Rodent

Use of a low-calorie flavored gel to facilitate oral self-administration of analgesics in mice

The goals of this study were to determine whether mice would adapt to a low-calorie flavored water gel as their sole source of hydration and whether the addition of acetaminophen, tramadol, meloxicam, or buprenorphine to the gel would affect their...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Analgesia, Drug/Substance AdministrationAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Riddell, D. L., Hyndman, T. H., Bowden, R. S. et al. 2023. Use of a low-calorie flavored gel to facilitate oral self-administration of analgesics in mice. JAALAS 62(2), 163–169.

Effects of different grades of carbon dioxide on euthanasia of mice (Mus musculus)

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a conditionally acceptable method for mouse euthanasia, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals. In a 2012 Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) webinar, representatives of OLAW, the USDA and...

Year Published: 2023Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Stuckey, J. E., Makhija, S. D., Reimer, D. C. et al. 2023. Effects of different grades of carbon dioxide on euthanasia of mice (Mus musculus). JAALAS 62(5), 430–437.

Comparison of systemic extended-release buprenorphine and local extended-release bupivacaine-meloxicam as analgesics for laparotomy in mice

Extended-release (ER) local anesthetics can be used in multi-modal analgesia or in situations in which systemic analgesics may alter animal physiology and thus introduce interpretational confounds. In this study, we compared the analgesic efficacy of an ER buprenorphine formulation with...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Analgesia, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Yang, P., Hish, G., Lester, P. A. 2023. Comparison of systemic extended-release buprenorphine and local extended-release bupivacaine-meloxicam as analgesics for laparotomy in mice. JAALAS 62(5), 416–422.

Evaluation of cage mate–induced postsurgical trauma in mice

Although mice are social animals, individual housing is sometimes requested after surgery. We questioned whether pair-housing mice after surgery resulted in greater trauma to the surgical site as compared with single housing. We further evaluated the effect of individual housing...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Social Housing & Companionship, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Tirado-Muñiz, N., Spangler, T. L., Van Rooyen, H. et al. 2023. Evaluation of cage mate–induced postsurgical trauma in mice. JAALAS 62(2), 170–178.

The effects of enrichment on an abnormal behaviour in naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) at Tilgate Nature Centre

The naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a relatively rare mammal in zoological collections with only nine zoos in the United Kingdom holding colonies of varying sizes at the time of study. This study aims to determine whether housing the...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, HousingAnimal Type: Mole Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hatcher, N. 2022. The effects of enrichment on an abnormal behaviour in naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) at Tilgate Nature Centre. RATEL (Journal of the Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers) 49(4), 15-18.

The effects of enrichment novelty versus complexity in cages of group-housed rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Although experimental work on environmental enrichment has answered many important questions, it is not yet known whether beneficial effects of enrichment are more strongly influenced by regular provision of novel objects, or by the diversity of objects present at any...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Abou-Ismail, U. A., Mendl, M. T. 2016. The effects of enrichment novelty versus complexity in cages of group-housed rats (Rattus norvegicus). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 180, 130-139.

Effects of breeding configuration on maternal and weanling behavior in laboratory mice

Although numerous studies have evaluated the effect of housing density on the wellbeing of laboratory mice, little is known about the effect of breeding configuration on mouse behavior. The 8th edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of...

Year Published: 2017Topics: ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Braden, G. C., Rasmussen, S., Monette, S. et al. 2017. Effects of breeding configuration on maternal and weanling behavior in laboratory mice. JAALAS 56(4), 369-376.

Evaluation of ambient sound, vibration, and light in rodent housing rooms

Excessive sound, vibration, and light are detrimental to rodent welfare, yet these parameters are rarely recorded in vivaria. Whether housing environments exceed the suggested thresholds and which specific factors may alter these parameters is generally unknown. The goal of this...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Barabas, A. J., Darbyshire, A. K., Schlegel, S. L. et al. 2022. Evaluation of ambient sound, vibration, and light in rodent housing rooms. JAALAS 61(6), 660–671.

Pinna edge biopsy of 7 and 21 day old C57BL/6 mice as a method for identification and genotyping

Identifying and genotyping mice prior to weaning can be useful for mouse colony management. Mice of an undesired genotype can be identified prior to weaning and removed from further study, resulting in a reduction of housing costs, and labor time....

Year Published: 2023Topics: Identification MethodAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Chen, D. D., Molk, D. M., Palley, L. S. et al. 2023. Pinna edge biopsy of 7 and 21 day old C57BL/6 mice as a method for identification and genotyping. JAALAS 62(5), 438–448.

Effects of housing density on reproductive performance, intracage ammonia, and welfare of mice continuously housed as breeders in standard mouse and rat caging

Maintaining compliance with cage density recommendations in The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals precludes continuous trio breeding in standard-sized mouse cages. This study evaluated and compared several parameters of reproductive performance, intracage ammonia concentration, and fecal...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Husbandry & Management, Reproduction, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Cho, E., Walsh, C. A., D'Angelo-Gavrish, N. M. et al. 2023. Effects of housing density on reproductive performance, intracage ammonia, and welfare of mice continuously housed as breeders in standard mouse and rat caging. JAALAS 62(2), 116–122.