Rodent

Environmental enrichment for laboratory mice: preferences and consequences

Current laboratory housing systems have mainly been developed on the basis of ergonomic and economic factors. These systems provide adequate, basic physiological requirements of animals, but only marginally fulfill other needs, such as the performance of natural behaviour or social...

Year Published: 1996Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Van de Weerd, H. A. 1996. Environmental enrichment for laboratory mice: preferences and consequences. web site.

Comparative studies on housing conditions

The presence of cage furniture and/or deep litter may increase aggression among group-housed male mice, though subordinates have a better chance of escaping injurious fights. Group-housed rats tend to play longer on grid floor, but when given the choice prefer...

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Stauffacher, M. 1996. Comparative studies on housing conditions. In: Harmonization of Laboratory Animal Husbandry. O'Donoghue, P. N. (ed), 5-9. Royal Society of Medince Press, London, UK.

Reorganising behaviour in laboratory mice with varying cost of access to resources

By using traverses of shallow water, the costs of gaining access to food [length of traverses], shelter, a conspecific, increased space, a running wheel, deep sawdust, or enrichment (e.g., balls, a variety of small objects) were increased for laboratory mice....

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherwin, C. M., Nicol, C. J. 1996. Reorganising behaviour in laboratory mice with varying cost of access to resources. Animal Behaviour 51, 1087-1093.

Preferences of laboratory mice for characteristics of soiling sites

These results show that the mice defecated in localized areas and preferred to defecate in areas containing sawdust [rather than on bare plastic floors]. These results support other evidence which indicates that conventional cage designs for mice do not provide...

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherwin, C. M. 1996. Preferences of laboratory mice for characteristics of soiling sites. Animal Welfare 5, 283-288.

Preferences of individually housed TO strain laboratory mice for loose substrate or tubes for sleeping

Individually housed mice preferred to sleep in sawdust [rather than pre-formed tubes] when this was available. The mice slept in the tubes only after the sawdust was removed. The animals showed no preference for shape, opacity or openness of the...

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherwin, C. M. 1996. Preferences of individually housed TO strain laboratory mice for loose substrate or tubes for sleeping . Laboratory Animals 30, 245-251.

Laboratory mice persist in gaining access to resources: a method of assessing the importance of environmental features

By using traverses of shallow water in two experiments, it was determined how laboratory mice defended gaining access to feed, shelter, a conspecific or increased space (Experiment 1), and to feed, a running wheel, enrichments ('toys') or deep sawdust (Experiment...

Year Published: 1996Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherwin, C. M. 1996. Laboratory mice persist in gaining access to resources: a method of assessing the importance of environmental features. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 48, 203-214.

Behaviour of rats in their home cages: daytime variations and effects of routine husbandry procedures analysed by time sampling techniques

Single-caged male rates were studied. The cleaning regime [cages cleaned out and fresh sawdust with shredded paper provided] appeared to have a greater effect on behaviour [increased defecation and activity] than did time of day and the effects of cleaning...

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Saibaba, P., Sales, G. D., Stodulski, G. et al. 1996. Behaviour of rats in their home cages: daytime variations and effects of routine husbandry procedures analysed by time sampling techniques. Laboratory Animals 30, 13-31.

Evaluation of micro-environmental conditions and noise generation in three individually ventilated rodent caging systems and static isolator cages

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Rodent

Citation: Perkins, S. E. 1996. Evaluation of micro-environmental conditions and noise generation in three individually ventilated rodent caging systems and static isolator cages. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 35, 61-65.

Oxytocin causes a long-term decrease of blood pressure in female and male rats

Oxytocin causes blood pressure decrease.

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Petersson, M., Alster, P., Lundeberg, T. et al. 1996. Oxytocin causes a long-term decrease of blood pressure in female and male rats. Physiology and Behavior 60, 1311-1315.

Effect of group housing and oral corticosterone administration on weight gain and locomotor development in neonatal rats

The stress response of rats induced by transfer from communal housing to single housing prior to parturition has a negative influence of the offspring. This is manifested by slower growth rate and a retardation in locomotor development.

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Young, L. A., Pavlovska-Teglia, G., Stodulski, G. et al. 1996. Effect of group housing and oral corticosterone administration on weight gain and locomotor development in neonatal rats. Animal Welfare 5, 167-176.