Rodent

Higher heart rate of laboratory mice housed individually vs in pairs

Many studies have shown that housing mice individually over a long period significantly alters their physiology, but in most cases measurement has required human interference and restraint for sampling. Using a radio-telemetry system with implantable transmitters, we recorded heart rate...

Year Published: 2003Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Spani, D., Arras, M., Koenig, B. et al. 2003. Higher heart rate of laboratory mice housed individually vs in pairs. Laboratory Animals 37, 54-62.

Are laboratory animals stressed by their housing environment and are investigators aware that this stress can affect physiological data?

Although stress can affect the behavior and physiology of laboratory animals, there has been little investigation into the quality of animal research is affected if the animals are stressed. Even minor perturbations (i.e., environmental can produce a stress response. A...

Year Published: 2003Animal Type: Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Jain, M., Baldwin, A. L. 2003. Are laboratory animals stressed by their housing environment and are investigators aware that this stress can affect physiological data? Medical Hypotheses 60, 284-289.

Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research

Expanding on the National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, this book deals specifically with mammals in neuroscience and behavioral research laboratories. It offers flexible guidelines for the care of these animals, and guidance on...

Year Published: 2003Topics: Regulations & Ethical Review, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Baboon, Capuchin, Cat, Chimpanzee, Chinchilla, Dog, Ferret, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: National Research Council. 2003. Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research. National Academic Press: Washington, DC, 223 pp.

Influence of environment structure and food availability on the foraging behaviour of the laboratory rat

We suggest that foraging decisions depend primarily on safety needs, rather than food availability, at least when animals are not severely food-deprived.

Year Published: 2003Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Arcis, V., Desor, D. 2003. Influence of environment structure and food availability on the foraging behaviour of the laboratory rat. Behavioural Processes 60, 191-198.

Effect of enrichment on variation and results in the light/dark test

The aim of this study was to investigate if cage enrichment induces an effect on experimental mean values and on inter-individual variation in the light/dark paradigm using diazepam as the anxiolytic drug. The behaviour of 216 naive adult male mice...

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

Citation: Augustsson, H., Van de Weerd, H. A., Kruitwagen, C. L. J. J. et al. 2003. Effect of enrichment on variation and results in the light/dark test. Laboratory Animals 37, 328-251.

Acceleration of visual system development by environmental enrichment

Rearing mice from birth in an enriched environment leads to a conspicuous acceleration of visual system development as ascertained at behavioral, electrophysiological, and molecular level.

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Cancedda, L., Putignano, E., Sale, A. et al. 2004. Acceleration of visual system development by environmental enrichment. Journal of Neuroscience 24 , 4840-4848.

Disruptive effects of standard husbandry practice on laboratory rat social discrimination

It appears that when rats are first grouped, they should be undisturbed for a least 24 h to prevent possible recognition failure as a result of exposure to handling or to the odours of novel conspecifics.

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Burman, O. H. P., Mendl, M. 2004. Disruptive effects of standard husbandry practice on laboratory rat social discrimination. Animal Welfare 13, 125-133.

Environmental enrichment for mice

Behavioural responses of outbred and inbred mice to a range of potential enrichments (cloth impregnated with the smell of unfamiliar mice, hessian hammock, half a coconut shell, playback of bird song, control of standard cage) were studied. The results show...

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Brocklebank, S., Mendl, M., Nicol, C. J. et al. 2004. Environmental enrichment for mice. Proceedings of the International Congress on Applied Ethology, 240 (Abstract).

Environmental enrichment in mice decreases anxiety, attenuates stress responses and enhances natural killer cell activity

The importance of environment in the regulation of brain, behaviour and physiology has long been recognized in biological, social and medical sciences. Animals maintained under enriched conditions have clearly been shown to have better learning abilities than those maintained under...

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Benaroya-Milshtein, N., Hollander, N., Apter, A. et al. 2004. Environmental enrichment in mice decreases anxiety, attenuates stress responses and enhances natural killer cell activity. European Journal of Neuroscience 20, 1341-1347.

The welfare of laboratory mice

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Baumans, V. 2004. The welfare of laboratory mice. In: The Welfare of Laboratory Animals. Kaliste, E. (ed), 119-152. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.