Publications

DIY: Foraging balls

This article describes the steps for making a DIY guinea pig or rabbit cardboard foraging ball. Pictures are provided for each step as well as the completed ball. These cardboard foraging balls can be made as large as you want,...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Buchanan, K. 2020. DIY: Foraging balls. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(3) (May/June), 51.

DIY: Frozen chicken broth treats

This article gives the recipe for making dog treats. These treats are not only refreshing for dogs, but also easy to make. Mix and match dog friendly fruits and veggies to make many treat varieties.

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Buchanan, K. 2020. DIY: Frozen chicken broth treats. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(6) (November/December), 37.

DIY: Peanut butter pumpkin yogurt pops

This article with photos describes how to make a snack for dogs.

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Buchanan, K. 2020. DIY: Peanut butter pumpkin yogurt pops. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(2) (March/April), 49.

Does ‘playtime’ reduce stimulus-seeking and other boredom-like behaviour in laboratory ferrets?

Much environmental enrichment for laboratory animals is intended to enhance animal welfare and normalcy by providing stimulation to reduce 'boredom'. Behavioural manifestations of boredom include restless sensation-seeking behaviours combined with indicators of sub-optimal arousal. Here, we explored whether these signs...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Ferret

Citation: Burn, C. C., Raffle, J., Bizley, J. K. 2020. Does 'playtime' reduce stimulus-seeking and other boredom-like behaviour in laboratory ferrets? Animal Welfare 29(1), 19-26.

Early life experience and alterations of group composition shape the social grooming networks of former pet and entertainment chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

The long-term effects of early life adversities on social capacities have been documented in humans and wild-caught former laboratory chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). However, former pet and entertainment chimpanzees have received little attention to date. This study aimed to investigate the...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Crailsheim, D., Stüger, H., P., Kalcher-Sommersguter, E. et al. 2020. Early life experience and alterations of group composition shape the social grooming networks of former pet and entertainment chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). PLOS ONE 15(1), e0226947.

Early weaning disrupts feeding patterns in female juvenile rats through 5HT-system modulations

Convergent evidence in literature shows that rapid disruption of maternal care and breastfeeding due to an early weaning protocol changes the development of several neurobehavioral patterns in rodents, including the circadian pattern of feeding. The serotoninergic system has been associated...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Husbandry & Management, Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Araújo Tavares, G., Cavalcanti do Amaral Almeida, L., Araújo de Souza, J. et al. 2020. Early weaning disrupts feeding patterns in female juvenile rats through 5HT-system modulations. Behavioural Processes 170, 103981.

Effect of a partial cage dividing enrichment on aggression-associated parameters in group-housed male C57BL/6NCrl mice

Group-housing is highly important for social animals. Group-housing of male mice in captivity though often leads to aggression with partially disastrous consequences for the animals as well as for the quality of experimental data. In this study we investigated the...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Mertens, S., Gass, P., Palme, R. et al. 2020. Effect of a partial cage dividing enrichment on aggression-associated parameters in group-housed male C57BL/6NCrl mice. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 224, 104939.

Effect of repeated exposure to isoflurane on nest building and burrowing in mice

Nest building and burrowing are highly motivated natural behaviors in rodents, and changes in these behaviors can serve as welfare assessment tools. In this study, we investigated: 1) the limits of agreement between 2 observers for a refined scoring method...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Anesthesia & Sedation, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Gjendal, K., Ottesen, J. L., Olsson, I. et al. 2020. Effect of repeated exposure to isoflurane on nest building and burrowing in mice. JAALAS 59(1), 30–36.

Evaluation of cotton dental rolls as environmental enrichment for mice

Historically, we provided 2 compressed cotton squares for nesting and enrichment. The logistics of managing nesting material distribution, disposal, and costs are major considerations for our program, which provides husbandry to approximately 60,000 rodent cages weekly. We identified cotton dental...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Rodgers, J. C., Ricart Arbona, R. J., Lieggi, C. et al. 2020. Evaluation of cotton dental rolls as environmental enrichment for mice. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 8(5) (September/October), 70-71.

Evaluation of effective and practical euthanasia methods for larval African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis)

Larval, or tadpole-stage Xenopus laevis frogs are a popular research model for developmental biology and disease studies. Existing euthanasia guidance documents offer recommendations for both eggs and adult stages, yet do not specifically address the larval stage. Data evaluating effective...

Year Published: 2020Topics: EuthanasiaAnimal Type: Amphibian, Frog & Toad

Citation: Galex, I. A., Gallant, C. M., D'Avignon, N. et al. 2020. Evaluation of effective and practical euthanasia methods for larval African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis). JAALAS 59(3), 269–274.