Rodent

Group housing of male CD1 mice: Reflections from toxicity studies

Owing to their naturally aggressive behaviour, male mice are often housed individually in toxicity studies. However, several publications advocate group-housing of mice to enable normal social behaviour and interactions between the animals. This refinement project aimed at facilitate group-housing in...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Annas, A., Bengtsson, C., Tornqvist, E. 2013. Group housing of male CD1 mice: Reflections from toxicity studies. Laboratory Animals 47(2), 127-129.

The effects of music on animal physiology, behavior and welfare

Physiological and psychological effects of listening to music have been documented in humans. The changes in physiology, cognition and brain chemistry and morphology induced by music have been studied in animal models, providing evidence that music may affect animals similarly...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: All/General, Baboon, Bird, Capuchin, Cattle, Chicken, Chimpanzee, Fish, Fowl, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Fish, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rat, Rodent, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Alworth, L. C., Buerkle, S. C. 2013. The effects of music on animal physiology, behavior and welfare. Lab Animal 42(2), 54-61.

Compassion Makes a Difference – Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum [LAREF], Volume III

This is the third volume of discussions that took place on the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum (LAREF). This forum is dedicated to the exchange of personal experiences of refining the conditions under which animals are housed and handled...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Animal Training, Drug/Substance Administration, Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Amphibian, Baboon, Cat, Chimpanzee, Dog, Fish, Frog & Toad, Goat, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Reptile, Rodent, Sheep, Snake, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey), Zebrafish

Citation: Reinhardt, V. (ed.) 2013. Compassion Makes a Difference - Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum [LAREF], Volume III. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.

Noisy construction does not have to generate noisy data

Our institution opened the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurologic Research Institute (NRI) in November of 2010. This facility houses a team of world renowned researchers working with mice and rats to develop treatments for childhood neurologic disorders. The second and...

Year Published: 2013Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Posadas, M., Neubauer, T., Buckmaster, C. A. 2013. Noisy construction does not have to generate noisy data. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 670-671 (Abstract).

Effects of a complex housing environment on heart rate and blood pressure of rats at rest and after stressful challenges

Housing enrichment for rodents continues to be a discussion topic within the animal care community. The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which a complex housing environment affects heart rate, blood pressure, and activity of rats...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Sharp, J., Azar, T., Lawson, D. 2014. Effects of a complex housing environment on heart rate and blood pressure of rats at rest and after stressful challenges. JAALAS 53(1), 52-60.

Effects of single compared with pair housing on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation and low-dose heroin place conditioning in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats

Whether social isolation of adult rats under standard laboratory conditions produces significant long-term alterations in behavior and physiology is unclear. In the present study, male Sprague–Dawley rats were singly or paired-housed for 10 wk. During this period, they were tested...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Turner, P. V., Sunohara-Neilson, J., Ovari, J. et al. 2014. Effects of single compared with pair housing on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation and low-dose heroin place conditioning in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. JAALAS 53(2), 161-167.

Castration promotes welfare in group-housed male Swiss outbred mice maintained in educational institutions

Educational institutions maintain group-housed mice of both sexes for training veterinarians and technicians in husbandry, medication, and sampling procedures. Mice kept in all-male groups may experience poor welfare due to fighting. Castrated mice may be used to replace gonadally intact...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Vaughan, L. M., Dawson, J. S., Porter, P. R. et al. 2014. Castration promotes welfare in group-housed male Swiss outbred mice maintained in educational institutions. JAALAS 53(1), 38-43.

Pair housing reverses post-stroke depressive behavior in mice

Social isolation (SI) has been linked epidemiologically to high rates of morbidity and mortality following stroke. In contrast, strong social support enhances recovery and lowers stroke recurrence. However, the mechanism by which social support influences stroke recovery has not been...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Verma, R., Friedler, B. D., Harris, N. M. et al. 2014. Pair housing reverses post-stroke depressive behavior in mice. Behavioural Brain Research 269, 155-163.

The use of the puzzle box as a means of assessing the efficacy of environmental enrichment

Environmental enrichment can dramatically influence the development and function of neural circuits. Further, enrichment has been shown to successfully delay the onset of symptoms in models of Huntington's disease, suggesting environmental factors can evoke a neuroprotective effect against the progressive,...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: O'Connor, A. M., Burton, T. J., Leamey, C. A. et al. 2014. The use of the puzzle box as a means of assessing the efficacy of environmental enrichment. JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) 94, e52225.

Pro-social behavior in rats is modulated by social experience

In mammals, helping is preferentially provided to members of one's own group. Yet, it remains unclear how social experience shapes pro-social motivation. We found that rats helped trapped strangers by releasing them from a restrainer, just as they did cagemates....

Year Published: 2014Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Bartal, I. B.-A., Rodgers, D. A., Sarria, M. S. et al. 2014. Pro-social behavior in rats is modulated by social experience. eLife 3, e01385.