Husbandry & Management

A renewed look at laboratory rodent housing and management

In this article, recent publications are examined to determine the potential impact of new scientific evidence on current practices for the housing and care of laboratory rodents. The discussion points out recent advances in technology and new knowledge of the...

Year Published: 2006Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Gonder, J. C., Laber, K. 2007. A renewed look at laboratory rodent housing and management. ILAR Journal 48(1), 29-46.

Extraneous variables

This chapter deals with the following extraneous variables: Exposure to distressed conspecifics; construction noise; researcher; workdays versus weekends/holidays; individually ventilated caging (IVC); restraint tube for rodentsExposure to distressed conspecifics: Being exposed to a distressed conspecific changes the physiological equilibrium of...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: LAREF [Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum] 2007. Extraneous variables. In: Making Lives Easier for Animals in Research Labs: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum. Baumans, V., Coke, C., Green, J., Moreau, E., Morton, D., Patterson-Kane, E., Reinhardt, A., Reinhardt, V., Van Loo, P. (eds), 153-163. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.

Chapter 7.5. Catching animals who have escaped

Monkeys presumably escape not because they really want to leave their familiar home environment, but because something alarms them, such as an investigator trying to grab them with heavy leather gloves through the partially opened cage door. If they can...

Year Published: 2007Topics: Handling, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Nonhuman Primate

Citation: LAREF [Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum] 2007. Chapter 7.5. Catching animals who have escaped. In: Making Lives Easier for Animals in Research Labs: Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum. Baumans, V., Coke, C., Green, J., Moreau, E., Morton, D., Patterson-Kane, E., Reinhardt, A., Reinhardt, V., Van Loo, P. (eds), 131-133. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.

Refining Rabbit Care: A Resource for Those Working With Rabbits in Research

The report sets out how to provide: optimal enclosure characteristicsand size; social housing; solid flooring and substrate; raised areas; refuges; gnawing objects and dietary enrichment; positive interaction with humans; toys and objects to manipulate; for the special needs of breeding...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Relocation & Transport, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Hawkins, P., Hubrecht, R., Buckwell, A. et al. 2008. Refining Rabbit Care: A Resource for Those Working With Rabbits in Research. UFAW/RSPCA: Southwater, UK, 27 pp.

Introduction to Animal Welfare and the Sheep

Concerns for the lives of animals have been voiced for centuries, with concerns about the welfare of agricultural animals increasing since the 1960s. Animal welfare concerns arise for many reasons: care about the quality of lives of animals, concerns about...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Body Modification/Mutilation, Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Sheep

Citation: Dwyer, C. M. , Lawrence, A. B. 2008. Introduction to Animal Welfare and the Sheep. In: The Welfare of Sheep. Animal Welfare, volume 6. Dwyer, C. M. (Ed.). Springer: Dordrecht, 1-40.

Information Resources on the Care and Welfare of Dogs

Excellent review including: dog breeds; tray and feral dogs; housing and husbandry; exercise, human contact, socialization, and training; non-social enrichment; nutrition and health and behavior; noise; detection of stress, distress and pain relief.

Year Published: 2008Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Dog

Citation: Hubrecht, R. 2008. Information Resources on the Care and Welfare of Dogs. Introduction. Animal Welfare Information Center [AWIC] Resource Series 40.

Report of the 2006 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group meeting

The RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group holds a one-day meeting every autumn to discuss current welfare research and to exchange views on rodent welfare issues. A key aim of the group is to encourage people to think about the lifetime experience...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Euthanasia, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rat, Rodent

Citation: Reed, B., Hawkins, P., Latham, N. et al. 2008. Report of the 2006 RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group meeting. Lab Animal 37(5), 216-222.

How important is shade to dairy cattle? Choice between shade or lying following different levels of lying deprivation

Provision of shade to dairy cattle in summer can alleviate negative effects of heat stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative importance of shade to lactating dairy cows in different ambient weather conditions in summer. The...

Year Published: 2008Topics: Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Schütz, K. E., Cox, N. R., Matthews, L. R. 2008. How important is shade to dairy cattle? Choice between shade or lying following different levels of lying deprivation. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 114(3-4), 307-318 .

Some like it hot: Mouse temperature preferences in laboratory housing

In standard laboratory environments mice are housed at 20-24 °C. However, their thermoneutral zone ranges between 26 °C and 34 °C. This challenge to homeostasis is by definition stressful, and could therefore affect many aspects of physiology and behavior.We tested...

Year Published: 2009Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Gaskill, B. N., Rohr, S. A., Pajor, E. A. et al. 2009. Some like it hot: Mouse temperature preferences in laboratory housing. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 116(2-4), 279-285.

A rational approach to enriched nutrition for nonhuman primates

Obesity is a concern with nonhuman primates (NHPs) housed in captivity for extended periods of time, mostly due to overfeeding and lack of exercise. This is often compounded by environmental enrichment programs that include different types of food. That is...

Year Published: 2009Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Baboon, Capuchin, Chimpanzee, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Camacho, I. N., Schultz, C. 2009. A rational approach to enriched nutrition for nonhuman primates. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 543 (Abstract #PS38).