Husbandry & Management

Tortoise Husbandry and Welfare

Keeping captive tortoises healthy and well is a significant challenge. Because they are ectotherms, these reptiles are totally dependent upon external sources to maintain body temperature and therefore metabolic function. Their physical environment is vital for them to remain healthy,...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Reptile, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Williams, J. 2024. Tortoise Husbandry and Welfare. CABI, 303 pages.

Thermoneutral environment improves mouse welfare and reduces stress in metabolic cages

Metabolic cages (MCs) are often used to collect feces and urine samples. However, the housing of mice in MCs can be stressful, potentially affecting parameters of interest. Here we compare our standard protocol for individual MC housing (4 days at 23 °C:...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Villiger, P., Calvet, C., Pastor-Arroyo, E. M. et al. 2025. Thermoneutral environment improves mouse welfare and reduces stress in metabolic cages. Lab Animal 54(11), 303–312.

Managed care of naked mole-rats

Naked mole-rats are a burgeoning model species in the field of biomedical research and are also housed at many zoos throughout the world. These mammals possess many traits that have a large impact on the way that they are kept...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Identification Method, Rearing & Weaning, Relocation & Transport, Reproduction, Restraint, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mole Rat, Rodent

Citation: Smith, M., Buffenstein, R. 2021. Managed care of naked mole-rats. In: R. Buffenstein, T. J. Park, M. M. Holmes (Eds.), The Extraordinary Biology of the Naked Mole-Rat. Springer International Publishing, pp. 381–407.

Most preferred light color of female Syrian hamster during day and night

The light regulation within laboratory environments is critical for ensuring the wellbeing and accurate study of nocturnal animals like Syrian hamsters. This study evaluated the instinctual light color preferences of 18 adult female Syrian hamsters under controlled conditions. The experiment...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Hamster, Rodent

Citation: Shadman, A. F. 2025. Most preferred light color of female Syrian hamster during day and night. Laboratory Animals 59(4), 518–522.

Effects of light spectrum on pig behaviour, health and growth

Pigs show preferences to display certain behaviours under specific light spectra. Moreover, adding UVB light to the spectrum might enhance pigs’ vitamin D status. Despite the potential, there are still gaps in understanding the broader effects of light spectrum on...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Scaillierez, A. J., van Nieuwamerongen - de Koning, S. E., van der Tol, R. P. P. J. et al. 2025. Effects of light spectrum on pig behaviour, health and growth. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 291, 106711.

Enriching the environment with multiple rooting materials and bedded rest areas improves welfare of finishing pigs

Providing environmental enrichment, including rooting materials and bedding, is essential for improving pig welfare by reducing tail, ear, and body lesions. In this observational field study of Norwegian commercial farms, all farms applied some level of environmental enrichment. Thus, rather...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Ocepek, M., Newberry, R. C., Andersen, I. L. 2025. Enriching the environment with multiple rooting materials and bedded rest areas improves welfare of finishing pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 292, 106773.

Effects of dietary restriction on regulation of energy metabolism in male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus)

Laboratory rats are most often fed ad libitum (AL), but dietary restriction (DR) is commonly used to provide appropriate experimental designs. The current methods of DR have shortcomings; animals are often subjected to social isolation, periods of fasting, and disturbed...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Kasanen, I. H. E., Inhilä, K. J., Nevalainen, T. O. et al. 2025. Effects of dietary restriction on regulation of energy metabolism in male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus). JAALAS 64(4), 744–749.

Putting the evidence into evidence-based husbandry: A scoping review of empirical approaches to improving captive reptile welfare

Non-avian reptiles are commonly kept in captivity, including zoos, aquariums, farms, laboratories, classrooms, rehabilitation centres, and homes. With this wide range of captive conditions and potential diversity of species housed, it is crucial to ensure that these animals are housed...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Crocodile & Alligator, Lizard, Reptile, Snake, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Hanson, S. L., Whittaker, A. L., Cooper-Rogers, B. et al. 2025. Putting the evidence into evidence-based husbandry: A scoping review of empirical approaches to improving captive reptile welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 292, 106831.

Impacts of chopped food on primate behavior are not clear cut. A case study on zoo-housed ring-tailed lemurs

Measuring how food presentation influences behavior helps encourage practices that support natural foraging efforts for species housed in zoos. To test the effect of food presentation on a commonly housed zoo primate, observations of the behavior of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Lemur, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: George, A. J., Tull, S., Rose, P. 2025. Impacts of chopped food on primate behavior are not clear cut. A case study on zoo-housed ring-tailed lemurs. Zoo Biology 44(5), 442–452.

Relative preference for different pecking blocks offered as pairwise comparisons in White and Brown-feathered laying hens

Different commercially available pecking blocks (PBs) have varying nutrient composition, appearance, and texture. However, the relative preferences of laying hens for different PBs are unknown. We housed 120 Dekalb White and 120 Bovans Brown in twelve (360 cm x 116 cm x...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken

Citation: Ehigbor, T. F., Kiarie, E. G., Harlander, A. et al. 2025. Relative preference for different pecking blocks offered as pairwise comparisons in White and Brown-feathered laying hens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 290, 106708.