Handling

Refining mouse handling – do we or don’t we? An animal technologist’s perspective

Recent research in the industry identified that picking up mice in a tunnel or cupping them in the hand significantly reduces their stress levels. As Animal Tecgnologists, we could see advantages and disadvantages with this change for the animals, staff...

Year Published: 2018Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Swan, A. 2018. Refining mouse handling - do we or don't we? An animal technologist's perspective. Animal Technology and Welfare 17(2), 130-131.

Handling method alters the hedonic value of reward in laboratory mice

Mice are the most widely used model species for drug discovery and scientific research. Consequently, it is important to refine laboratory procedures and practices to ensure high standards of welfare and scientific data quality. Recent studies have identified that the...

Year Published: 2018Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Clarkson, J. M., Dwyer, D. M., Flecknell, P. A. et al. 2019. Handling method alters the hedonic value of reward in laboratory mice. Scientific Reports 8, 2448.

Effects of daily restraint with and without injections on skeletal properties in C57BL/6NHsd mice

Studies typically involve groups of animals that are injected with placebo compounds. As there are studies that demonstrate that restraint and injection can affect behavior and corticosteroid levels in rodents, the basis of such placebo injections is to control for...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Drug/Substance Administration, HandlingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Larsen, R. A., Peveler, J. L., Klutzke, J. B. et al. 2017. Effects of daily restraint with and without injections on skeletal properties in C57BL/6NHsd mice. Lab Animal 46(7), 299-301.

Studies of the thyroid apparatus. I. The stability of the nervous system as a factor in the resistance of the albino rat to the loss of the parathyroid secretion.

The relative mortality subsequent to thyroparathyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy of rats was much lower (13%) in animals who had been handled compared with animals who had not been handled (79%).

Year Published: 1921Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hammett, F. S. 1921. Studies of the thyroid apparatus. I. The stability of the nervous system as a factor in the resistance of the albino rat to the loss of the parathyroid secretion. American Journal of Physiology 56, 196-204.

Opportunity for interaction as reinforcer in a T-maze

Used 2 forms of handling as reinforcement in a 'T' maze for 34 male Sprague-Dawley albino rats. In a 12-day experiment, those receiving gentling learned to avoid reinforcement, while those receiving fondling learned to obtain it. In a 6-day follow-up,...

Year Published: 1976Topics: Handling, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Werner, C., Anderson, D. F. 1976. Opportunity for interaction as reinforcer in a T-maze. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin 2, 166-169.

Stress response of rats to handling and experimental procedures

Serum corticosterone levels increased significantly within four minutes, reached a peak at 15 minutes and were back to control values 60 minutes after cage displacement. Prolactin, TSH, LH and FSH serum concentrations were also affected by cage movement. The results...

Year Published: 1980Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Gartner, K., Buttner, D., Dohler, R. et al. 1980. Stress response of rats to handling and experimental procedures. Laboratory Animals 14, 267-274.

The effects of regular handling on fear responses in the domestic chick

Regular gentle handling reduces the fear response toward people. Regular handling had no effect on approach towards an inanimate object.

Year Published: 1981Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, HandlingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Jones, R. B., Faure, J. M. 1981. The effects of regular handling on fear responses in the domestic chick. Behavioural Processes 6, 135-143.

The effects of gentling on open-field behaviour of rats

Non-gentled rats showed higher frequencies and durations of passive motionlessness and higher proportions of loose stools and rigid movements during frighting situations than rats who had been gentled for three weeks.

Year Published: 1988Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hirsjarvi, P. A. , Junnila, M. A. 1988. The effects of gentling on open-field behaviour of rats. In: New Developments in Biosciences: Their Implications for Laboratory Animal Science. Beynen, A. C. , Solleveld, H. A. (eds), 399-403. Marinus Nijhoff, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

The effect of gentling on heart rate, flight distance and aversion of sheep to a handling procedure

Repeated gentle human contact reduced excitability during a handling procedure as quantified by heart rate.

Year Published: 1990Topics: Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Hargreaves, A. L., Hutson, G. D. 1990. The effect of gentling on heart rate, flight distance and aversion of sheep to a handling procedure. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 26, 243-252.

Avoiding undue stress: Catching individual animals in groups of rhesus monkeys

Training technique is described. We have successfully trained two heterogeneous rhesus troops of 28 and 33 members. The catching procedure has become a routine that is no longer associated with excitation and distress. It is now possible for one experienced...

Year Published: 1990Topics: Animal Training, HandlingAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Reinhardt, V. 1990. Avoiding undue stress: Catching individual animals in groups of rhesus monkeys. Lab Animal 19(6), 52-53.