Housing

Exposure to soiled bedding reduces abnormal repetitive behaviors in mice

Hygiene management protocols in laboratory mouse husbandries worldwide most commonly employ soiled bedding-exposed sentinel mice to monitor the occurrence of infections in mouse colonies. Using this approach, sentinel mice repeatedly receive a mixture of used bedding, supplied by a variety...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Müller, K., Lengheimer, T., Kral-Pointner, J. B. et al. 2022. Exposure to soiled bedding reduces abnormal repetitive behaviors in mice. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 16, 1062864.

Seminatural environments for rodent behavioral testing: A representative design improving animal welfare and enhancing replicability

The low replicability of scientific studies has become an important issue. One possible cause is low representativeness of the experimental design employed. Already in the 1950's, Egon Brunswick pointed out that experimental setups ideally should be based on a random...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Hernández-Arteaga, E., Ågmo, A. 2023. Seminatural environments for rodent behavioral testing: A representative design improving animal welfare and enhancing replicability. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 17, 1192213.

Rating enrichment items by female group-housed laboratory mice in multiple binary choice tests using an RFID-based tracking system

Laboratory mice spend most of their lives in cages, not experiments, so improving housing conditions is a first-choice approach to improving their welfare. Despite the increasing popularity of enrichment, little is known about the benefits from an animal perspective. For...

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

Citation: Hobbiesiefken, U., Urmersbach, B., Jaap, A. et al. 2023. Rating enrichment items by female group-housed laboratory mice in multiple binary choice tests using an RFID-based tracking system. PLOS ONE 18(1), e0278709.

Changes in group behaviour in response to a preferred environment reflect positive affect

When observed in their preferred environments, animals display behavioural changes, such as an increase in resting or a reduction in agonism, suggestive of positive affect and improved welfare. However, most studies focus on the behaviour of individuals or, at most,...

Year Published: 2023Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Kleinhappel, T. K., Pike, T. W., Burman, O. H. P. 2023. Changes in group behaviour in response to a preferred environment reflect positive affect. Scientific Reports 13(1), 10576.

Effects of genotype and housing system on rabbit does’ aggressive behaviors and injuries in smallholding conditions

The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of housing (deep litter + concrete floor vs. deep litter + ground soil with the possibility to dig burrows), and genotype (Mecklenburg or Hyplus) on aggressive behaviour, social contacts, does'...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Housing, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Krunt, O., Zita, L., Kraus, A. et al. 2023. Effects of genotype and housing system on rabbit does' aggressive behaviors and injuries in smallholding conditions. Animals 13(8), 1357.

The effects of age, size, and cage complexity on the behaviour of farmed female chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera)

Even though chinchillas have been farmed for a century, there are not many studies concerning their behaviour in captivity or their optimal housing conditions, both of which are important factors in the assessment of their welfare. This study aimed to...

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

Citation: Łapiński, S., Niedbała, P., Markowska, K. et al. 2023. The effects of age, size, and cage complexity on the behaviour of farmed female chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera). Scientific Reports 13(1), 6108.

Assessment of stress caused by environmental changes for improving the welfare of laboratory beagle dogs

Animal stress is influenced by environmental factors, yet only a few studies have evaluated the effects of environmental stress on captive dogs. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of environmental and social enrichment on the stress levels of captive...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Lee, G.-H., Jo, W., Kang, T.-K. et al. 2023. Assessment of stress caused by environmental changes for improving the welfare of laboratory beagle dogs. Animals 13(6), 1095.

Stress evaluation of mouse husbandry environments for improving laboratory animal welfare

Animal welfare is recognized as essential for the coexistence of humans and animals. Considering the increased demand and interest in animal welfare, many methods for improving animal welfare are being devised, but which method reduces animal stress has not been...

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

Citation: Lee, G.-H., Kim, K., Jo, W. 2023. Stress evaluation of mouse husbandry environments for improving laboratory animal welfare. Animals 13(2), 249.

Effects of swimming pool conditions and floor types on white roman geese’s physical condition scores and behaviors in an indoor rearing system

Biosecurity problems, including the continual risk of avian influenza spread by wild birds, have severely affected traditional free-range waterfowl production systems. Regulations and techniques for indoor goose production require more considerations for animal welfare. This study investigated the effects of...

Year Published: 2022Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Fowl

Citation: Liao, S.-C., Lyu, P.-X., Shen, S.-Y. et al. 2022. Effects of swimming pool conditions and floor types on white roman geese's physical condition scores and behaviors in an indoor rearing system. Animals 12(23), 3273.

Does environmental colour matter to Zebrafish

The aim of this study was to determine if environmental colour affects the Zebrafrish (Danio rerio) performance metrics of survival, growth rates, fecundity, and fertility. This study created tanks of different colours (green, blue, and black) and included a clear...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, Rearing & Weaning, ReproductionAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Goldsmith, R., Wilson, C. 2022. Does environmental colour matter to Zebrafish. Animal Technology and Welfare 21(3), 234–237.