Housing

Animal-centric Care and Management – Enhancing Refinement in Biomedical Research

The concept of the 3Rs (Refinement, Reduction and Replacement) has been used as a framework for improving the welfare of laboratory animals for the last half century. By establishing an animal-centric view on housing and management, Animal-centric Care and Management:...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Animal Training, Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: All/General, Dog, Fish, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Zebrafish

Citation: Sørensen, D., Cloutier, S., Gaskill, B. (Eds.). 2021. Animal-centric Care and Management - Enhancing Refinement in Biomedical Research. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

Effects of the provision of a hiding box or shelf on the behaviour and faecal glucocorticoid metabolites of bold and shy cats housed in single cages

It is often stressful for cats to be placed in cages in a shelter and environmental enrichment (EE) of the caging is one mechanism for mitigating this stress. The behavioural style of 72 cats was assessed as bold or shy....

Year Published: 2021Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Ellis, J. J., Stryhn, H., Cockram, M. S. 2021. Effects of the provision of a hiding box or shelf on the behaviour and faecal glucocorticoid metabolites of bold and shy cats housed in single cages. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 236, 105221.

Anticipatory behaviour as an indicator of the welfare of dairy calves in different housing environments

Anticipatory behaviour occurs in the period before a reward or other positive event is presented and has been interpreted as an indicator of the welfare and emotional state of animals. The use of this indicator has received limited attention in...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Housing, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Neave, H. W., Webster, J. R., Zobel, G. 2021. Anticipatory behaviour as an indicator of the welfare of dairy calves in different housing environments. PLOS ONE 16(1), e0245742.

About welfare and stress in the early stages of fish

In conclusion, the investigations carried out up to now demonstrate that during the early stages fish show high sensitivity to many types of stressors involving an array of responses to overcome alterations that could affect the animal and be transmitted...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish, Salmon, Tilapia, Trout, Zebrafish

Citation: Ramos, J., Balasch, J. C., Tort, L. 2021. About welfare and stress in the early stages of fish. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8, 634434.

Behavioral effects of cage size and environmental enrichment in New Zealand white rabbits

One of the goals of environmental enrichment is to encourage species-typical behaviors, while discouraging abnormal behaviors or stereotypies. Assessing the effectiveness of various enrichment modalities can be challenging, particularly for prey species such as rabbits that exhibit freezing responses in...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Coda, K. A., Fortman, J. D., García, K. D. 2020. Behavioral effects of cage size and environmental enrichment in New Zealand white rabbits. JAALAS 59(4), 356-364.

The effect of the type of non-caged housing system, genotype and age on the behaviour of laying hens

This study investigated the welfare of laying hens in different non-caged housing systems, namely a deep-litter barn system (BS), a free-range system (FRS) and an organic system (OS). The study was conducted on 270 hens of a native breed Green-legged...

Year Published: 2020Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Sokołowicz, Z., Dykiel, M., Topczewska, J. et al. 2020. The effect of the type of non-caged housing system, genotype and age on the behaviour of laying hens. Animals 10(12), 2450.

Effect of tank size on zebrafish behavior and physiology

Environmental conditions strongly affect experimental animals. As a model organism, zebrafish has become important in life science studies. However, the potential effect of living environment on their behavior and physiology is often overlooked. This work aimed to determine whether tank...

Year Published: 2020Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Maierdiyali, A., Wang, L., Luo, Y. et al. 2020. Effect of tank size on zebrafish behavior and physiology. Animals 10(12), 2353.

Spatial considerations for captive snakes

Captive environments for snakes commonly involve small enclosures with dimensions that prevent occupants from adopting straight line body postures. In particular, the commercial, hobby, and pet sectors routinely utilize small vivaria and racking systems, although zoos and other facilities also...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Housing, Natural Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Reptile, Snake

Citation: Warwick, C., Arena, P., Steedman, C. 2019. Spatial considerations for captive snakes. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 30, 37-48.

Nutrient intake, feeding patterns, and abnormal behavior of growing bulls fed different concentrate levels and a single fiber source (corn stover silage)

Twenty-eight bulls weighing 227 ± 6.8 (SD) kg were randomly assigned to four concentrate levels (1-1.5 kg [low level of concentrate {LC}], 1.5-2 kg [medium level of concentrate], 2-2.5 kg [high level of concentrate {HC}], and 2.5-3 kg [highest level...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: ur Rahman, M. A., Xia, C., Ji, L. et al. 2019. Nutrient intake, feeding patterns, and abnormal behavior of growing bulls fed different concentrate levels and a single fiber source (corn stover silage). Journal of Veterinary Behavior 33, 46-53.

The effect of large or small furnished cages on behaviors and tibia bone of laying hens

This study aimed to investigate the effects of large furnished cages (LFCs) or small furnished cages (SFCs) on behavior and tibia bone of laying hens. Three hundred and sixty Hyline brown hens at 16 weeks of age were allocated into...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Meng, F., Chen, D., Li, X. et al. 2017. The effect of large or small furnished cages on behaviors and tibia bone of laying hens. Journal of Veterinary Behavior 17, 69-73.