Housing

The development and use of a cage-topper to enhance rat welfare (2025)

The welfare of rats used in scientific research is an important concern. Recent studies show that larger, more complex housing improves rat welfare compared to standard conventional cages. However there are typically both practical and financial constraints to implementing this....

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, HousingAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Neville, V., Phelon, L., Handley, C. et al. 2025. The development and use of a cage-topper to enhance rat welfare. Animal Technology and Welfare 24(1), 35–38.

Captive husbandry of the Bynoe’s gecko (Heteronotia binoei) (2025)

Covers topics such as health, housing, handling, diet and feeding

Year Published: 2025Topics: Handling, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Martinic, G., Burns, K. 2025. Captive husbandry of the Bynoe's gecko (Heteronotia binoei). Animal Technology and Welfare 24(1), 39–43.

What are the most prevalent welfare issues for pet small mammals? (2025)

The welfare of pet small mammals is an understudied, but growing research topic in the UK and Europe. We surveyed European veterinary experts who each rated severity and prevalence of a large number of issues in the eight most common...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Handling, HousingAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Hamster, Mouse, Other Rodent, Rabbit, Rodent

Citation: Fenton, L., Benato, L., Mancinelli, E. et al. 2025. What are the most prevalent welfare issues for pet small mammals? Animals 15(10), 1423.

Attenuation of stress responses to human handling through habituation in goats (2025)

Goats raised on pastures are seldom handled except for purposes such as weighing and providing veterinary care. Regular positive interactions with human caretakers have been reported to attenuate fear and stress responses to routine human handling; however, this has not...

Year Published: 2025Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Goat

Citation: Erukulla, T. T., Batchu, P., Gurrapu, P. et al. 2025. Attenuation of stress responses to human handling through habituation in goats. Animals 15(10), 1385.

The welfare of farmed Nile tilapia: A review (2025)

Nile tilapia are, by absolute number of individuals, the most farmed species of fish today, yet we know little about how common husbandry practices impact their welfare. Despite their global importance, there is a notable lack of detailed, species-specific welfare...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Fish, Tilapia

Citation: Emam, W., Lambert, H., Brown, C. 2025. The welfare of farmed Nile tilapia: A review. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 12.

Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) welfare: Associations between husbandry practices, human–animal interactions, and animal behaviour (2025)

Research on the welfare of pet guinea pigs and connections between their behaviour and husbandry practices is scarce. Through an online survey among 1181 German-speaking guinea pig caretakers, we investigated husbandry practices (including social composition, housing type, free roaming, enrichment,...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Guinea Pig, Rodent

Citation: Elsbacher, T., Sommese, A., Waiblinger, S. et al. 2025. Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) welfare: Associations between husbandry practices, human–animal interactions, and animal behaviour. Animals 15(8), 1157.

Gilts are motivated to exit a stall (2025)

Stalls (or crates) are still a common type of housing in the swine industry, despite public concern and regional legislation restricting their use. In this study, we examined the motivation of gilts to exit a stall. Sixteen stall-naïve gilts (Large...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Housing, ReproductionAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Ede, T., Parsons, T. D. 2025. Gilts are motivated to exit a stall. Scientific Reports 15(1), 6929.

Influence of enclosure design on the behaviour and welfare of Pogona vitticeps (2025)

Complex or naturalistic enclosures have become increasingly accepted as those best-suited to improve an animal's welfare. However, designing such enclosures can be difficult if little is known about the animal in the wild, and enclosures that aim to replicate natural...

Year Published: 2025Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Denommé, M., Bakker, N. L., Tattersall, G. J. 2025. Influence of enclosure design on the behaviour and welfare of Pogona vitticeps. PLOS ONE 20(6), e0322682.

Rabbit Behaviour, Health and Care

This book is an essential, thorough, very practical guide to understanding and caring for your rabbit. By following the advice in this book, both rabbit owners and veterinary health professionals report healthier and more content rabbits. Developed from the successful...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Buseth, M. E., Saunders, R. 2015. Rabbit Behaviour, Health and Care. CABI, Wallingford, Oxfordshire. 225 p.

Tracking the track: the impact of different grazing strategies on managing equine obesity (2025)

Horses evolved to live in herds, continuously moving and foraging. Domestic horses often have limited social contact and movement, with high calorific intake, contributing to obesity. “Track grazing” is an increasingly popular management system, but evidence of its impact on...

Year Published: 2025Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Cameron, L., Challinor, M., Armstrong, S. et al. 2025. Tracking the track: the impact of different grazing strategies on managing equine obesity. Animals 15(6), 874.