Rodent

Laboratory Animal Management: Rodents

Studies have found that compatible social groups of rodents do not use all the available [barren!] space recommended in current guidelines and probably do not require it for well-being (White, 1990; White et al., 1989). .. Even if individually housed,...

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Rodent

Citation: National Research Council 1996. Laboratory Animal Management: Rodents. National Academy Press , Washington, DC.

Caloric density affects food hoarding and intake by Siberian hamsters

Siberian hamsters respond to food deprivation or restriction by increasing their food hoarding and do so proportionately to the degree of body mass (fat) loss. These data suggest that Siberian hamsters integrate their internally stored energy as body fat with...

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Wood, A. D. 1996. Caloric density affects food hoarding and intake by Siberian hamsters. Physiology & Behavior 59, 897-903.

The use of a novel operant test to determine the strength of preference for flooring in laboratory rats

Both studies indicated that rats prefer to rest on solid floor. The experiments reported in this paper also show that rats are prepared to make considerable efforts to reach a solid floor when they wish to rest. Thus there is...

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Manser, C. E., Elliott, H., Morris, T. H. et al. 1996. The use of a novel operant test to determine the strength of preference for flooring in laboratory rats. Laboratory Animals 30, 1-6.

Food deprivation-induced increases in hoarding by Siberian hamsters are not photoperiod-dependent

Siberian hamsters increase food hoarding in response to chronic food restriction and food deprivation, conditions that lead to a loss of body mass and fat. Therefore, the first purpose of the present experiments was to test further the effects of...

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Wood, A. D., Bartness, T. J. 1996. Food deprivation-induced increases in hoarding by Siberian hamsters are not photoperiod-dependent. Physiology & Behavior 60, 1137-1145.

Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit Medicine

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Laird, K., Swindle, M. M., Flecknell, P. A. 1996. Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit Medicine. Pergamon, Oxford, UK.

Effect of cage size on the ontogeny of stereotyped behaviour in gerbils

Gerbils develop stereotyped digging independent of cage space, but probably dependent of lack of adequate stimuli for digging.

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Gerbil, Rodent

Citation: Wiedenmayer, C. 1996. Effect of cage size on the ontogeny of stereotyped behaviour in gerbils. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 47, 225-233.

Effect of environmental enrichment and housing density on immune system reactivity to acute exercise stress

Keeping mice in enriched cages rather than barren standard cages seems to enhance immune function. Environmentally enriched mice behave immunologically much like nonstressed animals. Animals in enriched environment showed a less variable, better regulated immune response.

Year Published: 1996Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Kingston, S. G., Hoffman-Goetz, L. 1996. Effect of environmental enrichment and housing density on immune system reactivity to acute exercise stress. Physiology and Behavior 60, 145-150.

Environmental enrichment: practical applications

A general discussion. Mice show clear choices for cage enrichment, and animals from enrichment environments seem to be better adapted to experimental conditions.

Year Published: 1997Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Baumans, V. 1997. Environmental enrichment: practical applications. In: Animal Alternatives, Welfare and Ethics. van Zutphen, L. F. MM. , Balls, M. (eds), 187-197. Elsevier, Amsterdam.

Environmental enrichment, immunocompetence, and resistance to Babesia microti in male mice

Groups of male CFLP mice housed in cages furnished with shelves and nestboxes showed increased aggression and reduced resistance to an experimental infection of Babesia microti when compared with groups in unfurnished cages. Both a bystander measure of immunocompetence (serum...

Year Published: 1996Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Barnard, C. J., Behnke, J. M., Sewell, J. 1996. Environmental enrichment, immunocompetence, and resistance to Babesia microti in male mice. Physiology and Behavior 60, 1223-1231.

Influence of feeding hay on the alopecia of breeding guinea pigs

Animals with partial alopecia were seen frequently in a breeding colony of guinea pigs. No pathologic aetiology could be determined. An influence of nutrition on the density of the hair coat was considered. Breeding groups were fed one of the...

Year Published: 1997Animal Type: Guinea Pig, Rodent

Citation: Gerold, S., Huisinga, E., Iglauer, F. et al. 1997. Influence of feeding hay on the alopecia of breeding guinea pigs. Zentralblatt f?r Veterin?rmedizin 44, 341-348.