Husbandry & Management

Housing breeding mice in three different IVC systems: Maternal performance and pup development

A proper cage environment is essential for the welfare of laboratory mice, especially for females during the energy demanding lactation period and for pups during early development and growth. The most common housing system for laboratory mice is individually ventilated...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Spangenberg, E., Wallenbeck, A., Eklöf, A.-C. et al. 2014. Housing breeding mice in three different IVC systems: Maternal performance and pup development. Laboratory Animals 48(3), 193–206.

Optimal colloidal water gel type and novel placement for frequent travelers

During transportation, animals must have a water source available to prevent dehydration. Some shipping facilities use potatoes whereas, others use colloidal water gels that provide a uniform water source. The problem occurs when colloidal water gel containers are placed on...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Husbandry & Management, Relocation & TransportAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Locklear, J., Whiteside, T. E. 2021. Optimal colloidal water gel type and novel placement for frequent travelers. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 9(6) (November/December), 38-40.

Replacing soiled bedding sentinel rodents with environmental health monitoring: Evidence and tips

Traditional rodent health monitoring programs involve transferring soiled bedding from colony cages to sentinel cages. While it can vary, the sentinel animals are ultimately euthanized after 3-6 mo of soiled bedding exposure. Using traditional soiled bedding sentinel rodents has several...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: LaFollette, M. R., Cunningham-Faughnan, T., Foley, P. L. et al. 2021. Replacing soiled bedding sentinel rodents with environmental health monitoring: Evidence and tips. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 9(6) (November/December), 46-48.

Outside the box: Working with wildlife in biocontainment

Research with captive wildlife in Animal Biosafety Level 2 (ABSL2) and 3 (ABSL3) facilities is becoming increasingly necessary as emerging and re-emerging diseases involving wildlife have increasing impacts on human, animal, and environmental health. Utilizing wildlife species in a research...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Husbandry & Management, RestraintAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate, Other Animal

Citation: Falendysz, E. A., Calhoun, D. M., Smith, C. A. et al. 2020. Outside the box: Working with wildlife in biocontainment. ILAR Journal 61(1), 72-85.

Low luminosity reduces agonistic behaviour of Nile tilapia

In confrontations, many behaviors are based on visual information. To establish the importance of visual signals in the aggression of cichlid fish, we observed the behavior of groups in three juveniles of Nile tilapia (six groups in each condition), for...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Fish, Tilapia

Citation: Tatemoto, P., Serra, M. 2021. Low luminosity reduces agonistic behaviour of Nile tilapia. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 24(4), 434-441.

Analysis of housing risk factors for the welfare of lean and heavy pigs in a sample of European fattening farms

Pig welfare is affected by housing conditions, the minimum requirements of which are set up by EU legislation. Animal and non-animal-based measures are useful indicators to investigate housing risk factors for pig welfare. An observational study on 51 pig farms...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Ferrari, P., Ulrici, A., Barbari, M. 2021. Analysis of housing risk factors for the welfare of lean and heavy pigs in a sample of European fattening farms. Animals 11(11), 3221.

Horses’ use of lying halls and time budget in relation to available lying area

Sleep is crucial to horses' wellbeing, and their lying time can vary according to such factors as climate, exercise, bedding, and housing. This study aimed to analyze behavior and time spent in lying halls of various sizes. We examined the...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Kjellberg, L., Yngvesson, J., Sassner, H. et al. 2021. Horses' use of lying halls and time budget in relation to available lying area. Animals 11(11), 3214.

Do rubber floor mats prevent lameness in gestating sows housed in large groups? A field experiment on three commercial farms in France

Lameness and foot disorders are major health and welfare issues in intensive swine production systems. They are exacerbated when sows are housed in large groups on slatted concrete floors during gestation. Our study aimed to assess the effect of rubber...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Huneau-Salaün, A., Bougeard, S., Balaine, L. et al. 2021. Do rubber floor mats prevent lameness in gestating sows housed in large groups? A field experiment on three commercial farms in France. Animals 11(11), 3160.

Tank cleaning temporarily increases stress and decreases affiliative behavior in zebrafish

Small, tropical fish are popular companion animals and constitute a major proportion of the vertebrates used in scientific research, but little is known about how they are affected by routine husbandry practices. Manual tank cleanings are a common and potentially...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Powell, C., von Keyserlingk, M. A. G., Franks, B. 2021. Tank cleaning temporarily increases stress and decreases affiliative behavior in zebrafish. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 242, 105414.

Maximising efficacy of your health monitoring programme

There are a multitude of health monitoring techniques/ methods available. It can be difficult to know which of these to use and when to use them. This is an attempt to simplify, maximise the efficacy of and ultimately reduce the...

Year Published: 2021Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Chinchilla, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Dickinson, A. 2021. Maximising efficacy of your health monitoring programme. Animal Technology and Welfare 20(3), 255-257.