Rodent

Responses by wild house mice (Mus musculus) to various stimuli in a novel environment

House mice (Mus musculus) pose a threat to the native flora and fauna on islands, and can cause significant damage wherever they have been introduced. Methods used to eradicate invasive rodents, like house mice, at high population densities may not...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Witme, G. W., Snow, N. P., Moulton, R. S. 2014. Responses by wild house mice (Mus musculus) to various stimuli in a novel environment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 159, 99-106.

What is the impact of low testosterone levels on the anatomical and behavioral repertoire of long-term enriched housing of male mice? Behavioral Processes 108, 57-64

Environmental enrichment is a strategy to improve animal welfare, providing brain plasticity with changes at cellular, molecular and behavioral levels. In order to test the long-term effects of enriched housing and the importance of testosterone levels for the expression of...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Environmental Enrichment, ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Lima, F. B., de Oliveira, E. S. 2014. What is the impact of low testosterone levels on the anatomical and behavioral repertoire of long-term enriched housing of male mice? Behavioral Processes 108, 57-64.

Use of vinyl nonadhesive tape as an alternative for positioning rodents in small animal imaging

Specific positioning for different imaging modalities is essential in our small animal imaging core. While we have different animal holders designed to position the animal inside the MRI, additional securing of the animal to the holder is needed. Adjustments also...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Imaging & Electrophysiological Recording, RestraintAnimal Type: Gerbil, Hamster, Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Bode, A. E., Barber, H. 2014. Use of vinyl nonadhesive tape as an alternative for positioning rodents in small animal imaging. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 597-598. (Abstract #P185).

Stereotypic mice are aggressed by their cage-mates and tend to be poor demonstrators in social learning tasks

Stereotypic behaviours (SBs) are linked with behavioural inflexibility and resemble symptoms of autism, suggesting that stereotypic animals could have autistic-like social impairments. SBs are also common in caged mice. We therefore hypothesised relationships between stereotypic and social behaviours, predicting that...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Harper, L., Choleris, E., Ervin, K. et al. 2015. Stereotypic mice are aggressed by their cage-mates and tend to be poor demonstrators in social learning tasks. Animal Welfare. 24(4), 463-473.

Effects of experimental housing conditions on recovery of laboratory mice

The beneficial effects of environment and social support during disease recovery in humans are widely accepted. Because laboratory mice are social animals and are highly motivated to interact with each other and with their environment, it is very likely that...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & Companionship, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Jirkof, P. 2015. Effects of experimental housing conditions on recovery of laboratory mice. Lab Animal 44(2), 65-70.

The power of automated behavioural homecage technologies in characterizing disease progression in laboratory mice: A review

Behavioural changes that occur as animals become sick have been characterized in a number of species and include the less frequent occurrence of ‘luxury behaviours' such as playing, grooming and socialization. ‘Sickness behaviours' or behavioural changes following exposure to infectious...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Richardson, C. A. 2015. The power of automated behavioural homecage technologies in characterizing disease progression in laboratory mice: A review. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 163, 19-27.

Testing three measures of mouse insensibility following induction with isoflurane or carbon dioxide gas for a more humane euthanasia

Laboratory mice are commonly killed via exposure to gradually increasing concentrations of isoflurane and carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. Once rendered insensible using isoflurane or CO2, a high concentration of CO2 is used to decrease time to death. When the switch...

Year Published: 2015Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Moody, C. M., Makowska, I. J., Weary, D. M. 2015. Testing three measures of mouse insensibility following induction with isoflurane or carbon dioxide gas for a more humane euthanasia. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 163, 183-87.

Rat aversion to sevoflurane and isoflurane

Virtually all rodents used in research are eventually euthanized. Best practice is to anaesthetize these animals before euthanasia using a halogenated anaesthetic such as isoflurane. Exposure to isoflurane is aversive, but less so than exposure to the commonly used carbon...

Year Published: 2015Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Boulanger Bertolus, J., Nemeth, G., Makowska, I. J. et al. 2015. Rat aversion to sevoflurane and isoflurane. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 164, 73-80.

Playful handling of laboratory rats is more beneficial when applied before than after routine injections

The ability of positive affective states to counteract negative states engendered by routine medical procedures remains poorly studied. In laboratory rats, positive affect typically associated with rough-and-tumble play can be induced through human “hand play” – the experience of being...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Cloutier, S., Wahl, K. L., Panksepp, J. et al. 2015. Playful handling of laboratory rats is more beneficial when applied before than after routine injections. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 164, 81-90.

Are 50-kHz calls used as play signals in the playful interactions of rats? II

During playful interactions, juvenile rats emit many 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations, which are associated with a positive affective state. In addition, these calls may also serve a communicative role – as play signals that promote playful contact. Consistent with this hypothesis,...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Natural Behavior, VocalizationAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Kisko, T. M., Himmler, B. T., Himmler, S. M. et al. 2015. Are 50-kHz calls used as play signals in the playful interactions of rats? II. Evidence from the effects of devocalization. Behavoural Processes 111, 25-33.