Does conditioning influence the increase of heart rate and body temperature as provoked by handling in the mouse? Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 40(4), 92 (Abstract) (2001)

Kramer, K., Mulder, A., van de Weerd, H. et al.

Abstract

Handling of mice or cleaning their cages results in an acute increase in heart rate (HR) and body temperature (BT). ... From the results it can be concluded that entering the animals' room even without performing handling procedures, increases HR and BT significantly. After two weeks the animals have habituated to this type of disturbance. Repeated handling does not reduce the stress effects. After three weeks, HR and BT of the mice in Group 2 are still significantly higher after handling. In contrast, if repeated handling is preceded by the acoustic stimulus (Group 3), the stress effect is reduced after two weeks.