Housing

The importance of burrowing, climbing and standing upright for laboratory rats

Standard laboratory cages prevent rats (Rattus norvegicus) from performing many behaviours that they perform in the wild, but little is known about how this may affect their welfare. The aims of this study were (i) to record the propensity to...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Makowska, I. J., Weary, D. M. 2016. The importance of burrowing, climbing and standing upright for laboratory rats. Royal Society Open Science 3, 160136.

Captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) behavior as a function of space per animal and enclosure type

Space per animal, or animal density, and enclosure type are important elements of functionally appropriate captive environments (FACEs) for chimpanzees. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends that captive chimpanzees be maintained in areas of >250 ft2/animal. Several studies have...

Year Published: 2018Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Chimpanzee, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Neal Webb, S. J., Hau, J., Schapiro, S. J. 2018. Captive chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) behavior as a function of space per animal and enclosure type. American Journal of Primatology 80(2), e22749.

Automated tracking of motion and body weight for objective monitoring of rats in colony housing

Living together in large social communities within an enriched environment stimulates self-motivated activity in rats. We developed a modular housing system in which a single unit can accommodate as many as 48 rats and contains multiple functional areas. This rat...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Brenneis, C., Westhof, A., Holschbach, J. et al. 2017. Automated tracking of motion and body weight for objective monitoring of rats in colony housing. JAALAS 56(1), 18-31.

Rat breeding parameters according to floor space available in cage

The cage floor space recommended for a female rat with a litter is greater in the 8th edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals than in previous editions. As a result, research institutions using commonly...

Year Published: 2016Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Allen, K. P., Dwinell, M. R., Zappa, A. M. et al. 2016. Rat breeding parameters according to floor space available in cage. JAALAS 55(1), 21–24.

Porches as enrichment for singly housed cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis)

Effective environmental enrichment is used by animals, promotes species-typical behavior, and decreases abnormal behavior. Porches attached to the front of an animal's cage provide additional space, perching opportunities, and a better view of the surroundings. Here we assessed the effectiveness...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Lutz, C. K., Brown, T. A. 2018. Porches as enrichment for singly housed cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis). JAALAS 57(2), 138-142.

Does flooring substrate impact kennel and dog cleanliness in commercial breeding facilities?

Evaluation of kennel flooring surfaces is needed to understand their impacts on dog health and well-being. This pilot study aimed to characterize aspects of physical health, kennel cleanliness, and dog body cleanliness on flooring types common in US breeding kennels....

Year Published: 2018Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Stella, J., Hurt, M., Bauer, A. et al. 2018. Does flooring substrate impact kennel and dog cleanliness in commercial breeding facilities? Animals 8(4), 59.

Unbridle biomedical research from the laboratory cage

Many biomedical research studies use captive animals to model human health and disease. However, a surprising number of studies show that the biological systems of animals living in standard laboratory housing are abnormal. To make animal studies more relevant to...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Housing, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Lahvis, G. 2017. Unbridle biomedical research from the laboratory cage. eLife 6, e27438.

Free dietary choice and free-range rearing improve the product quality, gait score, and microbial richness of chickens

Poultry welfare has been extensively studied; however, there is a lack of rigorous scientific knowledge relating to the different aspects of welfare factors and how this may contribute to the production quantity and product quality as well as the welfare...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Chen, S., Xiang, H., Zhu, X. et al. 2018. Free dietary choice and free-range rearing improve the product quality, gait score, and microbial richness of chickens. Animals 8(6), 84.

Use of space and behavior of weaned piglets kept in enriched two-level housing system

In this study, the possibility of introducing an elevated platform to a piglet pen was explored as a way of increasing available space and creating functional areas. On the platform, nine different manipulable materials were offered. In four batches, 40...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Fels, M., Lüthje, F., Faux-Nightingale, A. et al. 2018. Use of space and behavior of weaned piglets kept in enriched two-level housing system. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 21(3), 267-282.

Behavior and welfare of domestic cats housed in cages larger than U.S. norm

The effect of providing additional floor space on cat behavior and welfare is not well documented. This study involved replication of an investigation of cats' responses to enhanced cage and room environments using cages of 0.56 m2 with the same...

Year Published: 2017Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Cat

Citation: Stella, J. L., Croney, C. C., Buffington, C. T. 2017. Behavior and welfare of domestic cats housed in cages larger than U.S. norm. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 20(3), 296-312.