SummaryThe type of bedding material has been reported to affect the environment in both the animal cage and animal room. It has an impact on the health and well-being of the animals and may cause biased experimental results. Requirements for bedding materials, particularly those regarding animal comfort are poorly supported by experimental data. In this study, various types of bedding material were evaluated using preference tests with mice and rats. It was found that beddings consisting of relatively small particles I,::; 1.2 x 1.6 mm 2 ) were generally avoided, whereas beddings consisting of large fibrous particles were preferred. The characteristics of the bedding materials were further investigated by scanning the size and shape of the particles, and by the assessment of ultrasound produced by the moving of the beddings. The results seem to indicate that size and manipulability are among the main determinants of the appreciation of bedding particles by laboratory mice and rats, and larger particles are preferred.
In the field of biomedical research, the demand for standardization of environmental enrichment for laboratory animals is growing. For laboratory mice, a wide variety of environmental enrichment items are commercially available. Most of these comply with the demands for standardization, hygiene and ergonomics. Whether these items also comply with their actual purpose, to enhance the well-being of the mice, is often not assessed scientifically. In this study, we tested the preference of mice for two commercially available nest boxes differing in shape and material: the Shepherd Shack/DesRes (SS/DR) and the Tecniplast Mouse House (TMH), in a simple preference test. To indicate strength of preference, both nest boxes were also tested against a highly preferred nesting material. Preference for the most preferred nest box was investigated further. Our results indicated a strong preference by mice for the SS/DR, but not for the TMH. Furthermore, nesting material was almost always combined with the SS/DR, but not with the TMH. More elaborate testing of the SS/DR in an automated preference test system confirmed that mice spent significantly more time in a cage in which an SS/DR is provided. Differences between both nest boxes are discussed with regard to their attractiveness to mice. It is also argued that enrichment should primarily be developed in concordance with the animals' needs prior to the marketing of enrichment tools.
IntroductionGuidelines have been formulated by the European Community (EC 1986) to cover housing conditions for laboratory animals. These guidelines are based essentially on common practice of housing laboratory animals and on limited data concerning relations between housing conditions and either animal growth or development of pathologies. Further information on this subject is required to optimize housing conditions of laboratory animals.
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