Husbandry & Management

Husbandry protocols for juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) based on stress response to stocking density and dry-dock time

When necessary, sea turtles are held captive for veterinarian care and research purposes. Protocols and basic guidelines have been described for husbandry of sea turtles with veterinarian needs but not considering physiological indicators of animal welfare. Because all sea turtle...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Husbandry & Management, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Reptile, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Usategui-Martín, A., Liria - Loza, A., Valverde, R. A. et al. 2024. Husbandry protocols for juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) based on stress response to stocking density and dry-dock time. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 27(3), 589–601.

Paper towel shredding as a novel, affordable, noninvasive method for detecting arousals in hibernating rodents

Many research groups explore the regulation of hibernation or compare the physiology of heterothermic mammals between the torpid and aroused, euthermic states. Current methods for monitoring torpor (for example, infrared cameras, body temperature or heart-rate telemetry, and motion sensing) are...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Other Rodent, Rodent

Citation: Hutchinson, A. J., Duffy, B. M., Rego, L. H. et al. 2024. Paper towel shredding as a novel, affordable, noninvasive method for detecting arousals in hibernating rodents. Lab Animal 53(5), 117–120.

Differences in fluid, electrolyte, and energy balance in C57BL/6J mice (Mus musculus) in metabolic caging at thermoneutral or standard room temperatures

The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals recommends mice be pair or group housed and provided with nesting materials. These provisions support social interactions and are also critical for thermoregulatory behaviors such as huddling and burrowing. However,...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Lawton, S. B., Grobe, C. C., Reho, J. J. et al. 2024. Differences in fluid, electrolyte, and energy balance in C57BL/6J mice (Mus musculus) in metabolic caging at thermoneutral or standard room temperatures. JAALAS 63(2), 190–200.

Know when you are on a break: Effects of predictable breaks on bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus behaviours

Under human care, dolphins' activities are alternated with moments of breaks that should allow them to behave as they want. However, scheduled activities such as training, feeding and playing with objects can affect dolphins' behaviours during breaks. Specifically, dolphins perform...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Bigiani, S., Pil, C. 2023. Know when you are on a break: Effects of predictable breaks on bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus behaviours. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 11(3), 311–317.

Metabolic and behavioural effects of hermit crab shell removal techniques: Is heating less invasive than cracking?

Hermit crabs (Paguroidea; Latreille 1802) offer great opportunities to study animal behaviour and physiology. However, the animals' size and sex cannot be determined when they are inside their shell; information crucial to many experimental designs. Here, we tested the effects...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Handling, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Burciaga, L. M., Alcaraz, G. 2023. Metabolic and behavioural effects of hermit crab shell removal techniques: Is heating less invasive than cracking? Animal Welfare 32, e24.

The hard-hitting tooth—Does a scheduled teeth check reduce the number of mice found dead with malocclusion?

Malocclusion is a common dental disorder for laboratory mice. Characterised with improper alignment of teeth, if the incisors of the mouse have become overgrown or are missing it can significantly impact animal welfare. Malocclusion is evident around the first 2-5...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Ciupa, J. 2023. The hard-hitting tooth—Does a scheduled teeth check reduce the number of mice found dead with malocclusion? Animal Technology and Welfare 22(3), 240–241.

A UV lamp for birds

For birds, access to direct sunlight (without the use of glass) is very important. If that cannot be achieved in captivity, then at the very least ensure provision of the right UV lamp. Appropriate UV lighting is not only important...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Bird, Chicken, Finch, Fowl, Other Bird, Parrot

Citation: van Es, J., Zandleven, A. 2023. A UV lamp for birds. RATEL (Journal of the Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers) 50(3-4), 4-7.

An overview of black tree monitor (Varanus beccarii) husbandry

This article describes the enclosure, environmental parameters, feeding, enclosure dynamics, breeding, handling, identification, and enrichment for zoo-housed black tree monitors.

Year Published: 2023Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Identification Method, Reproduction, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Lizard, Reptile

Citation: Newton, R. 2023. An overview of black tree monitor (Varanus beccarii) husbandry. RATEL (Journal of the Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers) 50(3-4), 24-25.

The effect of noise, vibration, and light disturbances from daily health checks on breeding performance, nest building, and corticosterone in mice

At our institution, the techniques that technicians use for health checks vary for mice housed in cages on individually ventilated caging (IVC) racks. If the mice cannot be adequately visualized, some technicians partially undock the cage whereas others use an...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Husbandry & Management, ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Clancy, B. M., Theriault, B. R., Turcios, R. et al. 2023. The effect of noise, vibration, and light disturbances from daily health checks on breeding performance, nest building, and corticosterone in mice. JAALAS 62(4), 291–302.

Vivarium lighting as an important extrinsic factor influencing animal-based research

Light is an extrinsic factor that exerts widespread influence on the regulation of circadian, physiologic, hormonal, metabolic, and behavioral systems of all animals, including those used in research. These wide-ranging biologic effects of light are mediated by distinct photoreceptors, the...

Year Published: 2023Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Dauchy, R. T., Blask, D. E. 2023. Vivarium lighting as an important extrinsic factor influencing animal-based research. JAALAS 62(1), 3–25.