Publications

Juvenile male rats form preferences based on strain when playing in groups but not in pairs (2025)

Like many young mammals, juvenile rats engage in rough-and-tumble play. Play occurs naturally both in wild and laboratory rats, making it a suitable, ethologically relevant behavior to investigate. In the laboratory, rats are typically housed and tested in dyads, despite...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Ham, J. R., Jaiswal, D., Waner-Mariquito, R. et al. 2025. Juvenile male rats form preferences based on strain when playing in groups but not in pairs. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 19.

Physiological effects of environmental enrichment on BALB/c and C57BL/6 strain mice (2025)

Our aim was to assess the effects of enriched environment (EE) on some physiological variables, comparing BALB/c and C57BL/6 strain mice. Female BALB/c and C57BL/6 were individually housed under standard laboratory cages for 6 weeks and randomly separated into groups (n = 7...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Gama, L. A., Almeida, M. A. S. O., de Souza Souto, P. C. et al. 2025. Physiological effects of environmental enrichment on BALB/c and C57BL/6 strain mice. Discover Animals 2(1), 7.

A new therapy to alleviate the inflammatory injury of piglet intestine caused by short-distance transportation—music (2025)

The purpose of this study was to explore whether music can reduce stress in animals by regulating the activity of the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal cortex (HPA) axis and reducing the concentration of cortisol. The control group was not played with...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Fu, Q., Bai, B., Zhou, S. et al. 2025. A new therapy to alleviate the inflammatory injury of piglet intestine caused by short-distance transportation—Music. PLOS ONE 20(2), e0313354.

Defending and refining the Birch et al. (2021) precautionary framework for animal sentience (2025)

It is widely accepted that we ought to avoid taking excessive risks of causing gratuitous suffering. The practical implications of this truism, however, depend on how we understand what counts as an excessive risk. Precautionary frameworks help us decide when...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Regulations & Ethical ReviewAnimal Type: Cephalopod, Invertebrate

Citation: Fischer, B., Gottlieb, J., Schnell, A. K. et al. 2025. Defending and refining the Birch et al. (2021) precautionary framework for animal sentience. Animal Welfare 34, e28.

What are the most prevalent welfare issues for pet small mammals? (2025)

The welfare of pet small mammals is an understudied, but growing research topic in the UK and Europe. We surveyed European veterinary experts who each rated severity and prevalence of a large number of issues in the eight most common...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Handling, HousingAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Hamster, Mouse, Other Rodent, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Fenton, L., Benato, L., Mancinelli, E. et al. 2025. What are the most prevalent welfare issues for pet small mammals? Animals 15(10), 1423.

Auditory enrichment on facial and physiological responses of Pantaneiro geldings and mares under short-term stress (2025)

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of auditory stimuli on mares and geldings during social isolation and movement restriction, and their ability to promote the reduction of stress responses. The research was conducted with eight Pantaneiro horses, divided into...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Fé, V. C. S. da, Santos, V. M. O. dos, Lima, A. C. B. de et al. 2025. Auditory enrichment on facial and physiological responses of Pantaneiro geldings and mares under short-term stress. PLOS ONE 20(5), e0323649

Personality traits of the territorial crustacean Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis): Behavioral adaptations to environmental cues (2025)

Territorial crustaceans exhibit a complex set of personality traits and behavioral characteristics that are critical for their survival, growth, and overall welfare. This study aimed to systematically investigate the interplay between two essential personality traits—boldness and aggression—in Chinese mitten crabs...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Personality, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Fang, P., Sheng, S., Li, Y. et al. 2025. Personality traits of the territorial crustacean Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis): Behavioral adaptations to environmental cues. Animals 15(5), 757.

Can a rabbit-human habituation programme reduce stress and aggressive behaviour? (2024)

To reduce handling induced stress and promote rabbit welfare we implemented a rabbit-human habituation programme at our breeding facility.

Year Published: 2024Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Esparza, K., Leal, A., Rabany, B. et al. 2024. Can a rabbit-human habituation programme reduce stress and aggressive behaviour? Animal Technology and Welfare 23(3), 197–200.

Attenuation of stress responses to human handling through habituation in goats (2025)

Goats raised on pastures are seldom handled except for purposes such as weighing and providing veterinary care. Regular positive interactions with human caretakers have been reported to attenuate fear and stress responses to routine human handling; however, this has not...

Year Published: 2025Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Goat

Citation: Erukulla, T. T., Batchu, P., Gurrapu, P. et al. 2025. Attenuation of stress responses to human handling through habituation in goats. Animals 15(10), 1385.

The welfare of farmed Nile tilapia: A review (2025)

Nile tilapia are, by absolute number of individuals, the most farmed species of fish today, yet we know little about how common husbandry practices impact their welfare. Despite their global importance, there is a notable lack of detailed, species-specific welfare...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Fish, Tilapia

Citation: Emam, W., Lambert, H., Brown, C. 2025. The welfare of farmed Nile tilapia: A review. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 12.