Rodent

Report of the 2020 RSPCA/UFAW rodent and rabbit welfare meeting

The RSPCA/UFAW rodent and rabbit welfare group has held a one-day meeting every autumn for the last 27 years, so that its members can discuss current welfare research, exchange views on welfare issues and share experiences of the implementation of...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Drug/Substance Administration, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Stevens, C., Hawkins, P., Smulders, T. V. et al. 2021. Report of the 2020 RSPCA/UFAW rodent and rabbit welfare meeting. Animal Technology and Welfare 20(1), 21-33.

Handling mice using gloves sprayed with alcohol-based hand sanitiser: Acute effects on mouse behaviour

Alcohols are commonly used in laboratory animal facilities to disinfect hands, equipment and laboratory environments. The effect on mice is unknown, so we observed male and female C57BL/6J and BALB/c mice during and after handling with nitrile gloves that were...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Lopez-Salesansky, N., Wells, D. J., Chancellor, N. et al. 2021. Handling mice using gloves sprayed with alcohol-based hand sanitiser: Acute effects on mouse behaviour. Animal Technology and Welfare 20(1), 11-20.

Methods used and application of the mouse grimace scale in biomedical research 10 years on: A scoping review

The Mouse Grimace Scale (MGS) was developed 10 years ago as a method for assessing pain through the characterisation of changes in five facial features or action units. The strength of the technique is that it is proposed to be...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Whittaker, A. L., Liu, Y., Barker, T. H. 2021. Methods used and application of the mouse grimace scale in biomedical research 10 years on: A scoping review. Animals 11(3), 673.

Social nesting, animal welfare, and disease monitoring

The assessment of welfare and disease progression in animal models is critical. Most tools rely on evaluating individual subjects, whereas social behaviors, also sensitive to acute illness, chronic diseases, or mental health, are scarcely monitored because they are complex and...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Giménez-Llort, L., Torres-Lista, V. 2021. Social nesting, animal welfare, and disease monitoring. Animals 11(4), 1079.

Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals (1st ed)

This 30-chapter volume informs students and professionals about the behavioral biology of animals commonly housed in laboratory and other captive settings. Each species evolved under specific environmental conditions, resulting in unique behavioral patterns, many of which are maintained in captivity...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Amphibian, Baboon, Capuchin, Cat, Cattle, Chicken, Dog, Equine, Ferret, Fish, Fowl, Frog & Toad, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lizard, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Reptile, Rodent, Salamander, Sheep, Snake, Squirrel Monkey, Turtle & Tortoise, Vervet (African Green Monkey), Zebrafish

Citation: Coleman, K., Shapiro, S. J. (Eds.). 2021. Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals (1st ed). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

Animal-centric Care and Management – Enhancing Refinement in Biomedical Research

The concept of the 3Rs (Refinement, Reduction and Replacement) has been used as a framework for improving the welfare of laboratory animals for the last half century. By establishing an animal-centric view on housing and management, Animal-centric Care and Management:...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Animal Training, Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: All/General, Dog, Fish, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Zebrafish

Citation: Sørensen, D., Cloutier, S., Gaskill, B. (Eds.). 2021. Animal-centric Care and Management - Enhancing Refinement in Biomedical Research. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

Refining housing, husbandry and care for animals used in studies involving biotelemetry

Biotelemetry can contribute towards reducing animal numbers and suffering in disciplines including physiology, pharmacology and behavioural research. However, the technique can also cause harm to animals, making biotelemetry a ‘refinement that needs refining'. Current welfare issues relating to the housing...

Year Published: 2014Topics: External Bodily EquipmentAnimal Type: All/General, Amphibian, Baboon, Bird, Capuchin, Cat, Cattle, Cephalopod, Chicken, Chimpanzee, Chinchilla, Crocodile & Alligator, Crustacean, Dog, Equine, Ferret, Finch, Fish, Fowl, Frog & Toad, Gerbil, Gibbon, Goat, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Insect & Spider, Invertebrate, Lemur, Lizard, Macaque, Marine Mammal, Marmoset, Mink, Mole Rat, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Animal, Other Bird, Other Fish, Other Invertebrate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Owl Monkey, Parrot, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Reptile, Rodent, Salamander, Salmon, Shark & Ray, Sheep, Snake, Squirrel Monkey, Tilapia, Trout, Turtle & Tortoise, Vervet (African Green Monkey), Zebrafish

Citation: Hawkins, P. 2014. Refining housing, husbandry and care for animals used in studies involving biotelemetry. Animals 4(2), 361-373.

Neurobehavioral effects of restricted and unpredictable environmental enrichment in rats

To study how motivational factors modulate experience-dependent neurobehavioral plasticity, we modify a protocol of environmental enrichment (EE) in rats. We assumed that the benefits derived from EE might vary according to the level of incentive salience attributed to it. To...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Rojas-Carvajal, M., Sequeira-Cordero, A., Brenes, J. C. 2020. Neurobehavioral effects of restricted and unpredictable environmental enrichment in rats. Frontiers in Pharmacology 11, 674.

A novel dietary restriction method for group-housed rats: Weight gain and clinical chemistry characterization

Laboratory rodents are usually fed ad libitum. Moderate dietary restriction decreases mortality and morbidity compared with ad libitum feeding. There are, however, problems in achieving dietary restriction. Traditional methods of restricted feeding may interfere with the diurnal rhythms of the...

Year Published: 2009Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Kasanen, I. H. E., Inhilä, K. J., Nevalainen, J. I. et al. 2009. A novel dietary restriction method for group-housed rats: Weight gain and clinical chemistry characterization. Laboratory Animals 43, 138-148.

Refinement as ethics principle in animal research: Is it necessary to standardize the environmental enrichment in laboratory animals?

The Environmental enrichment technique, although scientifically recognized for raising the level of animal welfare, has led to the questioning of its influence on the results of experimental research. Thus, the goal is to promote reflection about the need for standardization...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Fischer, M. L., Rodrigues, G. S., Aguero, W. P. et al. 2021. Refinement as ethics principle in animal research: Is it necessary to standardize the environmental enrichment in laboratory animals? Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 93(1), e20191526.