Welfare Assessment

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.

Application of the horse grimace scale in horses with dental disease: Preliminary findings

Background Dental disease is a common but often under-recognised condition in horses, possibly due to an inability to recognise clinical signs of oral discomfort. Some dental disorders are reportedly more painful than others, but there is no current metric by...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Disease/Experimental Model, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Sidwell, A. E., Duz, M., Hill, B. et al. 2025. Application of the horse grimace scale in horses with dental disease: Preliminary findings. Veterinary Record 196(3), e4800.

Key concepts for enhancing zoo animal welfare: Coping, comfort, choice, control, challenge, and compassion

Zoo animal welfare is subject to increasing scrutiny by many audiences. Although zoo husbandry and management techniques have progressed, common welfare issues are still apparent. To encourage further improvements, converting theoretical welfare definition into practical application is key. This paper...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Natural Behavior, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General

Citation: Rose, P. E., Lewton, J. 2025. Key concepts for enhancing zoo animal welfare: Coping, comfort, choice, control, challenge, and compassion. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 28(3), 497–514.

Current practices of pain assessment and analgesic use in laboratory mice: A 2022 FELASA Working Group survey

Assessing and alleviating pain in animals involved in research is critically important. However, the effective implementation of pain management depends on the knowledge and attitudes of the personnel involved. Following a Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations ‘Pain in...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Analgesia, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Gomez de Segura, I. A., Seeldrayers, S., Flecknell, P. 2025. Current practices of pain assessment and analgesic use in laboratory mice: A 2022 FELASA Working Group survey. Laboratory Animals 59(3), 396–412.

An adaptable, user-friendly score sheet to monitor welfare in experimental fish

Fish are increasingly used as experimental animals across research fields. Currently, around a quarter of all experimental animals used are fish. Less than 20% of these are standard model species. Welfare assessments for experimental fish are in their infancy compared...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish, Salmon, Shark & Ray, Tilapia, Trout, Zebrafish

Citation: Flueck-Giraud, M., Schmidt-Posthaus, H., Bergadano, A. et al. 2025. An adaptable, user-friendly score sheet to monitor welfare in experimental fish. Laboratory Animals 59(2), 226–241.

Insights from the judgement bias paradigm: Social group and tank size do not affect mental state in female guppies

Optimal holding conditions are key to animal welfare. How stressful husbandry is perceived by the animal can be determined via an assessment of an animal’s mental state – where it is positioned on the continuum between optimistic and pessimistic states...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Housing, Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Fish, Other Fish

Citation: Epping, J., Kotrschal, A., Kotrschal, S. D. 2025. Insights from the judgement bias paradigm: Social group and tank size do not affect mental state in female guppies. Journal of Fish Biology 106(1), 12–19.

An opportunistic study to assess African green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus aethiops) welfare using novel and classical biomarkers

The care and well-being of nonhuman primates (NHPs) in biomedical science have benefited from species-specific enrichment research. However, there remain few publications on African green monkey (AGM) welfare and husbandry. This opportunistic study aimed to explore the use of novel...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Nonhuman Primate, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Roman, B. C., Hooper, S. E., Beierschmitt, A. M. et al. 2025. An opportunistic study to assess African green monkey (Chlorocebus sabaeus aethiops) welfare using novel and classical biomarkers. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 64(3), 480–487.

Evaluation of welfare indicators for companion parrots: A Delphi consultation survey

Parrots can experience several welfare challenges when kept as companions. Despite their popularity no science-based guidelines are available to assess parrot welfare. The aim of this Delphi study was to establish consensus on welfare indicators that could be meaningful and...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Parrot

Citation: Piseddu, A., van Zeeland, Y. R. A., Rault, J.-L. 2025. Evaluation of welfare indicators for companion parrots: A Delphi consultation survey. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 283, 106526.

Smart farming and Artificial Intelligence (AI): How can we ensure that animal welfare is a priority?

The increasing use of technology in livestock farming has the potential for making farming easier and more efficient and for improving animal welfare. There are also, however, potential dangers, one of which is that animal welfare becomes subordinated to the...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Bird, Cattle, Chicken, Goat, Pig, Sheep

Citation: Dawkins, M. S. 2025. Smart farming and Artificial Intelligence (AI): How can we ensure that animal welfare is a priority? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 283, 106519.

Assessment of postoperative analgesic efficacy and animal well-being using a novel triaxial accelerometer device, the rodent fitbit-like telemetry device

Accurate postoperative pain management is crucial for good animal welfare and science. We sought to evaluate mouse postoperative pain management efficacy by measuring activity using a novel triaxial acceleration device—the Rodent Fitbit-like telemetry device (RFB)—to monitor home cage activity. To...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Analgesia, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Mouse, Rodent

Citation: Campbell, M., Tolwani, A., Tolwani, R. et al. 2025. Assessment of postoperative analgesic efficacy and animal well-being using a novel triaxial accelerometer device, the rodent fitbit-like telemetry device. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 64(3), 457–467.