Publications

Zebrafish aversion to infrasound in an open field test

Aquatic species are capable of detecting infrasound (sub-20 Hz frequencies) which may be a source of anthropogenic pollution and have a detrimental impact on the environmental fitness of fish. Infrasound is generated by infrastructure, producing acoustic frequency peaks that are...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Scatterty, K. R., Pitman, T., Eckersley, T. et al. 2023. Zebrafish aversion to infrasound in an open field test. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 16, 1019368.

Effects of stocking rate and environmental enrichment on the ontogeny of pecking behavior of laying hen pullets confined in aviary compartments during the first 4 weeks of life

The objective of this study was to describe the ontogeny of the severe feather pecking (SFP), gentle feather pecking (GFP), aggressive pecking (AP), and enrichment pecking (EP) of non-beak-trimmed Lohmann Brown (LB)-pullets during the first 4 weeks of life (observation...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental Enrichment, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Schwarzer, A., Erhard, M., Schmidt, P. et al. 2022. Effects of stocking rate and environmental enrichment on the ontogeny of pecking behavior of laying hen pullets confined in aviary compartments during the first 4 weeks of life. Animals 12(19), 2639.

A pilot study on behavioural and physiological indicators of emotions in donkeys

Recognizing animal emotions is critical to their welfare and can lead to a better relationship with humans and the environment, especially in a widespread species like the donkey, which is often prone to welfare issues. This study aims to assess...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Seganfreddo, S., Fornasiero, D., De Santis, M. et al. 2023. A pilot study on behavioural and physiological indicators of emotions in donkeys. Animals 13(9), 1466.

Optimizing zebrafish rearing−Effects of fish density and environmental enrichment

Despite its popularity in research, there is very little scientifically validated knowledge about the best practices on zebrafish (Danio rerio) husbandry, which has led to several facilities having their own husbandry protocols. This study was performed to expand knowledge on...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Sen Sarma, O., Frymus, N., Axling, F. et al. 2023. Optimizing zebrafish rearing−Effects of fish density and environmental enrichment. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17, 1204021.

Ultrasound guided surgery as a refinement tool in oncology research

Refinement is one of the ethical pillars of the use of animals in research. Ultrasonography is currently used in human medicine as a surgical tool for guided biopsies and this idea can be applied to preclinical research thanks to the...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Drug/Substance Administration, Imaging & Electrophysiological Recording, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Serrano, C., Antonio, J. 2022. Ultrasound guided surgery as a refinement tool in oncology research. Animals 12(23), 3445.

Studying and analyzing humane endpoints in the fructose-fed and streptozotocin-injected rat model of diabetes

This work aimed to define a humane endpoint scoring system able to objectively identify signs of animal suffering in a rat model of type 2 diabetes. Sprague-Dawley male rats were divided into control and induced group. The induced animals drink...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Humane Endpoint, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Silva-Reis, R., Faustino-Rocha, A. I., Silva, J. et al. 2023. Studying and analyzing humane endpoints in the fructose-fed and streptozotocin-injected rat model of diabetes. Animals 13(8), 1397.

Validating in-cage mouse enrichment

There is a wide variety of different types of mouse enrichment currently available, some items of which are more practical than others. Validating items used for providing enrichment can be time consuming and costly, nevertheless it is important to ensure...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Burbidge, C., Beresford, Z., Serrano-Galleg, V. 2023. Validating in-cage mouse enrichment. Animal Technology and Welfare 22(1), 63–67.

Environmental change or choice during early rearing improves behavioural adaptability in laying hen chicks

Laying hens are typically moved to a novel environment after rearing, requiring adaptability to cope with change. We hypothesized that the standard rearing of laying hen chicks, in non-changing environments with limited choices (a single variant of each resource), impairs...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Skånberg, L., Newberry, R. C., Estevez, I. et al. 2023. Environmental change or choice during early rearing improves behavioural adaptability in laying hen chicks. Scientific Reports 13(1), 6178.

Refining restraint techniques for research pigs through habituation

Pigs are common research models and are strong animals that can be difficult to restrain. Improper restraint can put pigs and research personnel at risk for injury and induce stress, which can affect research outcomes. This study aimed to refine...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Animal Training, Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, RestraintAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: O'Malley, C. I., Hubley, R., Tambadou, H. et al. 2022. Refining restraint techniques for research pigs through habituation. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9, 1016414.

Mouse food hopper dividers for a refined feeding method

This project aimed to establish whether a different method of presenting diet “ad-libitum” to laboratory mice could lower the negative consequences of exceess food, such as decreased quality, palatability and increased cost. The main aim of this project was to...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Orosz, G. 2022. Mouse food hopper dividers for a refined feeding method. Animal Technology and Welfare 21(3), 160–176.