Rat

Evaluation of the effects of enlarged housing on social play and reward seeking in rats

The legal minimum dimensions for laboratory rat housing prevent rats from fully performing their behavioural repertoire. In the regular cages, rats cannot run, climb, or even stand upright. The need to house rats in larger cages has been recognized internationally...

Year Published: 2025Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Achterberg, E. J. M., Baars, A.-M. J. M., van Hal, D. A. et al. 2025. Evaluation of the effects of enlarged housing on social play and reward seeking in rats. Animals 15(18), 2757.

Development of a sifting cage change method for rats to improve welfare

Normally during a cage change a small handful of dirty bedding is placed into the clean cage but I felt this was not enough to comfort the rats. After trialling a few methods I finally came up with a sieve...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Henderson, S. 2020. Development of a sifting cage change method for rats to improve welfare. Animal Technology and Welfare 19(2), 145–148.

A sweet change to the needle

Our Named Veterinary Surgeon (NVS) suggested providing post-operative pain relief in flavoured jelly to avoid the use of needles. We made up batches of non-medicated jelly to try them with first. We provided this nonmedicated jelly for three days before...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Forrest, G., Sattar, A. et al. 2020. A sweet change to the needle. Animal Technology and Welfare 19(1), 73–75.

Environmental enrichment for a small colony of rats

Our facility predominantly houses mice with a small number of rats used for brain cancer studies. Due to limited space and resource for equipment, we came up with some easy and cost effective ways to improve enrichment for the rat...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Blackburn, N., Cronshaw, G., Mitchell, M. (2020). Environmental enrichment for a small colony of rats. Animal Technology and Welfare, 19(2), 158.

From Fish to Mice to Monkeys in Research: Challenges and Opportunities for Mental Well-being

This chapter focuses mainly on animals in medical research. Many, especially the smaller species such as rat, mice, and zebrafish, may be seen only a few minutes a day by their human caregivers. Most laboratory animals are kept in confinement...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Regulations & Ethical Review, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: All/General, Fish, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Rat, Rodent, Zebrafish

Citation: Serageldine, C. E., Robinson-Junker, A., Alvino, G. et al. 2025. From Fish to Mice to Monkeys in Research: Challenges and Opportunities for Mental Well-being. In Mental Health and Well-being in Animals (pp. 308–322).

Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals

This 30-chapter volume informs students and professionals about the behavioral biology of animals commonly housed in laboratory and other captive settings. Each species evolved under specific environmental conditions, resulting in unique behavioral patterns, many of which are maintained in captivity...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Rearing & Weaning, Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Amphibian, Baboon, Capuchin, Cat, Cattle, Chicken, Crocodile & Alligator, Dog, Equine, Ferret, Finch, Fish, Fowl, Frog & Toad, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lizard, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Reptile, Rodent, Salamander, Sheep, Snake, Squirrel Monkey, Turtle & Tortoise, Vervet (African Green Monkey), Zebrafish

Citation: Coleman, K., Schapiro, S. J. (Eds.) 2022. Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals (1st Ed.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 560 p.

Jacketed telemetry in rats: A novel non-invasive method for cardiorespiratory phenotyping during treadmill exercise

The development of alternative methods for monitoring cardiorespiratory function without restraint or surgical implantation is attracting growing interest for both ethical and scientific reasons. For this purpose, a new non-invasive jacketed telemetry tool consisting in a radio device maintained in...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, External Bodily EquipmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Tanguy, S., Cambier, A., Fontana-Pires, L. et al. 2025. Jacketed telemetry in rats: A novel non-invasive method for cardiorespiratory phenotyping during treadmill exercise. Laboratory Animals 59(2), 215–225.

Retrospective descriptive report comparing access systems to refine intravenous self-administration in rats

For operant self-administration, permanent intravenous cannulas need to remain open and operational for months without infections or blockages. Here, we report retrospectively on our experiences and observations using different access systems during three studies. We identified a refined method for...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Cannulation, Catheterization, & Intubation, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lozeman-van ’t Klooster, J. G., Lesscher, H. M. 2025. Retrospective descriptive report comparing access systems to refine intravenous self-administration in rats. Laboratory Animals 59(3), 364–368.

Preceding sevoflurane inhalation in rats reduces the stress of intraperitoneal injection both in inexperienced experimenters and subject rats

In this study, we found that sevoflurane inhalation in rats prior to intraperitoneal injection decreased stress in both inexperienced experimenters and subject rats. Inexperienced experimenters anaesthetised male Sprague Dawley rats by intraperitoneal injection of anaesthetics, with or without preceding sevoflurane...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Ishibashi, H., Motohashi, H. 2025. Preceding sevoflurane inhalation in rats reduces the stress of intraperitoneal injection both in inexperienced experimenters and subject rats. Laboratory Animals 59(2), 272–275.

Extended oxygen supplementation after thoracotomy in rats may improve welfare

A retrospective comparison of welfare indicators in male rats undergoing thoracotomy for intrapleural dosing is presented. The initial cohort (n = 7) breathed room air after recovery from anaesthesia, while later cohorts (n = 12) had oxygen supplementation for up to 48 h post-surgery....

Year Published: 2025Topics: Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Few, B., Dugdale, A. 2025. Extended oxygen supplementation after thoracotomy in rats may improve welfare. Laboratory Animals 59(2), 283–289.