Rat

The social buffering effect of playful handling on responses to repeated intraperitoneal injections in laboratory rats

Handling small animals for veterinary and experimental procedures can negatively affect animal wellbeing. We hypothesized that playful handling (tickling) would decrease stress associated with repeated injections in adult laboratory rats, especially those with prior tickling experience. We compared responses of...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Cloutier, S., Wahl, K., Baker, C. et al. 2014. The social buffering effect of playful handling on responses to repeated intraperitoneal injections in laboratory rats. JAALAS 53(2), 168-173.

Assessing the emotions of laboratory rats

Rats are one of the most commonly used species in research, and decades of testing have yielded a large amount of information pertaining to their experience of emotion. The aim of this review is to bring together information on rat...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Makowska, I. J., Weary, D. M. 2013. Assessing the emotions of laboratory rats. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 148, 1-12.

Enriched cages for groups of laboratory male rats and their effects on behaviour, weight gain and adrenal glands

We investigated if there were any negative effects on the behaviour and physiology of rats housed in groups of five in two types of enriched cages and compared them with paired-housed rats housed in traditional cages. Eighty-four male Wistar and...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lidfors, L., Wichman, A., Ewaldsson, B. et al. 2014. Enriched cages for groups of laboratory male rats and their effects on behaviour, weight gain and adrenal glands. Laboratory Animals 48, 36-49.

A simplified method to identify and reduce flooded rodent caging

The number of flooded cages per cage change cycle (14 days) was tracked and it was identified that leaks and flooding often times occurred shortly after cage changing. To reduce the occurrence of flooded caging, we developed a pre-screening process...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Holley, A., Drayer, J., Rammling, M. et al. 2014. A simplified method to identify and reduce flooded rodent caging. Charles River, Orlando, FL.

Role of noise and music as anxiety modulators: Relationship with ovarian hormones in the rat

This work aims to verify the role of noise and music as anxiety modulators and their relationship with ovarian hormones. For this purpose, female Wistar rats were used and treated, forming different experimental groups, with 17-β-estradiol, progesterone, allopregnanolone, finasteride (inhibitor...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Escribano, B., Quero, I., Feijóo, M. et al. 2014. Role of noise and music as anxiety modulators: Relationship with ovarian hormones in the rat. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 152, 73-82.

Shedding ultraviolet light on welfare in laboratory rodents: Suggestions for further research and refinement

The welfare of laboratory rats and mice is sought to be optimised through adjustment of a variety of environmental factors, including light intensity and photoperiodicity. However, the fact that rodents are able to perceive ultraviolet (UV) light tends to be...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Sorensen, D. B. 2014. Shedding ultraviolet light on welfare in laboratory rodents: Suggestions for further research and refinement. Animal Welfare 23(3), 259-261.

Current understanding and use of environmental enrichment in China

In practice, consideration is given to providing most of the species used in research,testing and education withsome level of environmental enrichment. However, although the current level of awareness and understanding about the benefits of environmental enrichment appears similar across different...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General, Baboon, Capuchin, Chimpanzee, Dog, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Qi, K., De-mi, S., Chuan, Q. 2014. Current understanding and use of environmental enrichment in China. Enrichment Record 20, 8-11.

Use of spontaneous behaviour measures to assess pain in laboratory rats and mice: How are we progressing?

The understanding and recognition of pain in laboratory rats and mice has advanced considerably in recent times. However, there is evidence that despite these advances, analgesics are still relatively underutilised in these species. One possible contributing influence to this is...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Whittaker, A. L., Howarth, G. S. 2014. Use of spontaneous behaviour measures to assess pain in laboratory rats and mice: How are we progressing? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 151, 1-12.

Pharmacokinetics and excreta recovery of [14C]Erioglaucine to determine the impact of solid-bottom compared with wire-bottom caging in Sprague-Dawley rats

The Guide recommends the use of solid-bottom caging rather than wire-bottom caging in rodents for many reasons, including reduction in environmental stress, allowance for species-typical behaviors, and decreasing the incidence of pododermatitis and other types of foot lesions. In toxicologic...

Year Published: 2014Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Vilminot, N. M., Patterson, K. A., Cooper, D. M. et al. 2014. Pharmacokinetics and excreta recovery of [14C]Erioglaucine to determine the impact of solid-bottom compared with wire-bottom caging in Sprague-Dawley rats. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 597 (Abstract #P183).

Laboratory animal behavior

The study of laboratory animal behavior has increased steadily over the last decade, with expanding emphasis on a variety of commonly used species. In the United States, this trend was initially focused on species for which there was a regulatory...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Baboon, Bird, Capuchin, Cat, Cattle, Chicken, Chimpanzee, Dog, Fowl, Gerbil, Goat, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Mink, Mouse, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Sheep, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Bayne, K. A., Beaver, B. V., Mench, J. A. et al. 2015. Laboratory animal behavior. In: Laboratory Animal Medicine, 3rd edition. Fox, J. G., Anderson, L., Otto, G., et al. (eds). Elsevier, Inc., Amsterdam, NL. pp. 1617-1651.