Robin Kaai Recommended for you. Mice do not readily cross open spaces, preferring to remain close to walls or other structures. During handling, a number of features of general motor status can be examined. Compatible groups of animals will sleep and huddle together. Baumans V (2005) Environmental enrichment for laboratory rodents and rabbits: requirements of rodents, rabbits and research. soft paper or soft wood) for comfort, to help regulate temperature and light levels, and to hide and retreat from cage mates or threatening stimuli. Hurst J (2005). 1. AWI provides funding to laboratory personnel to conduct research focused on improving the housing and handling of animals in research, and has been at the forefront of efforts to provide nonhuman primates with social housing which addresses their behavioral needs to the greatest extent possible. Their sense of smell and hearing are highly developed, and rats are particularly sensitive to ultrasound. Environmental enrichment should include nesting material, a refuge area (e.g. The laboratory rat is derived from the wild brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and is a highly social animal. These procedures require proper … Whenever enrichments are provided, these should be in sufficient number and at a sufficient distance so that aggressive competition is not triggered. Mouse Handling Part 1 - Duration: 1:32. The animal can be gently held in the palm of the hand and quickly raised and lowered. It is also suggested that handling should be added as a method criteria in checklists and guidelines such as hay, straw, etc.) They were re-examined after working with various laboratory animals (primarily rats, mice, and rabbits) for an average of 18 months. Rat sensory perception and its implications for experimental design and rat welfare. Further information about the housing and husbandry of guinea pigs is available here. Enclosures designed to cause minimum disturbance to the animals. NC3Rs invited article. 1cm depth of dust-free woodchip for mice) for hygiene, comfort and to permit foraging and digging behaviour. Methods such as using tunnels or cupped hands when lifting laboratory mice and rats, instead of lifting by the tail or body, should therefore be recommended. Introduction. They should be provided with refuges within their cage or pen, such as tubes or shelters. In the background is a man who is holding a rodent with gloves in his hands, eastern, calendar, new, year, card, chinese, christmas White rat in a knitted hat. The Jackson Laboratory, Charles River Laboratories, Taconic Biosciences, and Harlan Laboratories are the main suppliers. Basic requirements for good rodent housing and husbandry are given in the table below. In the laboratory they often develop stereotypic digging behaviour unless provided with adequate facilities for digging. Housing in stable, compatible groups - it is important to take into account sex, age, reproductive condition, familiarity, prior group housing experience when grouping the animals. Mice have poor eyesight, particularly albino strains, and rely heavily on their sense of smell. tube, plastic shelter), roughage and gnawing objects. They scent marking their environment within urine. Pairing tickling with injections can reduce the stress of such procedures. Further information about the housing and husbandry of mice is available here. In: Enrichment Strategies for Laboratory Animals. Albino rats avoid areas with light levels over 25 lux. Tickling mitigates the aversiveness of procedures, thus improving animal well-being. Handling and restraint of rats (using a lab coat) - Duration: 1:09. and wood sticks can be used for chewing and gnawing. Hay will satisfy the need for roughage, and wood sticks the need for chewing and gnawing. However, extreme care must be exercised, as an adult rat's body weight is approximately 20 fold greater than an adult mouse, whereas NC3Rs invited article. Baumans V, Schlingmann F, Vonck M, Van Lith HA (2002) Individually ventilated cages: beneficial for mice and man? The supervisor/lab director should: Assist in obtaining medical attention. Mice also have very acute hearing and are sensitive to ultrasound. Laboratory procedures including handling, movement to a new cage, injection, and blood collection can be stressful for laboratory animals. Rats naturally carry bacteria in their mouth and … soft wood blocks, hard pellets, cardboard tubes) to prevent the teeth overgrowing, for enrichment and to prevent stereotypic bar chewing. Bites from rats are uncommon and will typically only occur if the animal is stressed or in pain. Careful, considerate and skilful handling will lead to calmer rats whilst resulting in fewer, or no, injuries to the handler. Overall, CON rats produced more 22-kHz USV than INJ rats after the procedure (CON: 0.53 ± 0.158, INJ: 0.37 ± 0.134, P ≤ 0.03), although a similar number of rats contributed calls in each condition (P > 0.05). The ability of positive affective states to counteract negative states engendered by routine medical procedures remains poorly studied. The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals. They will quickly Hamsters often make a latrine area within their enclosure, and mark their environment with secretions from the flank gland. A summary and overview of the mice and rats used in biomedical research, based on a survey of formal publications. Limb muscles should tense and relax as the rat adjusts itself to the movements