Physiological profile of juvenile rats: effects of cage size and cage density (2007)

Yildiz, A., Hayirli, A., Okumus, Z. et al.

Abstract

Increasing population size and cage density were associated with greater mortality and caused depression in body and organ weights. In general, increasing group size and crowding had more detrimental effects on the growth of females than males. The immune system-related hemogram values, however, might indicate that male rats had a greater predisposition to emotional stress and infections than female rats.