Rodent

Female guinea pigs prefer familiar opposite-sex individuals but not familiar same-sex peers

While some species show a preference for familiar individuals when choosing a social or sexual partner, this tendency is not universal and varies across species. However, the association between partner preference and social system is still not clear, and partner...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Rodent

Citation: Romero-Chacón, A. M., Cardona-Restrepo, M., Pena-Bello, G. et al. 2025. Female guinea pigs prefer familiar opposite-sex individuals but not familiar same-sex peers. Animal Behaviour 230, 123384.

Vocal ontogeny in Mus musculus

Infants of many species produce distress calls when in need of parental care. As they mature and gain independence from caregivers, juveniles stop producing infant calls and begin producing adult-like vocalizations in a variety of species-typical contexts. Neonatal house mice,...

Year Published: 2025Topics: VocalizationAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Pranic, N. M., Singh, R., Rabinovich, J. et al. 2025. Vocal ontogeny in Mus musculus. Animal Behaviour 230, 123376.

Standardizing perioperative heat to improve mouse (Mus musculus) recovery

Maintaining the core body temperature of anesthetized rodents is essential because of the depression of physiologic homeostasis caused by anesthetics. The maintenance of core body temperature is influenced by the ability of the heating device to provide sufficient heat, the...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Popadich, A. J., Mishra, B., Oldham, S. N. et al. 2026. Standardizing perioperative heat to improve mouse (Mus musculus) recovery. JAALAS 65(2), 297–302.

Playing or fighting? Home cage dynamics in crowding or social instability paradigms contribute to stress and reproductive impairments in adult female Wistar rats

Play fighting represents a key behavioral component in group-housed rats, yet its contribution to the outcomes of social stress paradigms remains unassessed. This study characterized play fighting behaviors over time in two social stress conditions involving crowding. We also evaluated...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Poitras, M., Ouellette, É. A., Pellis, S. M. et al. 2025. Playing or fighting? Home cage dynamics in crowding or social instability paradigms contribute to stress and reproductive impairments in adult female Wistar rats. Behavioural Processes 233, 105301.

Effects of scruff restraint and handling—Tail and tunnel—On plasma corticosterone in female BALB/c mice (Mus musculus)

Tunnel handling is a widely recommended, less-aversive method for improving laboratory mouse welfare by reducing handling-induced anxiety. While its effects on behavioral tests and physiologic outcomes have been reported, little is known about its impact on stress responses to brief...

Year Published: 2026Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Otsuka, J., Wagai, G., Togao, M. et al. 2026. Effects of scruff restraint and handling—Tail and tunnel—On plasma corticosterone in female BALB/c mice (Mus musculus). JAALAS 65(2), 251–258.

Beyond comfort: A review of the critical role of bedding selection in rodent welfare, microenvironment, and research reproducibility

This review addresses the critical but often underappreciated influence of bedding selection on rodent welfare, cage microenvironment, occupational health, and research outcomes in biomedical studies. Although contact bedding is widely preferred by mice and rats and is the current industry...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: O’Connell, K. A., Celdran-Bonafonte, D. 2026. Beyond comfort: A review of the critical role of bedding selection in rodent welfare, microenvironment, and research reproducibility. JAALAS 65(2), 146–158.

Refining the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) cryo-injury model for cardiac regeneration and functional characterization

Guinea pigs have been a standard model in cardiovascular pharmacology and physiology research, but the advent of transgenic models has largely replaced them with mouse and rat models. However, guinea pigs remain important models in cardiac electrophysiology, drug-induced arrhythmias, or...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Rodent

Citation: Nehring, M. E., Von Bibra, C., Geertz, B. et al. 2026. Refining the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) cryo-injury model for cardiac regeneration and functional characterization. JAALAS 65(1), 33–45.

Gentle stroking induces conditioned place preference in rats: Implications for animal welfare

Gentle tactile interaction with humans has been proposed as a form of social enrichment for laboratory animals; however, its direct reinforcing properties remain underexplored. Therefore, this study tested whether brief, gentle stroking can function as a positive reinforcer in adolescent...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Nagaishi, T., Shiomi, S. 2026. Gentle stroking induces conditioned place preference in rats: Implications for animal welfare. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 83, 35–39.

Enhancing rodent welfare, cost savings, and efficiency: Implementation and review of data-driven improvements

At the University of Chicago, we have implemented multiple practical, data-driven 3Rs (replacement, reduction, refinement) strategies to improve rodent welfare over the past 5 years. As there are limited publications that outline an institutional approach, this work reviews the enhancements...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Husbandry & Management, Relocation & Transport, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Luchins, K. R., Felgenhauer, J. L. 2026. Enhancing rodent welfare, cost savings, and efficiency: Implementation and review of data-driven improvements. JAALAS 65(2), 159–167.

Effects of partial cage dividers on animal welfare and social behavior in California mice (Peromyscus californicus)

California mice (Peromyscus californicus) are an important model species for studying social behaviors that are not readily expressed in standard laboratory mouse and rat lines. Under natural conditions, this species is highly territorial, and both males and females exhibit high...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Knollenberg, B. L., Dye, A. F., Oakland, Z. T. et al. 2026. Effects of partial cage dividers on animal welfare and social behavior in California mice (Peromyscus californicus). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 296, 106905.