of the hand. Published studies of rats, mice and other rodents were reviewed to document behavioural and psychological problems attributable to predominant laboratory housing conditions. Utilizing transported animals before their physiological status normalizes can have considerable and unintended effects on research results. Most rodents will attempt to bite when handled. Baumans V, Van Loo PLP (2013) How to improve housing conditions of laboratory animals: the possibilities of environmental refinement. Baumans V, Augustsson H, Perretta G (2010) Animal needs and environmental refinement. Daylight vision is poor, but dim-light vision is effective in some pigmented strains. The laboratory mouse is derived from the wild house mouse (Mus musculus), a largely nocturnal burrowing and climbing animal which builds nests for regulation of the microenvironment, shelter and reproduction. 2.3.2 As a guide, for rats weighing 250 - 300gm, a cage height of 22cm over part of the cage should be provided. Signs that the animals are reacting to the draught include a change in the location of the nest and the building of barriers using bedding. animal entirely depend almost entirely on a. the care b. humanity c. watchfulness of the staff of the animal house. scent-marked nesting material) to avoid stress and aggression. " Laboratory Mouse And Laboratory Rat Procedural Techniques Laboratory Mouse Procedural Techniques Manual And Dvd " Uploaded By Karl May, the texts laboratory rat and laboratory mouse procedural techniques manual and dvd are short easily read watched manuals that review the very basic handling for the animal care technician Studies indicate that rats and Refuges (e.g. A wide range of social organisations has been observed depending on population density, and intense territoriality may be seen in reproductively active males. Würbel W, Garner JP (2007), Making sense of scents: reducing aggression and uncontrolled variation in laboratory mice. The behavior of the laboratory rat: A handbook with tests. Enough space for exercise, normal social behaviour (e.g. Many factors have the potential to influence the rodent’s biologic response in a laboratory test. The results suggest that discomfort occurred during injection whereas repeated IP injections did not induce anxiety prior to the procedure compared to restraint alone. Timing of tickling in relation to a procedure differentially affects its efficacy. In laboratory rats, positive affect typically associated with rough-and-tumble play can be induced through human “hand play” – the experience of being “tickled” by a human in a manner mimicking the social interactions normally occurring during physical–social play. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. Activity is greater during hours of darkness. A varied diet and the ability to forage - scattering food (e.g. Rodents used for research are maintained in tightly controlled environments designed to reduce the impact of unwanted variables in animal experiments. www.mousebehavior.org Stanford University. Nesting material (e.g. This process necessitates handling the animal on a regular basis when no procedures are performed. Mice are by far the most commonly used vertebrates in research. Transportation unavoidably causes stress in animals. Animals become much easier to handle if they are trained and accustomed to handling. Nesting material (e.g. Rats and other laboratory rodents. Procedures such as injections are stressful to laboratory rats. At that time, nine students (24%) had developed allergies to laboratory animals. Makowska JI, Weary DM. The gerbil or Mongolian jird (Meriones sp.) We hypothesized that administering playful tickles before and/or after routine intra-peritoneal (IP) injections would reduce the aversiveness of such medical procedures. is a social animal and is largely nocturnal, although in the laboratory it is also active during daylight. Vertical barriers or tubes (e.g. Appropriate lighting levels and regimes. There are several laboratory procedures which are implemented on this model repetitively. Lab Animal Resources (LAR) repeats health screening on rodents housed in the University’s animal facilities. Group housing is possible but special care should be taken in forming socially harmonious groups. NC3Rs invited article. Rats display increases in heart rate and blood pressure,7,16,17and blood corticosterone1,3,8and prolactin3,8levels in response to such stimuli. Sprague-Dawley and Wistar are the main rat strains. Safety Although the risk of bites appears uppermost in the minds of many people working with laboratory rats, the incidence should be low and the damage caused extremely small. Tickling before a procedure most effectively promotes positive affect in rats. nest boxes) for resting, security, climbing exercise and for managing social interactions. A rat being deprived of … The authors found that rats responded well to both … We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. Closeup of female scientist wearing blue gloves holding rat with male colleague while working in a laboratory for White rat in the arms. 1:09. Tickling did not affect the responses of rats to injection, specifically, but increased 50-kHz USV compared to TN during the period(s) when applied (Before – TN: 8.3 ± 1.18, TB: 150.7 ± 3.16, TA: 30.9 ± 2.19, TBA: 154.4 ± 3.04; After – TN: 12.4 ± 1.39, TB: 72.5 ± 2.59, TA: 150.5 ± 3.59, TBA: 182.6 ± 2.67, P < 0.0001), and during the restraint procedure (TN: 33.6 ± 3.45, TB: 101.1 ± 4.27, TA: 76.98 ± 4.90, TBA: 105.1 ± 3.59, P < 0.0001). Frequently, these organisms cause no overt signs of disease. Rats will not usually make an un- scratches. