Rodent

The welfare of laboratory rats

Review of environmental factors, including handling and husbandry practices affecting the well-being of rats.

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Kaliste, E. , Mering, S. 2004. The welfare of laboratory rats. In: The Welfare of Laboratory Animals. Kaliste, E. (ed), 153-180. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

Rats socially-reared and full fed learned an autoshaping task, showing less levels of fear-like behaviour than fasted or singly-reared rats

During the learning of instrumental tasks, rats are usually fasted to increase reinforced learning. However, fasting produces several undesirable side effects. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that control rats, i.e. full-fed and group-reared rats, will...

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Molina-Hernandez, M., T?llez-Alc?ntara, N. P. 2004. Rats socially-reared and full fed learned an autoshaping task, showing less levels of fear-like behaviour than fasted or singly-reared rats. Laboratory Animals 38, 236-245.

Enriched environment influences adrenocortical response to immune challenge and glutamate receptor gene expression in rat hippocampus

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether enriched rearingcould alter the stress response induced by repeated immune challenge and to investigate the influence of EE [environmental enrichment] and immune challenge on glutamate receptor gene expression in the hippocampus....

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

Citation: Mlynarik, M., Johansson, B. B., Jezova, D. 2004. Enriched environment influences adrenocortical response to immune challenge and glutamate receptor gene expression in rat hippocampus. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1018(1), 273-280.

Effect of environmental enrichment on stress related systems in rats

Environmental enrichment leads to pronounced changes in neuroendocrine regulation, including larger adrenals and increased adrenocortical function, which are so far considered to be indication of chronic stress.Animal living in groups of 10 in enriched cages had higher resting corticosterone concentrations...

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

Citation: Moncek, F., Duncko, R., Johansson, B. B. et al. 2004. Effect of environmental enrichment on stress related systems in rats. Journal of Neuroendocrinology 16, 423-431.

Refinement of routine procedures: Can environmental enrichment reduce the stress response of laboratory mice

Female mice housed in trios in enriched cages and handled daily reacted with less anxiety to procedures than female mice housed singly in barren cages and handled only when necessary.

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

Citation: Meijer, M. K., Kramer, K., Remie, R. et al. 2004. Refinement of routine procedures: Can environmental enrichment reduce the stress response of laboratory mice. Proceedings of the 4th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences - Alternatives to Laboratory Animals [ATLA] 32(Supplement), 97 (Abstract).

Housing conditions affect self-administration of anxiolytic by laboratory mice

Standard cages for laboratory rodents may induce greater anxiety than enriched cages. Enriched mice drank significantly less of the midazolam solution than the non-enriched mice, suggesting that the combined effect of more space and enrichment made the animals less anxious.

Year Published: 2004Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherwin, C. M., Olsson, I. A. S. 2004. Housing conditions affect self-administration of anxiolytic by laboratory mice. Animal Welfare 13, 33-38.

Enrichment of laboratory caging for rats: A review

Rats demonstrate high demand for social contact and prefer lager cages, and cages with shelters, nesting material and foraging devices.

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

Citation: Patterson-Kane, E. G. 2004. Enrichment of laboratory caging for rats: A review. Animal Welfare 13(S), 209-214.

Studies on the motivation for burrowing by laboratory mice

This study had two aims: (1) to investigate whether burrowing constitutes a behavioural need, that is, whether mice were motivated to perform the behaviour of burrowing per se, or whether it is the functional consequences of burrowing that motivate the...

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Sherwin, C. M., Haug, E., Terkelsen, V. et al. 2004. Studies on the motivation for burrowing by laboratory mice . Applied Animal Behaviour Science 88(3-4), 343-358.

New housing conditions: Improving the welfare of experimental animals

Prototypes for new housing systems satisfying the most important of these basic needs of the animals were developed. Along with newly introduced socialization programs [they] contribute to improved animal welfare. .. Mice need to be able to rest, hide and...

Year Published: 2004Animal Type: Dog, Guinea Pig, Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Ottesen, J. L., Weber, A., Gertler, H. et al. 2004. New housing conditions: Improving the welfare of experimental animals. Alternatives to Laboratory Animals [ATLA] 32(Supplement), 397-404.

Mirrors as potential environmental enrichment for individually housed laboratory mice

The present study examined the influence of a mirror on the behaviour individually housed laboratory mice. Sixteen mice were placed into apparatus comprised of preference cages connected by a tunnel. A mirror was placed in one of the preference (mirror)...

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

Citation: Sherwin, C. M. 2004. Mirrors as potential environmental enrichment for individually housed laboratory mice. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 87, 95-103.