Environmental enrichment:Running wheels; burrows for rats and gerbils (2007)
LAREF [Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum]
Abstract
Running wheels provide suitable enrichment rodents.The need to dig a burrow is probably not as strong in rats as it seems to be in mice. In sharp contrast to rats - who are very curious - mice are reluctant to leave their burrow in order to be checked, unless they know you very well and have good reason to trust you.If the substrate is stable enough, gerbils will not need an artificial burrow system made of pipes, but they will prefer to construct their own burrow. The burrow will be constantly under construction and change practically every day.
Published
2007
Citation
LAREF [Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum] 2007. Environmental enrichment:Running wheels; burrows for rats and gerbils. In: Making Lives Easier for Animals in Research Labs: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum. Baumans, V., Coke, C., Green, J., Moreau, E., Morton, D., Patterson-Kane, E., Reinhardt, A., Reinhardt, V., Van Loo, P. (eds), 72-74. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.
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