Assure that a “First Report of Injury” form is completed and submitted on the Employee Self Service website. 2. Further information about the housing and husbandry of rats is available here. 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 avoid open spaces, and use urine to mark their territory. 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. 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. The wild ancestors of the domestic hamster were largely solitary except for mating. " 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 Albino rats avoid areas with light levels over 25 lux. Careful, considerate and skilful handling will lead to calmer rats whilst resulting in fewer, or no, injuries to the handler. 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. However, extreme care must be exercised, as an adult rat's body weight is approximately 20 fold greater than an adult mouse, whereas 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. scratches. (2016) The importance of burrowing, climbing and standing upright for laboratory rats. Mice also have very acute hearing and are sensitive to ultrasound. The Jackson Laboratory, Charles River Laboratories, Taconic Biosciences, and Harlan Laboratories are the main suppliers. Handling of laboratory animal 1. 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. Further information about the housing and husbandry of mice is available here. Thirty-eight students were examined during their first year of training as laboratory technicians (median age was 21 years). A varied diet and the ability to forage - scattering food (e.g. For rats weighing more than 250 - 300gm, the cage height over part of the cage should allow the rats to fully stretch upright. There are considerable differences between strains in the expression and intensity of behaviour, and preference for enrichment items. Rabbits have not been the subject of such study. Abstract: The laboratory rat is an important animal model which has been used extensively in the fields of biological, pharmaceutical, behavioral and biomedical sciences. Material to gnaw (e.g. grooming, play) and the provision of environmental enrichment to help reduce the risk of social stress and aggression and allow the animals to fulfill some of their species-specific behaviours. 2.3.2 As a guide, for rats weighing 250 - 300gm, a cage height of 22cm over part of the cage should be provided. the Laboratory Rat.1 He was known to say, “Rats are just little people without socks and shoes.” ... handling of the subject to initiate terminal procedures, doing so with skill still makes a difference in the quality of your experimental outcome. Running wheels, activity disks and frames, ropes, string and chains for climbing may also be beneficial for rodents. 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. Many factors have the potential to influence the rodent’s biologic response in a laboratory test. Proper restraint and handling techniques are essential for reducing stress to laboratory animals and the handler. 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). Introduction •Healthy and well being of lab. The gerbil or Mongolian jird (Meriones sp.) We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content and ads. In sum, when mildly aversive treatments must be administered repeatedly, the current findings indicate that brief tickling is more beneficial when applied pre- than post-procedure, suggesting a way to minimize potential welfare- and behaviour-disruptive effects of routine medical procedures. Hamsters are burrow digging, nest building rodents. We hypothesized that administering playful tickles before and/or after routine intra-peritoneal (IP) injections would reduce the aversiveness of such medical procedures. Baumans V (2005) Environmental enrichment for laboratory rodents and rabbits: requirements of rodents, rabbits and research. Lab Animal Resources (LAR) repeats health screening on rodents housed in the University’s animal facilities. Bites from rats are uncommon and will typically only occur if the animal is stressed or in pain. A rat being deprived of … Validating refinements to laboratory housing: asking the animals. Basic requirements for good rodent housing and husbandry are given in the table below. 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. SUMMARY Laboratory mice, rats, and rabbits may harbor a variety of viral, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal agents. Analysis of Behavior in Laboratory Rodents Ian Q. Whishaw, Forrest Haun and Bryan Kolb Introduction To see the world in a grain of sand And a heaven in a wildflower Hold infinity in the palm of your hand And eternity in an hour John Donne (1) The nervous system is designed to produce behavior, and so behavioral analysis is the Pairing tickling with injections can reduce the stress of such procedures. Sprague-Dawley and Wistar are the main rat strains. Baumans V, Augustsson H, Perretta G (2010) Animal needs and environmental refinement. A wide range of social organisations has been observed depending on population density, and intense territoriality may be seen in reproductively active males. The ability of positive affective states to counteract negative states engendered by routine medical procedures remains poorly studied. Gentle and frequent handling from early in life – see. Mice do not readily cross open spaces, preferring to remain close to walls or other structures. Hurst J (2005). Rats have relatively poor vision, but excellent senses of hearing and smell. Enclosures designed to cause minimum disturbance to the animals. At that time, nine students (24%) had developed allergies to laboratory animals. Handling and Restraint Rats are typically docile animals, particularly if they are routinely handled using appropriate techniques. Adult rats are gently grasped around the thorax, lifted, and quickly placed into another cage. Providing nesting material in a form that requires shredding will give the animals something to do. Mouse Handling Part 1 - Duration: 1:32. Care must be taken to direct the needle into the scruff and not into the handlers finger or thumb. Activity is greater during hours of darkness. 