Publications

The effect of substrate on water quality in ornamental fish tanks

Almost all home aquaria contain substrate, either as intentional enrichment or for aesthetic purposes. For fishes, benefits of structural enrichment have been well considered, particularly in research and aquaculture settings. However, our understanding of the impacts of tank substrate as...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish, Salmon, Tilapia, Trout, Zebrafish

Citation: Vanderzwalmen, M., Sánchez Lacalle, D., Tamilselvan, P. et al. 2022. The effect of substrate on water quality in ornamental fish tanks. Animals 12(19), 2679.

Minimising aggression in CD-1 and CD-1 background male mice with different enrichment types

Cage-mate aggression is a well-known problem that is more prevalent in certain strains of mice and is one of the most common reasons for single housing, increased stress levels, premature death and euthanasia. Numerous methods can be implemented to ameliorate...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Veness, A., Coyle, C., Murphy, S. et al. 2023. Minimising aggression in CD-1 and CD-1 background male mice with different enrichment types. Animal Technology and Welfare 22(1), 74–76.

Gradually weaning goat kids may improve weight gains while reducing weaning stress and increasing creep feed intakes

Most dairy goat farms rear kids on ad libitum milk replacer; calf research suggests this improves growth and welfare, but solid feed intakes are problematic. Weaning can be gradual (incremental milk reduction) or abrupt (sudden, complete milk removal, which evidence...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Goat

Citation: Vickery, H. M., Neal, R. A., Stergiadis, S. et al. 2023. Gradually weaning goat kids may improve weight gains while reducing weaning stress and increasing creep feed intakes. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 10, 1200849.

Perspective: Opportunities for advancing aquatic invertebrate welfare

Welfare considerations and regulations for invertebrates have lagged behind those for vertebrates, despite invertebrates comprising more than 95% of earth's species. Humans interact with and use aquatic invertebrates for exhibition in zoos and aquaria, as pets, research subjects, and important...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Analgesia, Anesthesia & Sedation, Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Cephalopod, Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Wahltinez, S. J., Stacy, N. I., Hadfield, C. A. et al. 2022. Perspective: Opportunities for advancing aquatic invertebrate welfare. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9, 973376.

Defining short-term accommodation for animals

The terms short-term, temporary, and transitional are related but can have different contexts and meanings for animal husbandry. The definitions and use of these terms can be pivotal to animal housing and welfare. We conducted three separate literature searches using...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Warwick, C., Steedman, C., Jessop, M. et al. 2023. Defining short-term accommodation for animals. Animals 13(4), 732.

Are mirrors aversive or rewarding for mice? Insights from the mirror preference test

Research investigating the effects of mirror exposure in mice found that the presence of mirrors has similar effects to the presence of cage mates. Restraint in a small holder induces hyperthermia (stress-induce hyperthermia: SIH) in mice but a restrained mouse...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Behavioral & Cognitive Testing, Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Watanabe, S. 2023. Are mirrors aversive or rewarding for mice? Insights from the mirror preference test. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17, 1137206.

Infrared thermography for non-invasive measurement of social inequality aversion in rodents and potential usefulness for future animal-friendly studies

Infrared thermography is a method that detects thermal radiation energy and can measure the body surface temperature of animals from a distance. While rectal temperature has traditionally been used to measure animals' core temperature, thermal imaging can avoid the stress...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Emotion, Pain, & SentienceAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Watanabe, S. 2023. Infrared thermography for non-invasive measurement of social inequality aversion in rodents and potential usefulness for future animal-friendly studies. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17, 1131427.

The effects of various enrichment methods on the engagement nd inter-group behaviour of captive chacma baboons

The goal of this study was to answer two research questions: (1) how important is it to rotate enrichment types to maintain high levels of engagement in individually-housed adult chacma baboons? and (2) which methods of enrichment prompt the highest...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Baboon, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Weir, R. 2022. The effects of various enrichment methods on the engagement nd inter-group behaviour of captive chacma baboons. Canopy 23(1), 4–6.

Dos and don’ts in large animal models of aortic insufficiency

Aortic insufficiency caused by paravalvular leakage (PVL) is one of the most feared complications following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVI) in patients. Domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) are a popular large animal model to study such conditions and develop novel...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Disease/Experimental ModelAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Weisskopf, M., Glaus, L., Trimmel, N. E. et al. 2022. Dos and don'ts in large animal models of aortic insufficiency. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9, 949410.

Integrating reference intervals into chimpanzee welfare research

Animal welfare researchers are committed to developing novel approaches to enhance the quality of life of chimpanzees living in professional care. To systematically monitor physical, mental, and emotional states, welfare scientists highlight the importance of integrating non-invasive, animal-based welfare indicators....

Year Published: 2023Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Whitham, J. C., Hall, K., Lauderdale, L. K. et al. 2023. Integrating reference intervals into chimpanzee welfare research. Animals 13(4), 639.