Rat

Rats move nesting materials to create different functional areas: Short report

Here we document how rats separate their living space into different functional regions. Five groups of four female Sprague Dawley rats were housed in caging systems that consisted of two standard cages connected by a tube. Both cages were provided...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Amendola, L., Xu, N., Weary, D. M. 2023. Rats move nesting materials to create different functional areas: Short report. Laboratory Animals 57(1), 75–78.

Getting a handle on rat familiarization: The impact of handling protocols on classic tests of stress in Rattus norvegicus

Experimenter familiarization with laboratory rodents through handling prior to experimentation is an important practice in neurobehavioral research and is implicated in stress, study variability, and replicability. Unfortunately, different handling protocols have not been thoroughly examined. Determining optimal experimenter familiarization protocols...

Year Published: 2023Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Bigelow, L. J., Pope, E. K., MacDonald, D. S. et al. 2023. Getting a handle on rat familiarization: The impact of handling protocols on classic tests of stress in Rattus norvegicus. Laboratory Animals 57(3), 259–269.

Feasibility of pair-housing of rats after cranial implant surgery

Rat models employing cranial implants are increasingly employed to facilitate neural stimulation and recording in freely moving animals. Due to possible damage to wound, implant or attached devices, rats with cranial implants are traditionally housed singly, and little information is...

Year Published: 2023Topics: External Bodily Equipment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Evers, J., Sridhar, K., Lowery, M. 2023. Feasibility of pair-housing of rats after cranial implant surgery. Laboratory Animals 57(1), 69–74.

Changes in the behavior and body weight of mature, adult male Wistar Han rats after reduced social grouping and social isolation

Changes in housing density, including individual housing, are commonly necessary in animal research. Obtaining reproducibility and translational validity in biomedical research requires an understanding of how animals adapt to changes in housing density. Existing literature mainly addresses acclimatization after transportation....

Year Published: 2022Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Potrebić, M. S., Pavković, Ž. Z., Srbovan, M. M. et al. 2022. Changes in the behavior and body weight of mature, adult male Wistar Han rats after reduced social grouping and social isolation. JAALAS 61(6), 615–623.

Noninvasive monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate during estrous cycle phases in bormotensive Wistar–Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive female rats

Since 2015, the National Institutes of Health has called for its funded preclinical research to include both male and female subjects. However, much of the basic animal research that has studied heart rate and blood pressure in the past has...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Ayala-Méndez, G. X., Calderón, V. M., Zuñiga-Pimentel, T. A. et al. 2023. Noninvasive monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate during estrous cycle phases in bormotensive Wistar–Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive female rats. JAALAS 62(3), 267–273.

Evaluation of ambient sound, vibration, and light in rodent housing rooms

Excessive sound, vibration, and light are detrimental to rodent welfare, yet these parameters are rarely recorded in vivaria. Whether housing environments exceed the suggested thresholds and which specific factors may alter these parameters is generally unknown. The goal of this...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Barabas, A. J., Darbyshire, A. K., Schlegel, S. L. et al. 2022. Evaluation of ambient sound, vibration, and light in rodent housing rooms. JAALAS 61(6), 660–671.

Euthanasia of neonatal rats and mice using carbon monoxide

Minimization of potential pain and distress of rodents undergoing euthanasia is a touchstone of veterinary clinical medicine. Evaluation of this issue in postweanling rodents has supported revisions to the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) Guidelines on Euthanasia in 2020. However,...

Year Published: 2023Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hickman, D. L. 2023. Euthanasia of neonatal rats and mice using carbon monoxide. JAALAS 62(3), 274–278.

A review of long-acting parenteral analgesics for mice and rats

Appropriate analgesia is a crucial part of rodent postoperative and postprocedural pain. Providing appropriate analgesia is an ethical obligation, a regulatory requirement, and an essential element of obtaining quality scientific results and conducting reproducible data. Meeting these requirements is facilitated...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Huss, M. K., Pacharinsak, C. 2022. A review of long-acting parenteral analgesics for mice and rats. JAALAS 61(6), 595–602.

Benchmarking enrichment efforts in the US & Canada across species and enrichment categories

Enrichment is important for animal welfare and data quality. Provision of enrichment opportunities varies between species and enrichment category. However, data benchmarking these differences does not exist. Our objective was to characterize enrichment provision and associated factors across species in...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cat, Cattle, Chicken, Dog, Ferret, Goat, Macaque, Mink, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Sheep

Citation: LaFollette, M. R., Cloutier, S., Brady, C. M. et al. 2023. Benchmarking enrichment efforts in the US & Canada across species and enrichment categories. JAALAS 62(4), 303–316.

Comparison of fixed and rising displacement rates of CO2 for euthanasia of aged rats

This study compared euthanasia induced by rising concentrations of CO2 in aged rats (n = 59) using different gas displacement rates. Rats were preimplanted with cardiovascular telemetry devices and had been previously used for short term safety pharmacology studies. Once...

Year Published: 2023Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: McNamara, A., Ballantine, A. R., Deuchande, R. et al. 2023. Comparison of fixed and rising displacement rates of CO2 for euthanasia of aged rats. JAALAS 62(5), 453–463.