, and related it to other physiological and physical indicators of stress and welfare. Sleep frequency...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Abou-Ismail, U. A., Burman, O. H. P., Nicol, C. J. et al. 2007. Can sleep behaviour be used as an indicator of stress in group-housed rats (Rattus norvegicus)? Animal Welfare 16(2), 185-188.

Animal Research Review Panel [ARRP] Guideline 20: Guidelines for the Housing of Rats in Scientific Institutions

Year Published: 2008Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: NewSouthWales [NSW] Agriculture 2008. Animal Research Review Panel [ARRP] Guideline 20: Guidelines for the Housing of Rats in Scientific Institutions. NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange, NSW.

Effects of a gentling programme on the behaviour of laboratory rats towards humans

The present study investigated the effects of a gentling programme on the later behaviour of laboratory rats towards humans. For that purpose, 24 female Wistar rats were purchased from a laboratory animal breeding facility at the age of 21 days...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Maurer, B. M., Doring, D., Scheipl, F. et al. 2008. Effects of a gentling programme on the behaviour of laboratory rats towards humans. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 114, 554-571.

Effects of music composed by Mozart and Ligeti on blood pressure and heart rate circadian rhythms in normotensive and hypertensive rats

There is continuing discussion on the effect of music ( Mozart effect ) on numerous functions in man and experimental animals. Radiotelemetry now allows one to monitor cardiovascular functions in freely-moving unrestrained experimental animals. Radiotelemetry was used to monitor systolic...

Year Published: 2008Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lemmer, B. 2008. Effects of music composed by Mozart and Ligeti on blood pressure and heart rate circadian rhythms in normotensive and hypertensive rats. Chronobiology International 25, 971-986.

Thigmotactic responses in an open-field

The goal of the present study was to investigate the role of thigmotaxis (the tendency to remain close to vertical surfaces) in rat exploratory behavior in an open-field. Thigmotaxis was investigated in a parametric way, using 24 experimentally adult naive...

Year Published: 2008Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lamprea, M. R., Cardenas, F. P., Setem, J. et al. 2008. Thigmotactic responses in an open-field. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research 41, 135-140.

Operant task performance and corticosterone concentrations in rats housed directly on bedding and on wire

Contrary to assumptions, housing did not affect task performance. Baseline corticosterone concentrations were similar for the 2 experimental groups, but corticosterone concentrations were significantly higher for the wire-bottom group than the solid-bottom group immediately after the restraint and remained elevated...

Year Published: 2008Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Freed, C., Martinez, V., Sarter, M. et al. 2008. Operant task performance and corticosterone concentrations in rats housed directly on bedding and on wire . Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science] 47(5), 18-22.