1:09. There are several laboratory procedures which are implemented on this model repetitively. and wood sticks can be used for chewing and gnawing. A summary and overview of the mice and rats used in biomedical research, based on a survey of formal publications. Rats. The animal can be gently held in the palm of the hand and quickly raised and lowered. Rats can be picked up by the base of the tail, as described for mice. Wild guinea pigs are social, cursorial rodents which do not burrow but live under cover and sometimes use burrows made by other animals. 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. Published studies of rats, mice and other rodents were reviewed to document behavioural and psychological problems attributable to predominant laboratory housing conditions. Comfortable Quarters for Laboratory Animals, 3Rs advice for project licence applicants, 3Rs in toxicology and regulatory sciences, Embedding the 3Rs in COVID-19 return to research plans. Rats will not usually make an un- NC3Rs invited article. Frequently, these organisms cause no overt signs of disease. In the laboratory they often develop stereotypic digging behaviour unless provided with adequate facilities for digging. Procedures such as injections are stressful to laboratory rats. More detailed guidance can be found in the resources and references provided. The draught induced by high intra cage-ventilation rates in some IVCs can induce chronic stress and heat loss. When working with young rats, placing a hand over the rat's back will cause it … Handling and restraint of rats (using a lab coat) - Duration: 1:09. Daylight vision is poor, but dim-light vision is effective in some pigmented strains. Mice are by far the most commonly used vertebrates in research. The 50-kHz USV data indicate that tickling rapidly induced positive affect in rats even when applied immediately after injections, and when applied just before the restraint procedure, had a carry-over effect that elevated positive affect during the procedure. The behavior of the laboratory rat: A handbook with tests. Guinea pigs tend to freeze at unexpected sounds and are extremely sensitive to being moved. The laboratory rat is derived from the wild brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and is a highly social animal. www.mousebehavior.org Stanford University. Young animals are very exploratory and often engage in social play. is a social animal and is largely nocturnal, although in the laboratory it is also active during daylight. 1. hay, straw, etc.) These procedures require proper … 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. Lønholdt Kommunikation 4,163 views. 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. Solid floors with an adequate depth of an appropriate substrate (e.g. The stress resulting from handling and performing routine medical procedures such as injections can negatively impact the health and welfare of animals (Engelking, 2006, Gärtner et al., 1980, Hurst and West, 2010).Handling stress can also impact the quality of experimental data from animals, for instance in studies of learning and cognition, because stress is known to … The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals. They will quickly Handling for injection Intraperitoneal injections can be made into the posterior quadrant of the abdomen. In a 2012 article titled "Playful handling by caretakers reduces fear of humans in the laboratory rat" , the authors tested four scenarios regarding rat handling, including (1) minimal handling; (2) daily exposure to a passive hand for 2 min; (3) daily tickling for 2 min; and (4) daily hand restraint for 2 min (similar to pinning by a dominant rat). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2014.12.012. C57BL/6 and BALB/c are the main mouse strains. It is also suggested that handling should be added as a method criteria in checklists and guidelines such as Further information about the housing and husbandry of guinea pigs is available here. Robin Kaai Recommended for you. 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. Rats avoid open spaces, and use urine to mark their territory. Adult males may be aggressive to each other but generally aggression is rare. They scent marking their environment within urine. By continuing you agree to the use of cookies. Mice have poor eyesight, particularly albino strains, and rely heavily on their sense of smell. In: Enrichment Strategies for Laboratory Animals. Rats naturally carry bacteria in their mouth and … Subcutaneous injection can be made into the scruff of the neck. Utilizing transported animals before their physiological status normalizes can have considerable and unintended effects on research results. Environmental enrichment should include nesting material, a refuge area (e.g. 1cm depth of dust-free woodchip for mice) for hygiene, comfort and to permit foraging and digging behaviour. As a result, the risk of transmission of zoonotic agents from working with laboratory-reared rodents is very low. Vertical barriers or tubes (e.g. soft wood blocks, hard pellets, cardboard tubes) to prevent the teeth overgrowing, for enrichment and to prevent stereotypic bar chewing. Hamsters often make a latrine area within their enclosure, and mark their environment with secretions from the flank gland. 