Use the links above to access information on the housing, husbandry and care of rodents.
Basic requirements for good rodent housing include the following:
Housing in stable, compatible groups - it is important to take into account sex, age, reproductive condition, familiarity, prior group housing experience etc. when grouping the animals
Enclosures designed to cause minimum disturbance to the animals
Enough space for exercise, normal social behaviour (e.g. grooming, play) and the provision of enrichment - this will help reduce the risk of social stress and aggression
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 adult rats)
Solid floors
Adequate depth of appropriate substrate (e.g. 1cm depth of dust-free woodchip) for hygiene, comfort and to permit foraging and digging behaviour
Something to gnaw (e.g. soft wood blocks, hard pellets, cardboard tubes) to prevent the teeth overgrowing, for enrichment and to prevent stereotypic bar chewing
Refuges (e.g. nest boxes) for resting, security, climbing exercise and for managing social interactions
Vertical barriers or tubes (e.g. PVC, aspen wood or cardboard) for added cage complexity, tactile comfort, escape routes, and exploration
Nesting material (e.g. shredded paper or soft wood) for comfort, to help regulate temperature and light levels, and to hide and retreat from cage mates or threatening stimuli - providing this in a form that requires shredding will give the animals something to do; nesting material is essential for parturient females
Nest boxes should be provided if insufficient nesting material is provided for the animals to build a complete, covered nest
Appropriate lighting levels and regimes - whenever possible, lights should be put onto a reverse light:dark cycle; low light levels and racks with shaded tops will help reduce the risk of retinal degeneration, especially for albino animals
A varied diet and the ability to forage - scattering food (e.g. sunflower seeds) in substrate will encourage activity and natural behaviour such as food storing
Minimisation of extraneous noise and ultrasound
Empathetic cleaning protocols, which balance hygiene with the need to retain some odour cues (e.g. scent-marked nesting material) so as to avoid stress and aggression
Running wheels, activity disks and frames, ropes, string and chains for climbing may also be beneficial for rodents
Strains may differ in their preferences for enrichment items. Whenever enrichments are offered, these should be in sufficient number and at a sufficient distance so that aggressive competition is not triggered.
The same principles regarding quantity and quality of space, environmental enrichment and other considerations should apply to containment systems such as individually ventilated cages (IVCs), although the design of the system may mean that these have to be approached differently.
Guinea pigs should be provided with manipulable materials (e.g. hay) for chewing and concealment.
Gerbils require comparatively more space than other rodent species in order to allow them to build and/or use burrows of sufficient size. Failure to permit burrowing will result in stereotypic digging behaviour. Provide spacious, 50cm high terrariums with a thick layer of substrate for digging and nesting, or an artificial burrow system accessed through a tube at least 20cm long.
Resources
Links
Berdoy M (2002), The laboratory rat: a natural history, Film. 27 minutes. Open Link
Animal Welfare Information Center (2006), Information resources on the care and welfare of rodents Open Link
RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group (2010), RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group Open Link
Legislation
Council of Europe (2005), Draft proposal for the revised Appendix A to Convention ETS 123 – guidelines for accommodation and care of animals Open Link View PDF (572KB)
References
Comfortable Quarters for Laboratory Animals 9th Edn. Open Link
Refining rodent husbandry: the mouse. View PDF (265KB)
UFAW (1999), UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory Animals Volume 1, 7th edn Terrestrial Vertebrates. Oxford, (Poole T, English P): Blackwell Science.
Making sense of scents: reducing aggression and uncontrolled variation in laboratory mice. View PDF (504KB)
Refinement of rodent research through environmental enrichment and systematic randomization. View PDF (352 KB)
Validating refinements to laboratory housing: asking the animals. View PDF (302KB)
Discussions
LAREF - Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum -- For exchange of experiences about ways to improve the conditions under which laboratory animals are housed and handled. Open Link