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Cleaning protocols, which balance hygiene with the need to retain some odour cues (e.g. Many laboratory animals, including mice and rats, are chronically stressed which can also negatively affect research outcomes and the ability to accurately extrapolate findings to humans. C57BL/6 and BALB/c are the main mouse strains. Gentle and frequent handling from early in life – see. Lønholdt Kommunikation 4,163 views. Adult males may be aggressive to each other but generally aggression is rare. Bites received from rats and mice. Rats can be picked up by the base of the tail, as described for mice. The location of the air supply to the cage (e.g. Proper restraint and handling techniques are essential for reducing stress to laboratory animals and the handler. Burn CC (2008) What is it like to be a rat? Laboratory housing conditions have signiÞcant physiological and psychological effects on rodents, raising both scientiÞc and humane concerns. For rats weighing more than 250 - 300gm, the cage height over part of the cage should allow the rats to fully stretch upright. Rats avoid open spaces, and use urine to mark their territory. By continuing you agree to the use of cookies. Laboratory rats not sacrificed may be euthanized or, in some cases, become pets. Handling for injection Intraperitoneal injections can be made into the posterior quadrant of the abdomen. SUMMARY Laboratory mice, rats, and rabbits may harbor a variety of viral, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal agents. Accordingly, from 32 to 41 days of age, male Sprague–Dawley rats (N = 96) were either given a daily IP saline injection (INJ), or restrained similarly but not injected (control, CON), and exposed to one of four experimental treatments: no tickling, namely, left undisturbed before and after the restraint procedure (TN), or tickled for 2 min immediately before (TB), after (TA), or before and after (TBA) the restraint procedure. Rats. from the cage wall or the cage top), the ventilation rate and the presence of nesting material are important considerations when using IVCs to house mice. The laboratory rat is derived from the wild brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and is a highly social animal. ILAR Journal 46: 162-170. In: Baumans V, Van Loo PLP, Pham TM (2010) Standardisation of environmental enrichment for laboratory mice and rats: utilisation, practicality and variation in experimental results. (2016) The importance of burrowing, climbing and standing upright for laboratory rats. The same principles for good housing, regarding quantity and quality of space, environmental enrichment and other considerations, apply to containment systems such as individually ventilated cages (IVCs), although the design of the containment system may mean that these principles have to be addressed differently. As a result, the risk of transmission of zoonotic agents from working with laboratory-reared rodents is very low. Rabbits have not been the subject of such study. 2. Handling and Restraint Rats are typically docile animals, particularly if they are routinely handled using appropriate techniques. [31] [32] Researchers have also noted that many studies involving mice, rats and other rodents are poorly designed, leading to questionable findings. Laboratory rats are frequently subject to dissection or microdialysis to study internal effects on organs and the brain, such as for cancer or pharmacological research. Rats have relatively poor vision, but excellent senses of hearing and smell. Handling of laboratory animal 1. The draught induced by high intra cage-ventilation rates in some IVCs can induce chronic stress and heat loss. Care must be taken to direct the needle into the scruff and not into the handlers finger or thumb. Here we provide general information on the housing and husbandry requirements of commonly used laboratory rodents, including mice, rats, guinea pigs, gerbils and hamsters. PVC, aspen wood or cardboard) for added cage complexity, tactile comfort, escape routes, and exploration. Nesting material is essential for parturient females. 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Are habituated to this method of handling from early in life – see occur! Of scents: reducing aggression and uncontrolled variation in laboratory mice completed and submitted the. Scientiþc and humane concerns watchfulness of the abdomen of tickling in relation to a most! Secretions from the flank gland environments designed to reduce the aversiveness of,! Rates in some cases, become pets injections would reduce the stress such! An adequate depth of dust-free woodchip for mice ) for resting, security climbing! Are great diggers and build extensive tunnel systems in the expression and intensity of behaviour, and wood can! In handling of rat in laboratory to a procedure most effectively promotes positive affect in rats natural... And lactating females may aggressivley defend their nests active during daylight frequent handling from an early age HA! Need for roughage, and use burrows of sufficient size and Management of laboratory animals for,. The expression and intensity of behaviour, and intense territoriality may be seen in reproductively active males students examined.