Publications

Ethological constraints and welfare-related bias in laboratory mice: Implications of housing, lighting, and social environment

Laboratory mice are the most widely used model organisms in biomedical and behavioral research, yet growing concerns regarding reproducibility and translational validity have highlighted the substantial influence of housing and husbandry conditions on experimental outcomes. Although domestication is often assumed...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Török, H. K., Bárdos, B. 2026. Ethological constraints and welfare-related bias in laboratory mice: Implications of housing, lighting, and social environment. Animals 16(2).

Pre-slaughter transport density and seasonal effects on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): Welfare and filet quality outcomes

This study evaluated the effects of pre-slaughter transport density on physiological welfare indicators and fillet quality of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) during summer and winter. The experiment followed a completely randomized 3 × 2 factorial design, with three transport densities...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Fish, Tilapia

Citation: Terto, D. K., Bridi, A. M., Carvalho, R. H. de et al. 2026. Pre-slaughter transport density and seasonal effects on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): Welfare and filet quality outcomes. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 13.

Validation of enhanced floor pen housing for chickens

This study assesses the transition from isolator housing to an enhanced floor pen system for chickens, with the goal of improving Animal Welfare and promoting natural behaviours. Historically, chickens in our facility were housed in isolators, which limited the opportunities...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Teggart, M., Mackay, F., Merck Enrichment Team 2025. Validation of enhanced floor pen housing for chickens. Animal Technology and Welfare 24(3), 251–253.

Chemosensory-driven foraging and nocturnal activity in the freshwater snail rivomarginella morrisoni (Gastropoda marginellidae): A laboratory-based study

Rivomarginella morrisoni is a freshwater snail endemic to Thailand, yet its behavioral ecology remains poorly understood. This study described the feeding behavior of R. morrisoni, focusing on its foraging activity, behavioral patterns, and food detection mechanisms under laboratory conditions using...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Invertebrate, Other Invertebrate

Citation: Subpayakom, N., Dumrongrojwattana, P., Poeaim, S. 2025. Chemosensory-driven foraging and nocturnal activity in the freshwater snail rivomarginella morrisoni (Gastropoda marginellidae): A laboratory-based study. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 6(4).

Report of the 2024 RSPCA/UFAW rodent welfare group meeting

The RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group has held a one-day meeting every autumn for the last 31 years. These meetings provide an opportunity for members to discuss current welfare research, exchange views on welfare issues and share their experiences of the...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Animal Training, Drug/Substance Administration, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Imaging & Electrophysiological RecordingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Stevens, C., Robinson, E., Jackson, M. et al. 2025. Report of the 2024 RSPCA/UFAW rodent welfare group meeting. Animal Welfare and Technology 4(3), 219–226.

When touch is stressful: Acute endocrine and behavioral responses of domestic rabbits to unfamiliar human handling

Background Rabbits are increasingly kept as companion animals, yet little is known about their stress responses during interactions with unfamiliar humans—situations commonly encountered during household visits or animal-assisted interventions. This study evaluated whether tactile interaction with an unfamiliar person induced...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Součková, M., Frühauf Kolářová, M., Přibylová, L. et al. 2026. When touch is stressful: Acute endocrine and behavioral responses of domestic rabbits to unfamiliar human handling. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 13.

Assessment of behavioral, clinical, and histological outcomes in Sprague-Dawley rats housed in enriched colony cages versus conventional pair housing over 28 days

The standardization of husbandry in animal studies for drug development aims to minimize variability and enhance inter-laboratory comparability. Rats are a commonly used species in such studies. This standardization yields housing conditions that do not reflect the natural environment of...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Shamsi, A., Niebl, P., Kalina, A. et al. 2025. Assessment of behavioral, clinical, and histological outcomes in Sprague-Dawley rats housed in enriched colony cages versus conventional pair housing over 28 days. Animals 15(24).

Solvable challenges, meaningful lives – welfare and reproduction in zoo animals

In the management and care of farm animals and pets, controlling reproduction is common practice to an extent that its justification is rarely questioned. In zoo population management, limited holding capacity and difficulties in culling so-called ‘surplus animals’ lead to...

Year Published: 2025Topics: ReproductionAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Schiffmann, C., Schiffmann, L., Müller, E. et al. 2025. Solvable challenges, meaningful lives – welfare and reproduction in zoo animals. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 13(4), 245–263.

Agreement between arterial blood pressures measured non-invasively and invasively in anaesthetised sheep

Both invasive and non-invasive blood pressure measuring methods are used in clinical and experimental work in veterinary medicine and several studies validating these methods are published. The aim of this study was to assess the level of agreement between non-invasive...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Sainmaa, S. K., Adam, M. A. H., Casoni, D. C. et al. 2025. Agreement between arterial blood pressures measured non-invasively and invasively in anaesthetised sheep. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 67(1), 54.

Through the calf’s eye: Exploring infrared thermography to uncover pair-housed calves’ affective states

Pair housing has been proven to improve calves’ welfare during the pre-weaning phase, potentially promoting positive emotions. Based on the emotional valence hypothesis, according to which positive emotions are mainly processed in the left brain hemisphere, infrared thermography (IRT) may...

Year Published: 2026Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Rossi, G. P., Barbieri, S., Costa, E. D. et al. 2026. Through the calf’s eye: Exploring infrared thermography to uncover pair-housed calves’ affective states. Animals 16(2).