Social Housing & Companionship

Effects of experimental housing conditions on recovery of laboratory mice

The beneficial effects of environment and social support during disease recovery in humans are widely accepted. Because laboratory mice are social animals and are highly motivated to interact with each other and with their environment, it is very likely that...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Social Housing & Companionship, Surgery & Post-OpAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Jirkof, P. 2015. Effects of experimental housing conditions on recovery of laboratory mice. Lab Animal 44(2), 65-70.

Group housing and nest building only slightly ameliorate the cold stress of typical housing in female C57BL/6J mice

Huddling and nest building are two methods of behavioral thermoregulation used by mice under cold stress. In the laboratory, mice are typically housed at an ambient temperature (Ta) of 20°C, well below the lower end of their thermoneutral zone. We...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Maher, R. L., Barbash, S. M., Lynch, D. V. et al. 2015. Group housing and nest building only slightly ameliorate the cold stress of typical housing in female C57BL/6J mice. American Journal of Physiology 308(12), R1070-R1079.

Effects of degree and timing of social housing on reversal learning and response to novel objects in dairy calves

Rodents and primates deprived of early social contact exhibit deficits in learning and behavioural flexibility. They often also exhibit apparent signs of elevated anxiety, although the relationship between these effects has not been studied. To investigate whether dairy calves are...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Meagher, R. K., Daros, R. R., Costa, J.H. et al. 2015. Effects of degree and timing of social housing on reversal learning and response to novel objects in dairy calves. PLOS ONE 10(8), e0132828.

Laboratory animal behavior

The study of laboratory animal behavior has increased steadily over the last decade, with expanding emphasis on a variety of commonly used species. In the United States, this trend was initially focused on species for which there was a regulatory...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Baboon, Bird, Capuchin, Cat, Cattle, Chicken, Chimpanzee, Dog, Fowl, Gerbil, Goat, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Mink, Mouse, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Sheep, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Bayne, K. A., Beaver, B. V., Mench, J. A. et al. 2015. Laboratory animal behavior. In: Laboratory Animal Medicine, 3rd edition. Fox, J. G., Anderson, L., Otto, G., et al. (eds). Elsevier, Inc., Amsterdam, NL. pp. 1617-1651.

Evaluating the effect of semi-group housing of rabbit does on their offspring’s fearfulness: Can we use the open-field test? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 162, 58-66

Breeding does are usually housed one doe per cage, but there is an increased interest in (semi-)group housing systems designed to improve welfare. However, there is a lack of information on how such systems actually affect different aspects of rabbit...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Rabbit

Citation: Buijs, S., Tuyttens, F. A. M. 2015. Evaluating the effect of semi-group housing of rabbit does on their offspring's fearfulness: Can we use the open-field test? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 162, 58-66.

Behavioural and physiological effects of housing type on laboratory housed female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

Due to the despotic nature of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and their frequent use in biomedical research, it is important to understand the impact that standard housing practices can have on individuals of this species in order to improve practices...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Cassidy, L., Semple, S., Hannibal, D. et al. 2015. Behavioural and physiological effects of housing type on laboratory housed female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Folia Primatologica 86(4), 259-60.

Effects of group housing on ECG assessment in conscious cynomolgus monkeys

Assessing the cardiovascular safety of new chemical or biological entities is important during pre-clinical development. Electrocardiogram (ECG) assessments in non-human primate (NHP) toxicology studies are often made using non-invasive telemetry systems. We investigated whether ECG recording was feasible during group...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, External Bodily Equipment, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Macaque, Nonhuman Primate

Citation: Xing, G., Lu, J., Hu, M. et al. 2015. Effects of group housing on ECG assessment in conscious cynomolgus monkeys. Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods 75, 44-51.

Chronic social isolation affects thigmotaxis and whole-brain serotonin levels in adult zebrafish

The popularity of the zebrafish has been growing in behavioral brain research. Previously utilized mainly in developmental biology and genetics, the zebrafish has turned out to possess a complex behavioral repertoire. For example, it is a highly social species, and...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Fish, Zebrafish

Citation: Shams, S., Chatterjee, D., Gerlai, R. 2015. Chronic social isolation affects thigmotaxis and whole-brain serotonin levels in adult zebrafish. Behavioral Brain Research 292, 283-87.

Aggression and cortisol levels in three different group housing routines for lactating sows

Background: Lactating sows in Swedish organic piglet production are commonly group-housed with piglets in a multi-suckling pen within 14 days after farrowing. Nursing behaviour may be disturbed when lactating sows are moved to a new environment and mixed with other...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Husbandry & Management, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Pig

Citation: Thomsson, O., Bergqvist, A. S., Sjunnesson, Y. et al. 2015. Aggression and cortisol levels in three different group housing routines for lactating sows. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 57(1), 9.

Isolation impairs cognition in a social fish

In variable environments, animals can learn to alter their behavior to adjust to changes. Sometimes, however, this learning ability can be impaired. For example, challenges in the social or physical environment can trigger physiological responses that compromise an individual's capacity...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish

Citation: Brandão, M. L., Braithwaite, V. A., Gonçalves-de-Freitas, E. 2015. Isolation impairs cognition in a social fish. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 171, 204-210.