Assembling of a cost-effective and adaptable motorised rodent exercise wheel

Abstract

Objectives: Exercise physiology is one of the leading branches of applied physiology. It is concerned with studies related to the effect of acute and chronic exercise on mental and physical health research in human subjects and animals. There are various methods of physical exercise which have been used in animal studies including rodents. However, the machines available for research purposes are sophisticated and expensive, which also requires an additional annual maintenance cost. The objective is to assemble an efficient, reliable, cost-effective, and humane motorized exercise wheel setup for the study of acute and chronic physical exercise in rodents. Materials and Methods: The motorized rodent exercise wheel was assembled using affordable locally available materials. Results: A cost-effective, efficient model for rodent exercise was built and the total cost of this setup was 32 USD or 2860 INR only. Conclusion: This cost-effective rodent exercise wheel works efficiently for the conduction of exercise-related studies in rodents.