Rodent

Huddling, locomotor, and nest-building behaviors of furred and furless Siberian hamster

Rodents living in the cold employ both behavioral and physiological mechanisms to achieve thermoregulation. We examined the impact of fur loss on behavioral thermoregulation in cold-challenged Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). Intact female hamsters exposed to an ambient temperature (Ta) of...

Year Published: 2003Animal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Kauffman, A. S., Paul, M. J., Butler, M. P. et al. 2003. Huddling, locomotor, and nest-building behaviors of furred and furless Siberian hamster. Physiology & Behavior 79, 247-256.

Sex specific difference in social support – a study in female guinea pigs

In female guinea pigs social support can be provided by social partners. In contrast to males, however, not only the bonding partner is able to reduce the female's stress responses, but also a familiar conspecific, though in a less effective...

Year Published: 2003Animal Type: Guinea Pig, Rodent

Citation: Kaiser, S., Kirtzeck, M., Hornschuh, G. et al. 2003. Sex specific difference in social support - a study in female guinea pigs. Physiology and Behavior 79, 297-303.

Foraging as environmental enrichment for laboratory rats: A theoretical review

Foraging opportunities are a form of environmental enrichment with great potential to improve the welfare of animals in laboratories. Though commonly used with zoo animals, little evidence exists of their use in laboratories. Technicians or other laboratory staff are unlikely...

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

Citation: Johnson, S. R., Patterson-Kane, E. G. 2003. Foraging as environmental enrichment for laboratory rats: A theoretical review. Animal Technology and Welfare 2, 13-22.

Environmental influence on recovery after brain lesions – experimental andclinical data

Experimental studies on focal cerebral infarcts in the rat have demonstrated that postischemic environmental enrichment significantly improves functional outcome, increases dendrite branching and number of dendritic spines in the contralateral cortex, influences expression of many genes and modifies lesion-induced stem...

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

Citation: Johansson, B. B. 2003. Environmental influence on recovery after brain lesions - experimental andclinical data. Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 41(Supplement), 11-16.

Fecal corticosterone: A noninvasive method of stress assessment in rats

Repeated mild restraint with bare hands or confinement in a plexiglas tube also increased fecal coritcosterone levels (p

Year Published: 2003Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Guhad, F. A., Nevalainen, T., Lang, C. M. 2003. Fecal corticosterone: A noninvasive method of stress assessment in rats. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 93-94 (Abstract).

Cage colour preferences and effects of home cage colour on anxiety in laboratory mice

Home cage colour had a significant effect on body weight and food consumption as well as on behaviour in a raised plus maze.

Year Published: 2003Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherwin, C. M., Glen, E. F. 2003. Cage colour preferences and effects of home cage colour on anxiety in laboratory mice . Animal Behaviour 66, 1085-1092.

Social context affects the motivation of laboratory mice (Mus musculus) to gain access to resources

The trained mice were housed with non-trained cage-mates in a start-cage that required them to perform the operant task to enter a resource-cage providing either additional space or a running wheel. The presence of cage-mates in the start-cage significantly decreased...

Year Published: 2003Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherwin, C. M. 2003. Social context affects the motivation of laboratory mice (Mus musculus) to gain access to resources. Animal Behaviour 66, 649-655.

Stress-like responses to common procedures in individually and group-housed female rats

Mean resting HR values in the mornings prior to human contact were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in rats housed four per cage than animals housed alone or with one cage mate, whereas MAP during this period was lowest in...

Year Published: 2003Topics: Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Sharp, J. L., Zammit, T., Azar, T. A. et al. 2003. Stress-like responses to common procedures in individually and group-housed female rats. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 42(1), 9-18.

Are “”by-stander”” female Sprague-Dawley rats affected by experimental procedures? Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 42(1), 19-28

The objective of this study was to test the hypotheses that female rats are stressed by being in the same room as animals subjected to common husbandry and experimental procedures and that the level of stress is affected by housing...

Year Published: 2003Topics: Drug/Substance Administration, Euthanasia, Handling, Husbandry & Management, Restraint, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Sharp, J. L., Zammit, T., Azar, T. A. et al. 2003. Are "by-stander" female Sprague-Dawley rats affected by experimental procedures? Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 42(1), 19-28.

Selective adaptation of male rats to repeated social and experimental stimuli

Persistently elevated blood pressre suggested that rats do not adapt to being transferred to another room. This observation is similar to the blood pressure changes observed in conditioned fear responses.

Year Published: 2003Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Sharp, J. L., Azar, T. A., Lawson, D. M. 2003. Selective adaptation of male rats to repeated social and experimental stimuli. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 126-127 (Abstract).