Housing

The effects of enrichment on an abnormal behaviour in naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) at Tilgate Nature Centre

The naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a relatively rare mammal in zoological collections with only nine zoos in the United Kingdom holding colonies of varying sizes at the time of study. This study aims to determine whether housing the...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, HousingAnimal Type: Mole Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hatcher, N. 2022. The effects of enrichment on an abnormal behaviour in naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) at Tilgate Nature Centre. RATEL (Journal of the Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers) 49(4), 15-18.

Measuring ramp use in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus)

To investigate the utility of ramps as enrichment and as a method for establishing demand for commodities, the latency to climb a ramp of increasing slope to obtain food was measured in four guinea pigs. The average height where guinea...

Year Published: 2022Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Rodent

Citation: Begum-Diamond, Z., Neuhauser, J. E., Cameron, K. E. 2022. Measuring ramp use in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 118(2), 292-301.

Rats move nesting materials to create different functional areas: Short report

Here we document how rats separate their living space into different functional regions. Five groups of four female Sprague Dawley rats were housed in caging systems that consisted of two standard cages connected by a tube. Both cages were provided...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Amendola, L., Xu, N., Weary, D. M. 2023. Rats move nesting materials to create different functional areas: Short report. Laboratory Animals 57(1), 75–78.

General and species-specific recommendations for minimal requirements for the use of cephalopods in scientific research

Here we list species-specific recommendations for housing, care and management of cephalopod molluscs employed for research purposes with the aim of contributing to the standardization of minimum requirements for establishments, care and accommodation of these animals in compliance with the...

Year Published: 2023Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Cephalopod, Invertebrate

Citation: Ponte, G., Roumbedakis, K., Galligioni, V. et al. 2023. General and species-specific recommendations for minimal requirements for the use of cephalopods in scientific research. Laboratory Animals 57(1), 26–39.

Behavioral evaluation of laboratory-housed ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) in different enclosure sizes

The domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) is a common research model for infectious disease and behavioral studies. Ferrets are social animals that are commonly pair-housed. The United States has no species-specific regulatory standards for housing ferrets. Optimal enclosure dimensions have...

Year Published: 2023Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Ferret

Citation: Jimenez, I. A., Craney, M. C., Painter, M. C. et al. 2023. Behavioral evaluation of laboratory-housed ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) in different enclosure sizes. JAALAS 62(5), 382–394.

Background color preference of amphibian Rana dybowskii

Background color may affect the welfare of the brown frog Rana dybowskii in captivity. To evaluate the perching platform color and feeding platform color preferences of brown frogs at day and night, a total of 1200 brown frogs kept in...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Amphibian, Frog & Toad

Citation: Wei, H., Geng, L., Shang, X. et al. 2023. Background color preference of amphibian Rana dybowskii. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 268, 106079.

Impact of visual barrier removal on the behavior of shelter-housed dogs

With millions of dogs housed in shelters each year, it is important to consider how the shelter environment impacts welfare. Social isolation and a lack of control over the environment can negatively impact wellbeing. However, providing social opportunities requires costly...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Martin, A. L., Walthers, C. M., Pattillo, M. J. et al. 2023. Impact of visual barrier removal on the behavior of shelter-housed dogs. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 26(4), 596–606.

A mapping review of refinements to laboratory rat housing and husbandry

Refining the housing and husbandry of laboratory rats is an important goal, both for ethical reasons and to allow better quality research. We conducted a mapping review of 1,017 studies investigating potential refinements of housing and husbandry of the laboratory...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Neville, V., Lind, J., Mendl, E. et al. 2023. A mapping review of refinements to laboratory rat housing and husbandry. Lab Animal 52(3), 63–74.

Wool-pulling behaviour appears in a production system with grazing restriction and can be assessed through wool inspection

Sheep flocks can be reared in different production systems that differ in the duration of indoor housing and grazing restriction. Indoor housing can lead to aggressive interactions, such as blocking, threats and butts, whereas grazing restriction may cause wool-pulling. Wool-pulling...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Parés, R., Llonch, P., Such, X. et al. 2023. Wool-pulling behaviour appears in a production system with grazing restriction and can be assessed through wool inspection. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 269, 106109.

Review of housing and husbandry of anemonefishes for use in research

Anemonefishes of the genus Amphiprion are emerging as a model organism for marine science, so there is potentially a lot for the research community to gain by optimizing and standardizing housing and husbandry protocols. Here, we conducted a literature review...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish

Citation: Gendron, M. E., Buston, P. M. 2023. Review of housing and husbandry of anemonefishes for use in research. Journal of Fish Biology 103(5), 924–938.