Rodent

Maladaptive behaviors: Stereotypical behavior; hair pulling-and-eating and alopecia (hair loss); self-injurious biting

Animals kept in legally minimum-sized, unstructured enclosures very often exhibit stereotypical behaviors. Traditionally, these repetitive movement patterns without obvious goals or functions are categorized as abnormal. A healthy animal kept in a small, barren enclosure has little choice of expressing...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Abnormal/Problematic BehaviorAnimal Type: All/General, Cat, Dog, Guinea Pig, Nonhuman Primate, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: LAREF [Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum] 2007. Maladaptive behaviors: Stereotypical behavior; hair pulling-and-eating and alopecia (hair loss); self-injurious biting. In: Making Lives Easier for Animals in Research Labs: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum. Baumans, V., Coke, C., Green, J., Moreau, E., Morton, D., Patterson-Kane, E., Reinhardt, A., Reinhardt, V., Van Loo, P. (eds), 39-45. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.

Use of behavior analysis to recognize pain in small mammals

Normal and pain-related behaviors exhibited by rodents, rabbits and ferrets are discussed.

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Ferret, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Mayer, J. 2007. Use of behavior analysis to recognize pain in small mammals. Lab Animal 36(6), 43-48.

The effect of preweaning and postweaning housing on the behaviour of the laboratory mouse (Mus musculus)

In this experiment, 64 pairs of animals of the strain C57BL/6J were used. Half of the animals were born and reared until weaning in standard cages and the other half in cages twice the size of the standard and furnished...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Marques, J. M., Olsson, I. A. S. 2007. The effect of preweaning and postweaning housing on the behaviour of the laboratory mouse (Mus musculus). Laboratory Animals 41(1), 92-102.

Non-invasive measurement of adrenocortical activity in male and female rats

Rats are widely used in biomedical research as animal models for human diseases. However, due to their small body size, blood sampling is complicated and invasive and thereby can seriously interfere with endocrine functions and possibly compromise the animals' welfare....

Year Published: 2007Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lepschy, M., Touma, C., Hruby, R. et al. 2007. Non-invasive measurement of adrenocortical activity in male and female rats. Laboratory Animals 41(3), 372-387.

Cage cleaning regimes and the welfare of laboratory mice (Mus musculus)

This research asks if we can improve the psychological well-being of mice by reducing cage-cleaning frequency, and without adversely affecting their health.

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Latham, N., Mason, G., Dawlins, M. S. 2007. Cage cleaning regimes and the welfare of laboratory mice (Mus musculus). Animal Welfare 16(S Abstract ), 172.

Working with animals: Oral drug administration – how to minimize stress reactions for rabbits, rodents and pigs

With gentle firmness, patience and professional skills most warm-blooded animals - with the exception perhaps of mice - can be habituated to tolerate oral dosing. Rabbits, rats and pigs accept most drugs if these are mixed in specially flavored and...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Pig, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: LAREF [Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum] 2007. Working with animals: Oral drug administration - how to minimize stress reactions for rabbits, rodents and pigs. In: Making Lives Easier for Animals in Research Labs: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum. Baumans, V., Coke, C., Green, J., Moreau, E., Morton, D., Patterson-Kane, E., Reinhardt, A., Reinhardt, V., Van Loo, P. (eds), 124-126. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.

Extra-auditory effects of noise in laboratory animals: the relationship between noise and sleep

Sleep disturbances are greater upon exposure to environmental noise, whose frequency spectrum is characterized by high and ultrasonic sounds, than white noise. In chronic noise exposure, an inter-individual variability in SWS deficits is observed and correlated to a psychobiological profile...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Rabat, A. 2007. Extra-auditory effects of noise in laboratory animals: the relationship between noise and sleep. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science] 46, 35-41.

Types and functions of ultrasonic vocalizations in laboratory rats and mice

Understanding the types and functions of ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by laboratory rodents may enable researchers and animal care personnel to use vocalizations as an indicator of an animal's behavior and affect.

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Portfors, C. V. 2007. Types and functions of ultrasonic vocalizations in laboratory rats and mice. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science] 46(1).

A survey assessment of the incidence of fur-chewing in commercial chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) farms

The establishment and maintenance of intensive captive breeding programmes lead to the description of a behaviour usually called 'fur-chewing' (or fur-biting'). Fur-chewers will chew their own fur either constantly, or at intervals, usually at their hips and sides about half-way...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Chinchilla, Rodent

Citation: Ponzio, M. F., Busso, J. M., Ruiz, R. D. et al. 2007. A survey assessment of the incidence of fur-chewing in commercial chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) farms. Animal Welfare 16, 471-479.

Neuroevolutionary sources of laughter and social joy: modeling primal human laughter in laboratory rats

Rats make abundant 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) when they play and exhibit other positive social interactions. This response can be dramatically increased by tickling animals, especially when directed toward bodily areas toward which animals direct their own play solicitations...

Year Published: 2007Animal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Panksepp, J. 2007 . Neuroevolutionary sources of laughter and social joy: modeling primal human laughter in laboratory rats. Behavioural Brain Research 182, 231-244.