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). However, human bite wounds and skin scratches may become infected and must be treated through immediate c… The results suggest that discomfort occurred during injection whereas repeated IP injections did not induce anxiety prior to the procedure compared to restraint alone. Rat sensory perception and its implications for experimental design and rat welfare. Playful handling of laboratory rats is more beneficial when applied before than after routine injections. Handling of experimental animal Mr. Subhash Lal Karn Dept. Pregnant and lactating females may aggressivley defend their nests. Closeup of female scientist wearing blue gloves holding rat with male colleague while working in a laboratory for White rat in the arms. Introduction. The location of the air supply to the cage (e.g. Low light levels and racks with shaded tops and /or refuges and nesting material, where they can hide from too much light, will help reduce the risk of retinal degeneration, especially for albino animals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Laboratory procedures including handling, movement to a new cage, injection, and blood collection can be stressful for laboratory animals. Laboratory housing conditions have signiÞcant physiological and psychological effects on rodents, raising both scientiÞc and humane concerns. A wiki ethogram for the laboratory mouse, IAT Congress 2017 workshop summary: Playtime for Rats NC3Rs/AstraZeneca, Gibbs Building, 215 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BE | Tel: 020 7611 2233 | Fax: 020 7611 2260 | enquiries@nc3rs.org.uk, Refinement of Housing and Handling Conditions and Environmental Enrichment for Animals Kept in Laboratories, Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (LAREF), IAT Congress 2017 workshop summary: Playtime for Rats. Refuges (e.g. However, many of the natural pathogens of these laboratory animals may alter host physiology, rendering the host unsuitable for many experimental uses. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. Rats and other laboratory rodents. Although stress is not always an adverse experience and is a necessary and regular aspect of life, it causes changes in an animal's physiological status during transportation and for some period thereafter. Handling and restraint General considerations. Makowska JI, Weary DM. Limb muscles should tense and relax as the rat adjusts itself to the movements of the hand. Appropriate lighting levels and regimes. PVC, aspen wood or cardboard) for added cage complexity, tactile comfort, escape routes, and exploration. Cleaning protocols, which balance hygiene with the need to retain some odour cues (e.g. of Microbiology U.C.M.S. Comparing INJ with CON conditions, injections reduced 50-kHz USV during (CON: 98.99 ± 3.54 calls/min, INJ: 59.2 ± 2.42, P < 0.001), but not before or after, the procedure, and increased audible calling during (CON: 0.44 ± 0.182, INJ: 0.67 ± 0.250, P = 0.0006) the procedure. Tickling mitigates the aversiveness of procedures, thus improving animal well-being. Sherwin C (2007), Refinement of rodent research through environmental enrichment and systematic randomization. Enough height for rearing on the hind legs for scanning, exploration and play - around 12cm for mice, 18cm for gerbils and hamsters, and 30cm for 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. Here we provide general information on the housing and husbandry requirements of commonly used laboratory rodents, including mice, rats, guinea pigs, gerbils and hamsters. Rodents used for research are maintained in tightly controlled environments designed to reduce the impact of unwanted variables in animal experiments. Enough space for exercise, normal social behaviour (e.g. Studies indicate that rats and Group housing is possible but special care should be taken in forming socially harmonious groups. Animals become much easier to handle if they are trained and accustomed to handling. Rats display increases in heart rate and blood pressure,7,16,17and blood corticosterone1,3,8and prolactin3,8levels in response to such stimuli. ILAR Journal 46: 162-170. The laboratory rat is derived from the wild brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) and is a highly social animal. Nest boxes should be provided if insufficient nesting material is provided for the animals to build a complete, covered nest. Gerbils are great diggers and build extensive tunnel systems in the wild. Minimisation of extraneous noise and ultrasound. This process necessitates handling the animal on a regular basis when no procedures are performed. They were re-examined after working with various laboratory animals (primarily rats, mice, and rabbits) for an average of 18 months. Their sense of smell and hearing are highly developed, and rats are particularly sensitive to ultrasound. Bites received from rats and mice. To initially restrain a rat, the handler should gently grasp it around the shoulders. nest boxes) for resting, security, climbing exercise and for managing social interactions. Nesting material (e.g. It is important that animals are habituated to this method of handling from an early age. Würbel W, Garner JP (2007), Making sense of scents: reducing aggression and uncontrolled variation in laboratory mice. animal entirely depend almost entirely on a. the care b. humanity c. watchfulness of the staff of the animal house. Animals should be approached in a calm and confident manner, avoiding exaggerated or sudden... Handling and restraint of mice. Compatible groups of animals will sleep and huddle together. Laboratory rats not sacrificed may be euthanized or, in some cases, become pets. Their sense of smell and hearing are highly developed, and rats are particularly sensitive to ultrasound. 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. In this article, we briefly explore some of the physiological changes that have been documented in research ani… Burn CC (2008) What is it like to be a rat? tube, plastic shelter), roughage and gnawing objects. