Publications

Innovative enrichment for the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

As part of the enrichment programme at King's College London (KCL) and in keeping with the guidelines of Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, 1986 (ASPA) and the 3R's (Russell and Burch), technologists have taken an active role in designing innovative and...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Battilocchi, M., Fulcher, G., Windsor, Z. et al. 2016. Innovative enrichment for the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). Animal Technology and Welfare 15(2), 136-137.

Enhancing welfare of Zebra finches through the use of environmental enrichment

This article will describe alterations made by the University of Glasgow to increase the welfare of our Zebra finches by providing them with a more complex environment to engage with. It will describe how we have maximised the enrichment potential...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Finch

Citation: Gray, G. 2016. Enhancing welfare of Zebra finches through the use of environmental enrichment. Animal Technology and Welfare 15(3), 147-150.

Assessing husbandry requirements of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Medaka (Oryzias latipes) using background literature and comparative information

Zebrafish are the most common species of fish used for research in the UK. However, the species Medaka is establishing itself as a complimentary species to the Zebrafish. Despite having similar husbandry requirements and physiology, there are areas where development...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Blackledge, S., Goodwin, N., Clark, B. 2016. Assessing husbandry requirements of Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Medaka (Oryzias latipes) using background literature and comparative information. Animal Technology and Welfare 15(3), 191-193.

Social and environmental enrichment has different effects on ethanol and sucrose consumption in mice

Factors leading to the harmful consumption of substances, like alcohol and sucrose, involve a complex interaction of genes and the environment. While we cannot control the genes we inherit, we can modify our environment. Understanding the role that social and...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Holgate, J. Y., Garcia, H., Chatterjee, S. et al. 2017. Social and environmental enrichment has different effects on ethanol and sucrose consumption in mice. Brain and Behavior 7(8), e00767.

The effects of exercise and calm interactions on in-kennel behavior of shelter dogs

Over-activity, or excessive locomotion and barking in the kennel, may be unattractive to adopters and an indicator of poor welfare of kenneled dogs. The study assessed the efficacy of two common enrichment strategies, providing calm interaction and additional exercise, on...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Protopopova, A., Hauser, H., Goldman, K. J. et al. 2018. The effects of exercise and calm interactions on in-kennel behavior of shelter dogs. Behavioural Processes 146, 54-60.

Environmental enrichment in the absence of wheel running produces beneficial behavioural and anti-oxidative effects in rats

The effects of early environmental enrichment (EE) when solving a simple spatial task in adult male rats were assessed. After weaning, rats were housed in pairs in enriched or standard cages (EE and control groups) for two and a half...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Mármol, F., Sánchez, J., Torres, M. N. et al. 2017. Environmental enrichment in the absence of wheel running produces beneficial behavioural and anti-oxidative effects in rats. Behavioural Processes 144, 66-71.

DNA sampling by skin swabbing for Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Fin clipping of live fish under anaesthesia is widely used to collect tissues samples for DNA extraction. However, this technique raises a number of ethical concerns, since the use of anaesthetic and/or physical fin damage may cause behavioural changes, pain,...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Identification MethodAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Breacker, C., Tilley, C. 2017. DNA sampling by skin swabbing for Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Animal Technology and Welfare 16(3), 211-213.

Increasing survival rates in the Zebrafish (Zebra danio) at the University of Manchester

The average survival rate for our Zebrafish (ZF) embryos was 65%. When it was time to create our next generation of Wild Type (WT) (used for embryo production), we decided to run a trial focussing on the effects of feeding...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Mortell, D., Moores, S. 2017. Increasing survival rates in the Zebrafish (Zebra danio) at the University of Manchester. Animal Technology and Welfare 16(3), 214-215.

Creatively meeting the standards – taking rabbit housing to the next level

The 8th Edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals clarified its language regarding housing social species, specifying that, “Single housing of social species should be the exception…”. This is a challenge for many institutions in...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Marshall, K., Wolford, H., Martin, L. 2017. Creatively meeting the standards – taking rabbit housing to the next level. Animal Technology and Welfare 16(3), 226-228.

The introduction of a cable tie swing and its impact on animal welfare

Common enrichment for mice is usually restricted to the floor and easily damaged, leading to frequent replacement. We have been studying the behaviour of NSG mice towards a 'swing' made from plastic cable ties. This enhances the 3-dimensional space which...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Dean, L., Swan, J., Lopez-Salesansky, N. et al. 2018. The introduction of a cable tie swing and its impact on animal welfare. Animal Technology and Welfare 17(1), 43-45.