Rodent

Considerations for determining optimal mouse caging density

A meeting summary. The panel largely agreed that animal well-being should be the measure of interest in evaluating housing density and that well-being includes not only physical health, but also animals' behavior, productivity and preference.

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Foltz, C., Carbone, L., DeLong, D. et al. 2007. Considerations for determining optimal mouse caging density. Lab Animal 36(10), 40-49.

Effects of cage size and enrichment on aggression and stereotypic behavior in three strains of laboratory mice

For female mice, increased complexity of space is more important than the quantity of space.

Year Published: 2007Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Forsyth, N., Young, G., Mench, J. 2007. Effects of cage size and enrichment on aggression and stereotypic behavior in three strains of laboratory mice. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 26 (Abstract).

Behaviour of golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) kept in four different cage sizes

Cages for laboratory and pet hamsters are usually small. Using video recordings, the behaviour of sixty female golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus), housed individually in four different cage sizes, was compared in order to draw conclusions about their welfare. The cage...

Year Published: 2007Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Fischer, K., Gebhardt-Henrich, S. G., Steiger, A. 2007. Behaviour of golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) kept in four different cage sizes. Animal Welfare 16(1), 85-93.

Integrated approaches to developing and implementing the 3Rs at MRC NIMR

A number of different 3Rs initiatives are described. Refinement: The use of methods that alleviate or minimise potential pain, suffering or distress, and enhance animal welfare. [p 131] At NIMR [National Institute for Medical Reserch], animal technicians led the work...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: All/General, Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Fern, S. L. 2007. Integrated approaches to developing and implementing the 3Rs at MRC NIMR. Animal Technology and Welfare 6, 129-136.

Adaptation of a ladder beam walking task to assess locomotor recovery in mice following spinal cord injury

Locomotor impairments after spinal cord injury (SCI) are often assessed using open-field rating scales. These tasks have the advantage of spanning the range from complete paralysis to normal walking; however, they lack sensitivity at specific levels of recovery. Additionally, most...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Cummings, B. J., Engesser-Cesar, C., Cadena, G. et al. 2007. Adaptation of a ladder beam walking task to assess locomotor recovery in mice following spinal cord injury. Behavioral Brain Research 177, 232-241.

Enriching rat living conditions

Rats housed in partially covered cages show less anxiety-related behavior than rats housed in clear or opaque cages.

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Cloutier, S., Newberry, R. C. 2007. Enriching rat living conditions. Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) Quarterly 56(4), 18-19.

Human activity and visual contact with the surrounding environment affect the stress response and behvior of laboratory rats

Providing rats with partial visual cover and controlling for levels of human exposure within rodent rooms could improve rat welfare and external validity of behavioral tests used in biomedical research.

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Cloutier, S., Newberry, R. C. 2007. Human activity and visual contact with the surrounding environment affect the stress response and behvior of laboratory rats. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 24-25 (Abstract).

Anxiolytic effect of music depends on ovarian steroid in female mice

Mice exposed to music showed less anxiety than those exposed to white noise or silence.

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Chikahisa, S., Sano, A., Kitaoka, K. et al. 2007. Anxiolytic effect of music depends on ovarian steroid in female mice. Behavioural Brain Research 179, 50-59.

Comparison of doxycycline delivery methods for tet-inducible gene expression ina subcutaneous xenograft model

Doxycycline (Dox) controlled Tet systems provide a powerful and commonly used method for functional studies on the consequences of gene overexpression/downregulation. However, whereas Dox delivery in tissue culture in vitro is relatively simple, the situation in vivo is more complex....

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Cawthorne, C., Swindell, R., Stratford, I. J. et al. 2007. Comparison of doxycycline delivery methods for tet-inducible gene expression ina subcutaneous xenograft model. Journal of Biomolecular Techniques 18, 120-123.

Acclimatization of rats after ground transportation to a new animal facility

This study aimed to assess the time needed by rats, which had not been previously transported, to acclimatize to a new environment after 5 h of van transport, using physiological parameters as measures of acclimatization. Animal shipping boxes and transport...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Capdevila, S., Giral, M., Ruiz de la Torre, J. L. et al. 2007. Acclimatization of rats after ground transportation to a new animal facility. Laboratory Animals 4(2), 255-261.