Rodent

Rodent environmental enrichment – animal welfare or human feel-good factor

This article discusses environmental enrichment for rodents, mainly mice and rats housed in conventional caging, in U.K. research facilities. Environmental enrichment should allow and encourage animals to perform normal behavioural patterns. Cage furniture cannot be a substitute for poor quality...

Year Published: 2002Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Applebee, K. A. 2002. Rodent environmental enrichment - animal welfare or human feel-good factor. Animal Technology and Welfare 1(2), 65-69.

Preferences for paper bedding material of the laboratory mice

In order to identify indicators of the preferences for bedding materials, the paper bedding material preferences of laboratory mice were investigated in the present study. Four cages, each containing a different structure of paper bedding material were connected to allow...

Year Published: 2002Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Ago, A., Gonda, T., Takechi, M. et al. 2002. Preferences for paper bedding material of the laboratory mice. Experimental Animals 51, 157-161.

Enriched environment delays the onset of hippocampal damage after global cerebral ischemia in rats

An enriched environment has been shown to improve cognitive, behavioral and histopathological outcome after focal cerebral ischemia and head trauma. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an enriched environment on histopathology following global cerebral ischemia....

Year Published: 2003Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Belayev, A., Saul, I., Liu, Y. et al. 2003. Enriched environment delays the onset of hippocampal damage after global cerebral ischemia in rats. Brain Research 21, 121-127.

Human-animal interactions and animal welfare in conventionally and pen-housed rats

This study shows that housing rats in large groups in an enriched environment did not influence their anticipatory reaction to handling [human approach, capture, restraint].

Year Published: 2002Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Augustsson, H., Lindberg, L., H?glund, A. U. et al. 2002. Human-animal interactions and animal welfare in conventionally and pen-housed rats. Laboratory Animals 36, 271-281.

Environmental enrichment lowers stress-responsive hormones in singly housed male and female rats

This study examined the physiological effects of environmental enrichment (EE) with Kong Toys and Nestlets on stress-responsive hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis under basal and mild stress conditions in singly housed, jugular vein-cannulated, male and female rats. Animals of...

Year Published: 2003Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Belz, E. E., Kennell, J. S., Czambel, R. K. et al. 2003. Environmental enrichment lowers stress-responsive hormones in singly housed male and female rats. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 76, 481-486.

Environmental enrichment decreases nicotine-induced hyperactivity in rats

Environmental enrichment during development reduces the stimulant effect of nicotine.

Year Published: 2003Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Green, T. A., Cain, M. E., Thompson, M. et al. 2003. Environmental enrichment decreases nicotine-induced hyperactivity in rats. Psychopharmacology 170, 235-241.

Barbering (whisker trimming) in laboratory mice involves the same brain systems as compulsive behaviors in trichotillomania, autism and other obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders

Barbering appears to involve poor prefrontal cortex function.

Year Published: 2003Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Garner, J. P., Wayne, C. M., W?rbel, H. et al. 2003. Barbering (whisker trimming) in laboratory mice involves the same brain systems as compulsive behaviors in trichotillomania, autism and other obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. In: Proceedings of the International Congress on Applied Ethology. Ferrante, V. (ed), 75. Fondazione Iniziative Zooprofilattiche e Zootecniche, Abano Terme, Italy.

Shelter enrichment for rats

Nest boxes are a simple and effective form of environmentalenrichment. Rats accept a wide range of nest-box types but have the strongest...preference for enclosed, opaque, thermoplastic boxes. ...Tubes have proven a relatively ineffective enrichment for rats. ... Nesting paper may...

Year Published: 2003Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Patterson-Kane, E. G. 2003. Shelter enrichment for rats. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 42(2), 46-48.

Enrichment enhances spatial memory and increases synaptophysin levels in aged female mice

Female C57BL/6 mice, (4 or 27-28 months), were tested in spatial and cued Morris water maze tasks. Prior to (14 days) and during testing, a subset of aged females was exposed to rodent toys and running wheels for 3h per...

Year Published: 2003Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Frick, K. M., Fernandez, S. M. 2003. Enrichment enhances spatial memory and increases synaptophysin levels in aged female mice. Neurobiology of Aging 24, 615-626.

Laughing rats and the evolutionary antecedents of human joy?

Rapid finger movements across the nape, where rats usually solicit play, followed by tickling of the bellly simulates the rat's own playful interaction. Recent affective neuroscience research has yielded the discovery of play- and tickle-induced ultrasonic vocalization patterns ( approximately...

Year Published: 2003Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Panksepp, J., Burgdorf, J. 2003. Laughing rats and the evolutionary antecedents of human joy? Physiology and Behavior 79, 25-38.