This review summarizes all reported and suspected functions of ultrasonic vocalizations in
infant and adult rats. The review leads to the conclusion that all types of ultrasonic …

Simple Summary Enrichment is important for supporting the well-being of captive animals.
Enrichment increase animal quality of life through encouraging natural behaviours. As …

Social play in rats is a highly rewarding, energetic form of social interaction and important for
development of the brain and social skills. The 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) …

Functional magnetic resonance imaging, as a non-invasive technique, offers unique
opportunities to assess brain function and connectivity under a broad range of applications …

Background Play is a common and developmentally important behaviour in young
mammals. Specifically in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), reduced opportunity to engage in …

Introduction Laboratory rat welfare is critically influenced by laboratory animal personnel
through their implementation, or lack of implementation, of various enrichment techniques …

Laboratory rats may experience stress during handling which can reduce their welfare. Rat
tickling, a handling technique that mimics aspects of rat rough-and-tumble play, has been …

Objective Ethical decisions about an allowance for animal experiments need to be based on
scientifically sound information about the burden and distress associated with the …

Surveys provide a low-cost means to obtain large amounts of data that are ideal for
conducting exploratory research, and they are becoming an increasingly valuable tool in a …

It has been over 20 years since the first scientific papers on rat tickling were published (1, 2).
Rats were found to emit ultrasonic vocalizations in the 50-kHz range (hereafter referred to as …