Rodent

Body length as an objective marker of time to wean in laboratory mice

In laboratory mice, the 21-day weaning standard is the most commonly applied strategy across institutions. However, this strategy has numerous drawbacks, including potential for litter overlap, pup mortality, and weaning extensions. In pursuit of a more objective marker for weaning,...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Wilson, R. L., Dupont, W. D., Hunter, C. L. et al. 2025. Body length as an objective marker of time to wean in laboratory mice. JAALAS 64(5), 962–967.

Thermoneutral environment improves mouse welfare and reduces stress in metabolic cages

Metabolic cages (MCs) are often used to collect feces and urine samples. However, the housing of mice in MCs can be stressful, potentially affecting parameters of interest. Here we compare our standard protocol for individual MC housing (4 days at 23 °C:...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Villiger, P., Calvet, C., Pastor-Arroyo, E. M. et al. 2025. Thermoneutral environment improves mouse welfare and reduces stress in metabolic cages. Lab Animal 54(11), 303–312.

A customised combination of environmental enrichment reduces aggression in CD-1 male mice

Murine aggression has profound implications on animal welfare and husbandry. This report examines how three distinct combinations of environmental enrichment – wheel, igloo and tunnel; wheel, igloo, and tunnel with nesting; and tunnel with nesting – affect aggressive behaviour in...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Veness, A., Galichet, C., Murphy, S. et al. 2025. A customised combination of environmental enrichment reduces aggression in CD-1 male mice. Laboratory Animals 59(5), 588–592.

Sex and strain differences in the micropipette-guided drug administration (MDA) method in mice

To provide an alternative to oral gavage for per os treatments in laboratory mice, we have recently developed and introduced the micropipette-guided drug administration (MDA) method. This procedure is based on the presentation of a palatable solution consisting of sweetened...

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

Citation: Steiner, S., Krzyzaniak, O., Nilsson, F. A. M. et al. 2025. Sex and strain differences in the micropipette-guided drug administration (MDA) method in mice. Laboratory Animals 59(5), 578–587.

Managed care of naked mole-rats

Naked mole-rats are a burgeoning model species in the field of biomedical research and are also housed at many zoos throughout the world. These mammals possess many traits that have a large impact on the way that they are kept...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Identification Method, Rearing & Weaning, Relocation & Transport, Reproduction, Restraint, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mole Rat, Rodent

Citation: Smith, M., Buffenstein, R. 2021. Managed care of naked mole-rats. In: R. Buffenstein, T. J. Park, M. M. Holmes (Eds.), The Extraordinary Biology of the Naked Mole-Rat. Springer International Publishing, pp. 381–407.

Most preferred light color of female Syrian hamster during day and night

The light regulation within laboratory environments is critical for ensuring the wellbeing and accurate study of nocturnal animals like Syrian hamsters. This study evaluated the instinctual light color preferences of 18 adult female Syrian hamsters under controlled conditions. The experiment...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Shadman, A. F. 2025. Most preferred light color of female Syrian hamster during day and night. Laboratory Animals 59(4), 518–522.

Individually ventilated cages severely attenuate inter-cage ultrasonic vocalizations in rats

Individually ventilated cages (IVCs) benefit rodent and researcher health but may limit animals’ ability to communicate with cage-neighbours via ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). Despite USVs’ importance in rodent social behaviour, no previous research has investigated IVCs’ impact on between-cage USV transmission....

Year Published: 2025Topics: Housing, VocalizationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Scott, K. J., Bilkey, D. K. 2025. Individually ventilated cages severely attenuate inter-cage ultrasonic vocalizations in rats. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 28(4), 730–739.

Improving pain management for murine orthotopic xenograft models of acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Despite ongoing research, realistic in vitro models for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that can mimic the complex pathology are still not available, highlighting the need for continuous animal-based investigation. As part of the 3R principles, constant refinement of animal experiments...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Analgesia, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Schreiber, T., Lange, S., Talbot, S. R. et al. 2025. Improving pain management for murine orthotopic xenograft models of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Lab Animal 54(11), 313–320.

Social housing conditions, hierarchical status and testing order affect behavioral test outcomes of male C57BL6/J mice

Male mice are frequently used for behavioral neuroscience research, but outcomes of behavioral tests are often variable across studies, contributing to poor reproducibility. Social housing conditions, social hierarchical status and within-cage order of testing are factors that likely influence behavioral...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Schipper, L., van Heijningen, S., Karapetsas, G. et al. 2025. Social housing conditions, hierarchical status and testing order affect behavioral test outcomes of male C57BL6/J mice. Physiology & Behavior 293, 114859.

Refining in-cage enrichment for specialized mouse scenarios

Environmental enrichment is a critical component of a high-quality animal care and use program to provide opportunities for species-specific behaviors and redirect abnormal repetitive behaviors. We used a scoring system to review our enrichment for singly housed mice to assess...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Oldham, S., Minton, E., Ford, M. et al. 2025. Refining in-cage enrichment for specialized mouse scenarios. JAALAS 64(5), 968–976.