Simple Summary Continued evolution of how research animals are kept and cared for is
vital for respecting the 3Rs of replacement, reduction, and refinement. How animals feel …

Nonaversive or low stress handling techniques can reduce fear and stress in research
rodents, ultimately improving study data quality. Uptake of low stress handling has been …

The ability to apply findings from animal studies efficiently and effectively is predicated on an
understanding of biology and pathobiology, how that biology relates to the human systems …

The ongoing worldwide effort to reduce animal numbers in research often omits the issue of
pre-weaning mortality in mouse breeding. A conservative estimate of 20% mortality would …

Studies in mice have shown that less aversive handling methods (eg tunnel or cup handling)
can reduce behavioural measures of anxiety in comparison to picking mice up by their tail …

Aims Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder, but its
pathogenesis remains incompletely understood, particularly the involvements of central …

Refined handling improves laboratory mouse welfare and research outcomes when
compared to traditional tail handling, yet implementation does not seem to be widespread …

Lifting mice by the tail is of animal welfare and scientific concern, but rat lifting methods are
little researched, potentially differing from mice. Using an online questionnaire we explored …

Keeping tunnels in the home cages of mice used in research appears to both reduce
handling-related stress and provide environmental enrichment. However, for mice that have …

Preweaning mortality is a widespread problem in laboratory mouse breeding, particularly in
the case of fragile mouse models. While numerous studies explore alternative care methods …