Rodent

The effects of age, size, and cage complexity on the behaviour of farmed female chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera)

Even though chinchillas have been farmed for a century, there are not many studies concerning their behaviour in captivity or their optimal housing conditions, both of which are important factors in the assessment of their welfare. This study aimed to...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Chinchilla, Rodent

Citation: Łapiński, S., Niedbała, P., Markowska, K. et al. 2023. The effects of age, size, and cage complexity on the behaviour of farmed female chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera). Scientific Reports 13(1), 6108.

Stress evaluation of mouse husbandry environments for improving laboratory animal welfare

Animal welfare is recognized as essential for the coexistence of humans and animals. Considering the increased demand and interest in animal welfare, many methods for improving animal welfare are being devised, but which method reduces animal stress has not been...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Lee, G.-H., Kim, K., Jo, W. 2023. Stress evaluation of mouse husbandry environments for improving laboratory animal welfare. Animals 13(2), 249.

Seminatural environments for rodent behavioral testing: A representative design improving animal welfare and enhancing replicability

The low replicability of scientific studies has become an important issue. One possible cause is low representativeness of the experimental design employed. Already in the 1950's, Egon Brunswick pointed out that experimental setups ideally should be based on a random...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hernández-Arteaga, E., Ågmo, A. 2023. Seminatural environments for rodent behavioral testing: A representative design improving animal welfare and enhancing replicability. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17, 1192213.

Rating enrichment items by female group-housed laboratory mice in multiple binary choice tests using an RFID-based tracking system

Laboratory mice spend most of their lives in cages, not experiments, so improving housing conditions is a first-choice approach to improving their welfare. Despite the increasing popularity of enrichment, little is known about the benefits from an animal perspective. For...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Hobbiesiefken, U., Urmersbach, B., Jaap, A. et al. 2023. Rating enrichment items by female group-housed laboratory mice in multiple binary choice tests using an RFID-based tracking system. PLOS ONE 18(1), e0278709.

Effects of castration and sterilization on baseline and response levels of cortisol—A case study in male guinea pigs

An uncontrolled reproduction of animals in human hands should be avoided. To meet this goal, animals are widely castrated, i.e., the gonads are completely removed. Since the gonads are the most important source of sex hormones, this is a serious...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, ReproductionAnimal Type: All/General, Guinea Pig, Rodent

Citation: Kaiser, S., Korte, A., Wistuba, J. et al. 2023. Effects of castration and sterilization on baseline and response levels of cortisol—A case study in male guinea pigs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9, 1093157.

Clicker training mice for improved compliance in the catwalk test

The CatWalk test relies on the run of mice across the platform to measure a constant speed with low variation. Mice usually require a stimulus to walk to the end of the catwalk. However, such stimuli are usually aversive and...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Animal Training, Behavioral & Cognitive TestingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Dickmann, J., Gonzalez-Uarquin, F., Reichel, S. et al. 2022. Clicker training mice for improved compliance in the catwalk test. Animals 12(24), 3545.

Home-cage behavior is impacted by stress exposure in rats

Being social animals, rats exhibit a range of social behaviors that help them build social bonds and maintain group cohesion. Behavior is influenced by multiple factors, including stress exposure, and the expression of the impact of stress on both social...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Natural Behavior, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Eraslan, E., Castelhano-Carlos, M. J., Amorim, L. et al. 2023. Home-cage behavior is impacted by stress exposure in rats. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17, 1195011.

Novel protocol to establish the myocardial infarction model in rats using a combination of medetomidine-midazolam-butorphanol (MMB) and atipamezole

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the most common cardiac problems causing deaths in humans. Previously validated anesthetic agents used in MI model establishment are currently controversial with severe restrictions because of ethical concerns. The combination between medetomidine, midazolam, and...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Farag, A., Mandour, A. S., Hamabe, L. et al. 2022. Novel protocol to establish the myocardial infarction model in rats using a combination of medetomidine-midazolam-butorphanol (MMB) and atipamezole. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9, 1064836.

A review on experimental surgical models and anesthetic protocols of heart failure in rats

Heart failure (HF) is a serious health and economic burden worldwide, and its prevalence is continuously increasing. Current medications effectively moderate the progression of symptoms, and there is a need for novel preventative and reparative treatments. The development of novel...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Farag, A., Mandour, A. S., Hendawy, H. et al. 2023. A review on experimental surgical models and anesthetic protocols of heart failure in rats. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 10, 1103229.

Green clay: Not just for a pretty face

Mice can be prone to skin lesions for various reasons. Green clay is a non-invvasive method to treat such skin lesions, and does not require veterinary approval or have properties that may interfere with an experiment. Green clay is ost...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Analgesia, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Bissmire, H. 2022. Green clay: Not just for a pretty face. Animal Technology and Welfare 21(3), 242–243.