Social Housing & Companionship

Impact of early social housing on the play behavior of neonatal and post-weaning dairy calves

We aimed to assess the impact of early life housing and play experiences on neonatal and weaned calves play behavior. A total of 96 female dairy calves were recruited from four Scottish dairy farms and assigned to individual (n =...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Rearing & Weaning, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: McKay, C., Ellis, K., Haskell, M. J. et al. 2025. Impact of early social housing on the play behavior of neonatal and post-weaning dairy calves. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 12.

Affective responses and behavioral strategies to social fusion events in zoo-housed bonobos

Species with fission-fusion dynamics may face heightened social tension during fusion events due to relationship insecurity and competition over resources. Affective consequences of such events are important determinants for behavioral responses, yet remain poorly understood. To evaluate the affective consequences...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Natural Behavior, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Nonhuman Primate, Other Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Laméris, D. W., Verspeek, J., Salas, M. et al. 2025. Affective responses and behavioral strategies to social fusion events in zoo-housed bonobos. Animal Behavior and Cognition 12(3), 300–329.

Juvenile male rats form preferences based on strain when playing in groups but not in pairs

Like many young mammals, juvenile rats engage in rough-and-tumble play. Play occurs naturally both in wild and laboratory rats, making it a suitable, ethologically relevant behavior to investigate. In the laboratory, rats are typically housed and tested in dyads, despite...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Ham, J. R., Jaiswal, D., Waner-Mariquito, R. et al. 2025. Juvenile male rats form preferences based on strain when playing in groups but not in pairs. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 19.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall

When mice are grouped together for the first time it is a novel experience filled with new sights and smells which will stress the animal too much and may cause aggression. It has been proven that mice can see a...

Year Published: 2020Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Reading, P., Reading, R., Branstone, C. 2020. Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Animal Technology and Welfare 19(1), 98–100.

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).

Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals

This 30-chapter volume informs students and professionals about the behavioral biology of animals commonly housed in laboratory and other captive settings. Each species evolved under specific environmental conditions, resulting in unique behavioral patterns, many of which are maintained in captivity...

Year Published: 2022Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Animal Training, Environmental Enrichment, Handling, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Husbandry & Management, Natural Behavior, Rearing & Weaning, Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Amphibian, Baboon, Capuchin, Cat, Cattle, Chicken, Crocodile & Alligator, Dog, Equine, Ferret, Finch, Fish, Fowl, Frog & Toad, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lizard, Macaque, Marmoset, Mouse, Nonhuman Primate, Other Rodent, Owl Monkey, Pig, Rabbit, Rat, Reptile, Rodent, Salamander, Sheep, Snake, Squirrel Monkey, Turtle & Tortoise, Vervet (African Green Monkey), Zebrafish

Citation: Coleman, K., Schapiro, S. J. (Eds.) 2022. Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals (1st Ed.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 560 p.

Wound localization and housing conditions dictate repair dynamics and scar formation

Wound healing is a highly orchestrated process involving diverse cells and molecular interplays. Although wound healing assays are commonly used in the field of tissue repair, these experiments exhibit high variability due to their multifactorial nature, with many design factors...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Yampolsky, M., Bachelet, I., Fuchs, Y. 2025. Wound localization and housing conditions dictate repair dynamics and scar formation. Lab Animal 54(3), 68–73.

Physiologic consequences of housing adult male cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) in heterosexual pairs: A pilot study using implanted biotelemetry

Facilities may forgo attempting to socially house adult males due to fear of animal injury, study disruptions, and confounding data results. To leverage the potential advantages of male–female pairs, and to understand the impact on measures typically used in safety...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Santos, R., Tran, D.-B., Li, D. et al. 2025. Physiologic consequences of housing adult male cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) in heterosexual pairs: A pilot study using implanted biotelemetry. American Journal of Primatology 87(6), e70052.

Retrospective descriptive report comparing access systems to refine intravenous self-administration in rats

For operant self-administration, permanent intravenous cannulas need to remain open and operational for months without infections or blockages. Here, we report retrospectively on our experiences and observations using different access systems during three studies. We identified a refined method for...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Cannulation, Catheterization, & Intubation, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rat, Rodent

Citation: Lozeman-van ’t Klooster, J. G., Lesscher, H. M. 2025. Retrospective descriptive report comparing access systems to refine intravenous self-administration in rats. Laboratory Animals 59(3), 364–368.

The social dimension of equine welfare: Social contact positively affects the emotional state of stalled horses

The housing conditions of domestic animals influence their welfare; their emotional state can be negatively affected if their needs are not met. This can lead to behavioural changes or disorders that can damage the animal–human relationship. In social species such...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Flamand, A., Robinet, L., Raskin, A. et al. 2025. The social dimension of equine welfare: Social contact positively affects the emotional state of stalled horses. Animal Behaviour 221, 123055.