Rodent

Refining mouse re-derivation by using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with fresh or frozen sperm as opposed to embryos

To attempt to reduce, refine and replace, we have employed a several new approaches to rederive mouse strains. By using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with fresh or frozen sperm we can reduce the timeframe and number of animals required to...

Year Published: 2019Topics: ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Travers, A., Thomson, J., Sharp, M. 2019. Refining mouse re-derivation by using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) with fresh or frozen sperm as opposed to embryos. Animal Technology and Welfare 18(1), 73-74.

Using subcuticular stitching in rats to replace skin closure clips as a refinement

Skin closure clips are widely used within the University of Edinburgh to close incision sites for various procedures in both rats and mice. In rats the skin closure clips very often come out as a result of cage mates biting...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Thomson, J., Mungall, W. 2019. Using subcuticular stitching in rats to replace skin closure clips as a refinement. Animal Technology and Welfare 18(1), 75-76.

Report of the 2018 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent and Rabbit Welfare Group meeting

The RSPCA/UFAW Rodent (and now Rabbit) Working Group has held a one-day meeting every autumn for the last 25 years, so that its members can discuss current welfare research, exchange views on welfare issues and share experiences of the implementation...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Stevens, C., Hawkins, P., Lovell-Badge, R. et al. 2019. Report of the 2018 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent and Rabbit Welfare Group meeting. Animal Technology and Welfare 18(2), 81-91.

A comparison of enrichment items for the promotion of natural gnawing behaviour in laboratory mice

Appropriate housing and husbandry, including environmental enrichment, must take the natural habitat, biology and behaviour of each species into consideration. The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (1996) states that the goal should always be to maximise...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Lopez Juaristi, 2019. A comparison of enrichment items for the promotion of natural gnawing behaviour in laboratory mice. Animal Technology and Welfare 18(2), 93-97.

Pro’s and pro’s of selective cleaning

The Kathleen Lonsdale Building (KLB), is a high specification, high health status animal facility that is a full IVC facility with an integral quarantine section. It houses transgenic (TG) mice, inbred, outbred and immuno-suppressed mice and occasionally rats and hamsters....

Year Published: 2019Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: White, M. 2019. Pro's and pro's of selective cleaning. Animal Technology and Welfare 18(2), 121-126.

Team awesome: Why we can be proud

The presentation I gave at IAT Congress 2019 was based on the changes and refinements the University of Dundee, Medical School Resource Unit (MSRU) has made over the past 18 months. These changes, described in this paper, include: guinea pig...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, ReproductionAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: King, J. 2019. Team awesome: Why we can be proud. Animal Technology and Welfare 18(2), 127-131.

Animal handling in containment

As Animal Technologists we are constantly looking at refining and enriching the environmental conditions of all our animals to give them both physical exercise and mental stimulation regardless of their size. However, animals can still experience stress when being moved...

Year Published: 2019Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Zvarev, C., Baker, S., Patel, D. 2019. Animal handling in containment. Animal Technology and Welfare 18(2), 140-142. (IAT Congress 2018 Poster Presentation)

In-vivo imaging at NIBSC and how we use it to promote the 3Rs

In-vivo imaging is a revolutionary technology offering a powerful tool for constructing studies involving mice. In the Biological Services Department (BSD) at NIBSC, the IVIS® Spectrum In Vivo System model is used to perform our studies. Imaging has a wide...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Gurney, L. 2019. In-vivo imaging at NIBSC and how we use it to promote the 3Rs. Animal Technology and Welfare 18(2), 143-144. (IAT Congress 2018 Poster Presentation)

The effects of cage color and light intensity on rat affect during heterospecific play

Environmental enrichment provides physiological and emotional benefits to laboratory rodents. Red tinted shelters are a common enrichment found in laboratories that provide rodents with a hiding space shielded from bright light. Red tinting alters the light's spectral make-up which reduces...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: LaFollette, M. R., Swan, M. P., Smith, R. K. et al. 2019. The effects of cage color and light intensity on rat affect during heterospecific play. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 219, 104834.

Time’s up for tick-over colonies… Do we now need to maintain so many GA mouse lines?

The practice of continually breeding lines to maintain them as a live resource either in-between studies or indefinitely “just in case” is common practice in many animal facilities. This process of “ticking over” colonies has historically occurred due to the...

Year Published: 2019Topics: ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Newman, S., Woodley, S. 2019. Time's up for tick-over colonies… Do we now need to maintain so many GA mouse lines? Animal Technology and Welfare 17(3), 155-157.