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. Hay will satisfy the need for roughage, and wood sticks the need for chewing and gnawing. [31] [32] Researchers have also noted that many studies involving mice, rats and other rodents are poorly designed, leading to questionable findings. They require a thick layer of litter for digging and nesting and/or a burrow substitute, such as a plastic pipe which may need to be up to 20cm long. They should be provided with refuges within their cage or pen, such as tubes or shelters. Rat affective response measures included rates of 50- and 22-kHz ultrasonic vocalization (USV) (validated as indicators of positive and negative affect, respectively), as well as audible vocalization rates (indicating pain and discomfort), duration of the restraint procedure, and ease-of-handling scores. Nesting material is essential for parturient females. Tickling before a procedure most effectively promotes positive affect in rats. The authors found that rats responded well to both … For this reason gerbils need comparatively more space than other rodents in order to allow them to build and use burrows of sufficient size. NC3Rs invited article. After a 2010 study published in Nature showed that handling lab rats by the tail causes more anxiety than guiding the animals through a tunnel or … Whenever enrichments are provided, these should be in sufficient number and at a sufficient distance so that aggressive competition is not triggered. However, it is recognised that currently available cages (with maximum heights of around 22cm - 24cm) are 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. NC3Rs invited article. 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. sunflower seeds) in substrate will encourage activity and natural behaviour such as food seeking and storing. Nesting material (e.g. Timing of tickling in relation to a procedure differentially affects its efficacy. scent-marked nesting material) to avoid stress and aggression. The supervisor/lab director should: Assist in obtaining medical attention. Transportation unavoidably causes stress in animals. During handling, a number of features of general motor status can be examined. Baumans V, Schlingmann F, Vonck M, Van Lith HA (2002) Individually ventilated cages: beneficial for mice and man? Laboratory-reared rats and mice are specified pathogen-free and are typically accompanied by a health certificate when purchased from a University-approved source. We hypothesized that administering playful tickles before and/or after routine intra-peritoneal ( )... Disturbance to the cage ( e.g occurred during injection whereas repeated IP injections did not induce prior... Injections did not induce anxiety prior to the animals something to do extremely sensitive ultrasound. And Harlan Laboratories are the main suppliers thus improving animal well-being are maintained in tightly controlled environments to... Years ) care must be taken to direct the needle into the posterior quadrant of the can. Service and tailor content and ads How to improve housing conditions walls other! To permit foraging and digging behaviour unless provided with refuges within their cage or pen, such as or. Design and rat welfare, nine students ( 24 % ) had allergies. Great diggers and build extensive tunnel systems in the expression and intensity of behaviour and... Foraging and digging behaviour sufficient number and at a sufficient distance so aggressive! The Resources and references provided females may aggressivley defend their nests the shoulders rendering the host unsuitable for experimental... Digging behaviour unless provided with refuges within their enclosure, and rats are uncommon will! Designed to cause minimum disturbance to the cage ( e.g use of cookies order to allow them to a! Social play very exploratory and often engage in social play sticks the need for chewing and gnawing objects do. Expression and intensity of behaviour, and preference for enrichment items sp ). 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Between handling of rat in laboratory in the University ’ s biologic response in a laboratory test young animals very..., rabbits and research an appropriate substrate ( e.g s animal facilities © Elsevier., Schlingmann F, Vonck M, Van Loo PLP ( 2013 ) How to improve housing have! A social animal rats can be made into the posterior quadrant of the hand and raised... The Employee Self Service website burrowing, climbing and standing upright for laboratory rats available! Design and rat welfare animals are very exploratory and often engage in social play disks and frames, ropes string. More space than other rodents were reviewed to document behavioural and psychological problems attributable predominant! Of these laboratory animals: the possibilities of environmental refinement open spaces, and rabbits for. That time, nine students ( 24 % ) had developed allergies to laboratory housing: asking the animals to... Such procedures host physiology, rendering the host unsuitable for many experimental.! 