Husbandry & Management

A survey on the implementation of environmental health monitoring in mouse facilities in German-speaking countries

The health status of laboratory animals plays a decisive role not only for the health and welfare of the animals but also for the validity of study results. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of publications on...

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

Citation: Mahabir, E., Schmidt, K., Kolbe, T. et al. 2025. A survey on the implementation of environmental health monitoring in mouse facilities in German-speaking countries. PLOS ONE 20(10), e0334442.

Sleep preferences in CD1 mice in a laboratory environment

This study investigates the preferences of CD1 mice in a lab environment for various sleeping enrichment options within their cages. Understanding the environmental factors that influence sleep behaviour is crucial for enhancing animal welfare in laboratory settings. We assessed two...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Mackay, F., Teggart, M. 2025. Sleep preferences in CD1 mice in a laboratory environment. Animal Technology and Welfare 24(2), 175–176.

A study on light preference in gilts via behavioral pattern analysis

The rational design of artificial lighting systems in pig housing can enhance animal welfare, thereby boosting gilt health and reproductive performance while improving economic metrics for swine farms. To identify the optimal light environments for gilts under artificial illumination, we...

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

Citation: Ge, S., Ma, H., Li, X. et al. 2025. A study on light preference in gilts via behavioral pattern analysis. Animals 15(17), 2620.

Assessing the welfare of spiny lobsters and true lobsters in aquaria: Biology-informed best-practice guidelines for captive conditions

The welfare of decapod crustaceans held in captivity, whether in aquariums, holding facilities, seafood restaurants, supermarkets, or fishmongers, is attracting growing attention and concern. This review focuses on three species that are commonly found in European commercial environments: the European...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Husbandry & Management, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Crustacean, Invertebrate

Citation: Fruscella, L., Elwood, R. W., Passantino, A. 2025. Assessing the welfare of spiny lobsters and true lobsters in aquaria: Biology-informed best-practice guidelines for captive conditions. Animals 15(16), 2397.

Effect of different infrared basking lamps on the heating effectiveness and desiccation of gelatine models: Implications for zoo animal husbandry

Artificial heating via lamp technology is a key feature of the husbandry of many captive animals, especially ectotherms. Short wave infrared (IRA) is theoretically more efficient in raising animal core temperature than medium (IRB) and long wave infrared (IRC) as...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Crocodile & Alligator, Lizard, Reptile, Snake, Turtle & Tortoise

Citation: Choi, S. Y., Michaels, C. J., Free, D. et al. 2025. Effect of different infrared basking lamps on the heating effectiveness and desiccation of gelatine models: Implications for zoo animal husbandry. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 13(3), 164–172.

Confronting crunching: A refinement for the care of mice with the desire to crunch

‘Crunching’ is the term often used to describe the abnormal behaviour of mice that habitually crunch their pelleted diet, causing substrate levels to rise as the crumbs settle on the cage floor ultimately burying the nest. The aim was to...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Oralman, T. 2020. Confronting crunching: A refinement for the care of mice with the desire to crunch. Animal Technology and Welfare 19(1), 89–91.

Development of a sifting cage change method for rats to improve welfare

Normally during a cage change a small handful of dirty bedding is placed into the clean cage but I felt this was not enough to comfort the rats. After trialling a few methods I finally came up with a sieve...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Henderson, S. 2020. Development of a sifting cage change method for rats to improve welfare. Animal Technology and Welfare 19(2), 145–148.

Environmental enrichment for a small colony of rats.

Our facility predominantly houses mice with a small number of rats used for brain cancer studies. Due to limited space and resource for equipment, we came up with some easy and cost effective ways to improve enrichment for the rat...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Blackburn, N., Cronshaw, G., & Mitchell, M. (2020). Environmental enrichment for a small colony of rats. Animal Technology and Welfare, 19(2), 158.

From Fish to Mice to Monkeys in Research: Challenges and Opportunities for Mental Well-being

This chapter focuses mainly on animals in medical research. Many, especially the smaller species such as rat, mice, and zebrafish, may be seen only a few minutes a day by their human caregivers. Most laboratory animals are kept in confinement...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Emotion, Pain, & Sentience, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Regulations & Ethical Review, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: All/General, Fish, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Rat, Rodent, Zebrafish

Citation: Serageldine, C. E., Robinson-Junker, A., Alvino, G. et al. 2025. From Fish to Mice to Monkeys in Research: Challenges and Opportunities for Mental Well-being. In Mental Health and Well-being in Animals (pp. 308–322).

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: Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Identification Method, Natural Behavior, Rearing & Weaning, Relocation & Transport, Reproduction, RestraintAnimal 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 (pp. 381–407). Springer International Publishing.