Handling

The 3Hs Initiative—Housing, handling, and habituation

We have looked at our housing, handling and habituation approaches to identify areas to make improvements. This is critical for our resaerch outputs and has the benefit of reducing the cumulative suffering the animals experience by reducing stress and negative...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Animal Training, Drug/Substance Administration, Handling, Housing, RestraintAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Bartlett, J., Hinchcliffe, J., Jackson, M. et al. 2024. The 3Hs Initiative—Housing, handling, and habituation. Animal Technology and Welfare 23(2), 91–99.

Effects of handling and surgical implant on juvenile wild trout: Physiological and behavioral impact

Fish involved in telemetry studies are usually handled, anaesthetized, and subjected to internal tag implantation, all of which have the potential to disrupt the fish's physiology, migratory patterns, food-seeking behavior, growth, and survival. As fish tagging is a widespread standard...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, HandlingAnimal Type: Fish, Trout

Citation: Makaras, T., Stankevičiūtė, M. 2024. Effects of handling and surgical implant on juvenile wild trout: Physiological and behavioral impact. Journal of Fish Biology 105(1), 265–278.

The implementation of tunnel handling in a mouse breeding facility revealed strain-specific behavioural responses

As a step towards implementing non-aversive handling techniques at a big mouse breeding facility in Germany, tunnel handling was introduced in a breeding unit comprising three inbred mouse strains. To assess whether tunnel handling would be feasible for the animal...

Year Published: 2024Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Hohlbaum, K., Merle, R., Warnke, R. et al. 2024. The implementation of tunnel handling in a mouse breeding facility revealed strain-specific behavioural responses. Laboratory Animals 58(6), 552–564.

Rat tickling: A systematic review of applications, outcomes, and moderators

Year Published: 2017Topics: Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: LaFollette, M. R., O'Haire, M. E., Cloutier, S. et al. 2017. Rat tickling: A systematic review of applications, outcomes, and moderators. PLOS ONE 12(4), e0175320. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175320

Laughing rats are optimistic

Emotions can bias human decisions- for example depressed or anxious people tend to make pessimistic judgements while those in positive affective states are often more optimistic. Several studies have reported that affect contingent judgement biases can also be produced in...

Year Published: 2012Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Rygula, R., Pluta, H., Popik, P. 2012. Laughing rats are optimistic. PLOS ONE 7(12), e51959.

Effect of larval handling on black soldier fly life history traits and bioconversion efficiency

In conclusion, the handling procedures used in the current study did not influence the life history traits of the black soldier fly. However, further studies are needed to evaluate if different experimental protocols on various scales, the colony strain or...

Year Published: 2024Topics: HandlingAnimal Type: Insect & Spider, Invertebrate

Citation: Loiotine, Z., Gasco, L., Biasato, I. et al. 2024. Effect of larval handling on black soldier fly life history traits and bioconversion efficiency. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 11.

No evidence tube entrapment distresses rodents in typical empathy tests

In the first two experiments an empty tube open at one end was placed in different locations. Male hamsters, tested one at a time, tended to stay close to the tube or in it. During the first minute of the...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Handling, RestraintAnimal Type: Hamster, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Nugroho, D. A. A., Kusrohmaniah, S., Pilz, E. et al. 2024. No evidence tube entrapment distresses rodents in typical empathy tests. Animal Cognition 27(1), 29.

An exploratory interview study of researchers’ and technicians’ perceptions of rat tickling

This paper highlights the main themes which emerged from a study carried out with Animal Technicians and researchers to better understand: - perceptions of rat tickling - potential drivers and barriers to the uptake of tickling in a laboratory environment

Year Published: 2023Topics: Handling, Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Beechener, S., Brown, S., Bombail, V. et al. 2023. An exploratory interview study of researchers' and technicians' perceptions of rat tickling. Animal Technology and Welfare 22(3), 201–209.

Metabolic and behavioural effects of hermit crab shell removal techniques: Is heating less invasive than cracking?

Hermit crabs (Paguroidea; Latreille 1802) offer great opportunities to study animal behaviour and physiology. However, the animals' size and sex cannot be determined when they are inside their shell; information crucial to many experimental designs. Here, we tested the effects...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Handling, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Burciaga, L. M., Alcaraz, G. 2023. Metabolic and behavioural effects of hermit crab shell removal techniques: Is heating less invasive than cracking? Animal Welfare 32, e24.

An overview of black tree monitor (Varanus beccarii) husbandry

This article describes the enclosure, environmental parameters, feeding, enclosure dynamics, breeding, handling, identification, and enrichment for zoo-housed black tree monitors.

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Identification Method, Reproduction, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Newton, R. 2023. An overview of black tree monitor (Varanus beccarii) husbandry. RATEL (Journal of the Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers) 50(3-4), 24-25.