Rodent

Refining mouse handling – do we or don’t we? An animal technologist’s perspective

Recent research in the industry identified that picking up mice in a tunnel or cupping them in the hand significantly reduces their stress levels. As Animal Tecgnologists, we could see advantages and disadvantages with this change for the animals, staff...

Year Published: 2018Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Swan, A. 2018. Refining mouse handling - do we or don't we? An animal technologist's perspective. Animal Technology and Welfare 17(2), 130-131.

Introduction of gang caging for group housed rats

Using an existing gang cage designed for ferrets, we developed a version that would be suitable for housing rats. Caging consisted of 3 floors with a combined floor area of 11620m, connected by 2 ladders. Each individual unit can be...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Clarke, D., Ioannou, L. 2018. Introduction of gang caging for group housed rats. Animal Technology and Welfare 17(2), 136-137.

Synchronisation of oestrous cycle on C57BL/6J mice after the introduction of a hanging perforated container with bedding soaked by the excretions of male mice

Synchronisation of oestrous cycle is a commonly used method to manage pregnancies either for breeding or for research purposes. Based on Whitten effect, the aim of our study was to introduce a new refined method for oestrous synchronisation and to...

Year Published: 2018Topics: ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Balafas, E., Stasinopoulou, M., Alexakos, P. et al. 2018. Synchronisation of oestrous cycle on C57BL/6J mice after the introduction of a hanging perforated container with bedding soaked by the excretions of male mice. Animal Technology and Welfare 17(1), 9-11.

Assessing the exploratory and anxiety-related behaviors of mice

Ample studies have shown that housing can affect the health, welfare and behavior of mice and therefore, the outcomes of certain experiments. The aim of this study was to investigate if three widely used housing systems, Open Top Cages (OTC),...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, HousingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Polissidis, A., Zelelak, S., Nikita, M. et al. 2017. Assessing the exploratory and anxiety-related behaviors of mice. Do different caging systems affect the outcome of behavioral tests? Physiology & Behavior 177, 68-73.

Social housing and social isolation: Impact on stress indices and energy balance in male and female Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)

Although Syrian hamsters are thought to be naturally solitary, recent evidence from our laboratory demonstrates that hamsters may actually prefer social contact. Hamsters increase their preference for a location associated with an agonistic encounter regardless of whether they have “won”...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Ross, A. P., Norvelle, A., Choi, D. C. et al. 2017. Social housing and social isolation: Impact on stress indices and energy balance in male and female Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Physiology & Behavior 177, 264-269.

Female rats display fewer optimistic responses in a judgment bias test in the absence of a physiological stress response

Metabolic cages are a type of housing used in biomedical research. Metabolic cage housing has been demonstrated to elicit behavioural and physiological changes in rodents housed within them. The nature of this effect has been characterized as anxiogenic. However, few...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Barker, T. H., Bobrovskaya, L., Howarth, G. S. et al. 2017. Female rats display fewer optimistic responses in a judgment bias test in the absence of a physiological stress response. Physiology & Behavior 173, 124-131.

Behavioral responses of CD-1 mice to conspecific and heterospecific blood odors and to a blood odor component

The odor of blood may have both aversive and attractive properties for mammals, depending on the species of the odor donor and the species perceiving the odor. To better understand the informational content of blood odor for a prey species...

Year Published: 2018Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Lahger, C., Laska, M. 2018. Behavioral responses of CD-1 mice to conspecific and heterospecific blood odors and to a blood odor component. Physiology & Behavior 184, 2015-210.

A comparison of two types of running wheel in terms of mouse preference, health, and welfare

Voluntary wheel running occurs in mice of all strains, sexes, and ages. Mice find voluntary wheel running rewarding, and it leads to numerous health benefits. For this reason wheels are used both to enhance welfare and to create models of...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Walker, M., Mason, G. 2018. A comparison of two types of running wheel in terms of mouse preference, health, and welfare. Physiology & Behavior 191, 82-90.

Efficacy of common analgesics for postsurgical pain in rats

I have some comments about the use of ketoprofen for analgesia in rats discussed in the recent JAALASarticle by Waite and colleagues.3 One of the conclusions reached by the authors was that, for postsurgical pain, “ketoprofen was effective when given...

Year Published: 2016Topics: AnalgesiaAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Shientag, L. J. 2016. Efficacy of common analgesics for postsurgical pain in rats. JAALAS 55(1), 7.

The biology and husbandry of the African spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) and the research uses of a laboratory colony

African spiny mice (Acomysspp.) are unique precocial rodents that are found in Africa, the Middle East, and southern Asia. They exhibit several interesting life-history characteristics, including precocial development, communal breeding, and a suite of physiologic adaptations to desert life. In...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Haughton, C. L., Gawriluk, T. R., Seifert, A. W. 2016. The biology and husbandry of the African spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) and the research uses of a laboratory colony. JAALAS 55(1), 9–17.