Husbandry & Management

Evaluation of nesting materials for use in nude mouse colonies

Nesting material has been reported to be beneficial to mice by providing environmental enrichment as well as a means of thermoregulation. Cotton nesting material has been reported to cause conjunctivitis in athymic nude mice. We evaluated 3 different paper-based nesting...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Breegi, S. 2011. Evaluation of nesting materials for use in nude mouse colonies. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 782 (Abstract #P171).

Working with what you’ve got: Changes in thermal preference and behavior in mice with or without nest material

In laboratories mice are typically housed at ambient temperatures (Ta) of 20–24 °C, which are below their average preferred Ta of ≈30 °C. Adjusting laboratory Ta is not a solution because preferences differ depending on activity, time of the day,...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Gaskill, B. N., Rohr, S., Lucas, J. R. et al. 2011. Working with what you've got: Changes in thermal preference and behavior in mice with or without nest material. Journal of Thermal Biology. 36(3), 193-199.

Sexually segregated housing results in improved early larval survival in zebrafish

Large-scale aquaculture facilities require highly optimized husbandry protocols that maximize fecundity and embryo health while minimizing cost and effort. Although zebrafish are being increasingly used for preclinical drug screens, functional genomic research and toxicological and behavioral studies, many of the...

Year Published: 2010Topics: Husbandry & Management, Rearing & WeaningAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Kurtzman, M. S., Craig, M. P., Grizzle, B. K. et al. 2010. Sexually segregated housing results in improved early larval survival in zebrafish. Lab Animal 39, 183-189.

A meta-analysis of the combined effect of housing and environmental enrichment characteristics on the behaviour and performance of pigs

To quantify the combined effect of housing conditions and environmental enrichment on the behaviour and performance of pigs, a meta-analysis was performed using information from 45 experiments in 42 published manuscripts. Multiple regression models were applied to evaluate the effects...

Year Published: 2010Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Stocking DensityAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Averós, X., Brossard, L., Dourmad, J. et al. 2010. A meta-analysis of the combined effect of housing and environmental enrichment characteristics on the behaviour and performance of pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 127(3-4), 73-85.

Temperament ratings of laboratory rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): Effects of cage level and room composition

Measures of temperament in nonhuman primates generally reflect interactions between inherent individual characteristics and environmental contexts, and they may be indicators of physical and psychological well-being. Heritable aspects of temperament have been identified, but it is useful to evaluate the...

Year Published: 2010Topics: Housing, Husbandry & Management, PersonalityAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: West, A. M., Leland, S. P., Muhammad, F. et al. 2010. Temperament ratings of laboratory rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): Effects of cage level and room composition. American Journal of Primatology 72(S1), 42. (33rd Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #52)

Effect of animal facility construction on basal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and renin-aldosterone activity in the rat

Although loud noise and intense vibration are known to alter the behavior and phenotype of laboratory animals, little is known about the effects of nearby construction. We studied the effect of a nearby construction project on the classic stress hormones...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Handling, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Raff, H., Bruder, E. D., Cullinan, W. E. et al. 2011. Effect of animal facility construction on basal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and renin-aldosterone activity in the rat. Endocrinology 152(4), 1218-1221.

Refining housing and husbandry techniques in transgenic mice through environmental enrichment

Dynamic changes in housing and husbandry techniques based on the concept of 3Rs should be included as routine practice in breeding and experimental animal facilities tending to improve animal welfare. Immunosupressed mice are susceptible to diseases and have special requirements...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & Management, ReproductionAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Paula, A. A., Goyeneche, L., Crispo, M. 2011. Refining housing and husbandry techniques in transgenic mice through environmental enrichment. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 777 (Abstract #P148).

Refining cage change routines: Comparison of cardiovascular responses to three different ways of cage change in rats

Cage change is one of the unavoidable routines in laboratory rodent care. However, cage change disrupts the rodents' olfactory environment and can evoke stress reactions. In this study, the short-term cardiovascular responses to three different cage change procedures were compared...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Meller, A., Kasanen, I., Rukšėnas, O. et al. 2011. Refining cage change routines: Comparison of cardiovascular responses to three different ways of cage change in rats. Laboratory Animals 45(3), 167-173.

Effects of enrichment items on activity and social interactions in domestic horses (Equus caballus)

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of items intended to provide enrichment during turnout, both for individual and group kept horses in an attempt to reduce the amount of passive behaviours. The study was divided into...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Meisfjord Jørgensen, G. H., Hanche-Olsen Liestøl, S., Bøe, K. E. 2011. Effects of enrichment items on activity and social interactions in domestic horses (Equus caballus). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 129(2-4), 100-110.

How do rats respond to playing radio in the animal facility?

In the animal facility, a range of different sounds are present. On the one hand, rats and humans will regard sound and noise differently even within the audible range, but on the other hand mice and rats being very adaptable...

Year Published: 2011Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Krohn, T. C., Salling, B., Kornerup Hansen, A. 2011. How do rats respond to playing radio in the animal facility? Laboratory Animals 45(3), 141-144.