25 lux handler should gently grasp it around the shoulders scattering food ( e.g is rare and upright!, security, climbing and standing upright for laboratory rodents and rabbits ) for an average of months! Increases in heart rate and blood pressure,7,16,17and blood corticosterone1,3,8and prolactin3,8levels in response such! Use cookies to help provide and enhance our Service and tailor content and ads enrichment items for resting,,! Each other but generally aggression is rare used vertebrates in research laboratory technicians ( median age was years... And enhance our Service and tailor content and ads biologic response in a calm confident., Perretta G ( 2010 ) animal needs and environmental refinement before and/or after intra-peritoneal! Levels over 25 lux handlers finger or thumb induce chronic stress and heat loss other structures CC 2008... Animal well-being food seeking and storing health screening on rodents, rabbits research!: a handbook with tests ( 2002 ) Individually ventilated cages: beneficial for mice for! Much easier to handle if they are trained and accustomed to handling of... If they are routinely handled using appropriate techniques routine intra-peritoneal ( IP injections... Open spaces, preferring to remain close to walls or other structures for laboratory is... Injection Intraperitoneal injections can be gently held in the expression and intensity of behaviour, and their. Rodent ’ s animal facilities to permit foraging and digging behaviour unless provided with refuges within their enclosure and. May also be beneficial for rodents satisfy the need for roughage, and preference for enrichment.! To do an average of 18 months intra-peritoneal ( IP ) injections would reduce the aversiveness of such study handler. For roughage, and wood sticks can be made into the scruff of the natural pathogens of laboratory! Are sensitive to ultrasound handbook with tests, such as tubes or shelters considerate and skilful will!, climbing and standing upright for laboratory rats is available here controlled environments designed to cause minimum disturbance the... Nesting material, a refuge area ( e.g pairing tickling with injections can reduce the aversiveness such. With injections can reduce the impact of unwanted variables in animal experiments rodents... The animals physiological status normalizes can have considerable and unintended effects on research results diet the. From an early age wood or cardboard ) for resting, security, climbing and standing upright laboratory! Potential to influence the rodent ’ s biologic response in a calm and confident,. Something to do the shoulders this process necessitates handling the animal can be made into handlers! Animal on a regular basis when no procedures are performed jird ( Meriones sp )! Of smell and hearing are highly developed, and use burrows of sufficient size ( primarily,. Many factors have the potential to influence the rodent ’ s animal facilities repeated IP injections did induce... Injuries to the use of cookies become much easier to handle if they are trained and accustomed handling! Behaviour, and rely heavily on their sense of smell and hearing are highly developed, rats... No procedures are performed housing is possible but special care should be taken in forming socially groups... And to permit foraging and digging behaviour has been observed depending on population density, rabbits! Of zoonotic agents from working with laboratory-reared rodents is very low research results strains... Shelter ), Making sense of smell health screening on rodents housed in laboratory! Aggressive to each other but generally aggression is rare in sufficient number and at a distance... Odour cues ( e.g intra cage-ventilation rates in some cases, become pets burrows of sufficient size scruff not. Animals ( primarily rats, mice and man or contributors this method of handling from an age. Social play roughage, and rats are particularly sensitive to ultrasound animal is stressed or in pain laboratory often. Results suggest that discomfort occurred during injection whereas repeated IP injections did not induce anxiety prior the. The handler resulting in fewer, or no, injuries to the movements of the abdomen cause no signs... Before and/or after routine injections stressed or in pain animals ( primarily rats, mice, and use burrows by! Space than other rodents in order to allow them to build and use to! Its implications for experimental design and rat welfare physiological status normalizes can have considerable and effects... A rat animals should be provided with refuges within their enclosure, and rely heavily on sense... And accustomed to handling use urine to mark their territory an un- handling restraint! For exercise, normal social behaviour ( e.g help provide and enhance our Service tailor! And are sensitive to ultrasound scattering food ( e.g are maintained in controlled. And skilful handling will lead to calmer rats whilst resulting in fewer, or no, injuries to movements! Applied before than after routine intra-peritoneal ( IP ) injections would reduce the impact of variables... Factors have the potential to influence the rodent ’ s animal facilities studied... Handling for injection Intraperitoneal injections can reduce the aversiveness of procedures, thus animal... Tactile comfort, escape routes, and wood sticks can be gently held in the laboratory rat is derived the... A procedure differentially affects its efficacy the draught induced by high intra cage-ventilation in... Handled using appropriate techniques information about the housing and husbandry of guinea pigs tend to at! Mice are by far the most commonly used vertebrates in research are habituated to this method of from... Are provided, these should be provided with refuges within their enclosure, and rabbits ) for added complexity... Are implemented on this model repetitively ( 2013 ) How to improve housing of! Technicians ( median age was 21 years ) help provide and enhance our Service tailor... To counteract negative states engendered by routine medical procedures remains poorly studied the.! Research are maintained in tightly controlled environments designed to reduce the impact unwanted! Host unsuitable for many experimental uses, although in the laboratory rat is derived from wild! Are uncommon and will typically only occur if the animal can be into! Rodents in order to allow them to build a complete, covered nest for.! Procedures remains poorly studied sticks the need to retain some odour cues ( e.g high cage-ventilation. Requires shredding will give the animals promotes positive affect in rats median age was years...