Rodent

The effects of routine cage-changing on cardiovascular and behavioral parameters in male Sprague-Dawley rats

The objective of this study was to determine whether the blood pressure and heart rate of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats are affected by the routine animal husbandry procedure of moving animals to clean cages. Cardiovascular parameters were obtained by using...

Year Published: 2001Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Duke, J. L., Zammit, T. G., Lawson, D. M. 2001. The effects of routine cage-changing on cardiovascular and behavioral parameters in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 40(1), 17-20.

Play makes rats more user-friendly

Rats - used for behavioral experiments - are routinely exposed to a play cage without any adverse effects.

Year Published: 2001Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Deacon, R. 2001. Play makes rats more user-friendly . Animal Technology 52, 51-52.

Motor coordination and balance in rodents

Year Published: 2001Animal Type: Rodent

Citation: Carter, R. J., Morton, J., Dunnett, S. B. 2001. Motor coordination and balance in rodents. Current Protocols in Neuroscience Chapter 8(Unit 8.12.).

Tickling induces reward in adolescent rats

In adolescent rats, 50-kHz vocalizations are most evident during tickling and rough-and-tumble play. The following experiments evaluated whether 50-kHz vocalizations reflect positive social affect by determining (1) if tickling is a rewarding event, (2) if social or isolate housing conditions...

Year Published: 2001Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Burgdorf, J., Panksepp, J. 2001. Tickling induces reward in adolescent rats. Physiology and Behavior 72, 167-173.

The effect of brief halothane anesthesia during daily gavage administration on complications and body weights in rats

5 of 9 rats gavaged without anesthesia died within 10 days.

Year Published: 2001Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Murphy, S. J., Smith, P., Shaivitz A.B. 2001. The effect of brief halothane anesthesia during daily gavage administration on complications and body weights in rats. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 40(2), 9-12.

Practical environmental enrichment for rats and mice (The results of a survey)

The overall aim of this report is .. to share best practice and offer some suggestions as to what can be done to improve the quality of life for the animals in our care.

Year Published: 2001Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Mortell, N. 2001. Practical environmental enrichment for rats and mice (The results of a survey). Animal Technology 52, 1-19.

The rat floor pen: Fact or fantasy? Animal Technology 52, 33-34

Rats in [enriched] floor pens have better body condition and appear cleaner [than animals housed in cages]. They are also much more inquisitive and friendly than caged rats and come out when the technicians do their morning checks, because they...

Year Published: 2001Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Morrison, P. 2001. The rat floor pen: Fact or fantasy? Animal Technology 52, 33-34.

Estimates of appropriate number of rats: interaction with housing environment

The effect of enrichment [gnawing stick] on data variability is examined. The results indicate that some of the physiological parameters are susceptible to variability attributable to environmental modifactions in general whereas some are not.

Year Published: 2001Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Mering, S., Kaliste-Korhonen, E., Nevalainen, T. 2001. Estimates of appropriate number of rats: interaction with housing environment. Laboratory Animals 35, 80-90.

Floor space needs for laboratory mice: BALB/cJ males or females in solid-bottom cages with bedding

Studies were initiated to determine the effects of restricted (32.2 cm2 per mouse), normal (96.8 cm2), or excess floor space (129.0 cm2) allowances by using a model of three mice per cage. BALB/cJ mice were bred on-site and weaned at...

Year Published: 2001Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: McGlone, J. J., Anderson, D. L., Norman, R. L. 2001. Floor space needs for laboratory mice: BALB/cJ males or females in solid-bottom cages with bedding. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 40(3), 21-25.

Escape behaviour in laboratory mice

Results suggest that mice chew at cage bars as an escape response rather than a functionless stereotypy or tooth growth control.

Year Published: 2001Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Lewis, R. 2001. Escape behaviour in laboratory mice. Animal Technology 52, 38-39.