Cargando…

Evaluation of a Configurable, Mobile and Modular Floor-Pen System for Group-Housing of Laboratory Rabbits

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The group housing of animals supports species-specific behavior and avoids stress induction. Therefore, novel housing systems need to be established that provide sufficient space and meet the hygiene criteria for laboratory animals. Here, we describe the successful implementation of...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Matzek, Dana, Baldauf, Hanna-Mari, Schieweck, Rico, Popper, Bastian
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8066506/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33915697
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11040977
_version_ 1783682585182863360
author Matzek, Dana
Baldauf, Hanna-Mari
Schieweck, Rico
Popper, Bastian
author_facet Matzek, Dana
Baldauf, Hanna-Mari
Schieweck, Rico
Popper, Bastian
author_sort Matzek, Dana
collection PubMed
description SIMPLE SUMMARY: The group housing of animals supports species-specific behavior and avoids stress induction. Therefore, novel housing systems need to be established that provide sufficient space and meet the hygiene criteria for laboratory animals. Here, we describe the successful implementation of an improved housing system for single and group housing of laboratory rabbits under high hygiene environmental conditions. This system includes modular and mobile floor pens of different size and shape. Rabbits housed in this system showed species-specific behavior that depended on the circadian rhythm—a prerequisite for interpretable animal experiments. We propose that this housing system will be of great benefit for the well-being of laboratory rabbits used in biomedical science. ABSTRACT: The major responsibility of researchers and laboratory animal facilities is to ensure animal well-being during the time of acclimatization, experiments, and recovery. In this context, animal housing conditions are of utmost importance. Here, we implemented a mobile and modular floor-pen housing system for laboratory rabbits that combines rabbits’ natural behavioral requirements and the high hygiene standards needed in biomedical science. Twelve female New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits were single- or group-housed for 12 months in mobile and modular floor-pens. Their general health status was evaluated at the end of the experimental setup. Further, we performed behavioral analysis of six additional NZW females group-housed for eight weeks in pens of two different sizes. We show that our improved housing concept supported species-specific behavioral patterns. Taken together, our housing system provides an optimal setup for rabbits in animal facilities that combines strict requirements for animal experiments with animal welfare.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-8066506
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2021
publisher MDPI
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-80665062021-04-25 Evaluation of a Configurable, Mobile and Modular Floor-Pen System for Group-Housing of Laboratory Rabbits Matzek, Dana Baldauf, Hanna-Mari Schieweck, Rico Popper, Bastian Animals (Basel) Communication SIMPLE SUMMARY: The group housing of animals supports species-specific behavior and avoids stress induction. Therefore, novel housing systems need to be established that provide sufficient space and meet the hygiene criteria for laboratory animals. Here, we describe the successful implementation of an improved housing system for single and group housing of laboratory rabbits under high hygiene environmental conditions. This system includes modular and mobile floor pens of different size and shape. Rabbits housed in this system showed species-specific behavior that depended on the circadian rhythm—a prerequisite for interpretable animal experiments. We propose that this housing system will be of great benefit for the well-being of laboratory rabbits used in biomedical science. ABSTRACT: The major responsibility of researchers and laboratory animal facilities is to ensure animal well-being during the time of acclimatization, experiments, and recovery. In this context, animal housing conditions are of utmost importance. Here, we implemented a mobile and modular floor-pen housing system for laboratory rabbits that combines rabbits’ natural behavioral requirements and the high hygiene standards needed in biomedical science. Twelve female New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits were single- or group-housed for 12 months in mobile and modular floor-pens. Their general health status was evaluated at the end of the experimental setup. Further, we performed behavioral analysis of six additional NZW females group-housed for eight weeks in pens of two different sizes. We show that our improved housing concept supported species-specific behavioral patterns. Taken together, our housing system provides an optimal setup for rabbits in animal facilities that combines strict requirements for animal experiments with animal welfare. MDPI 2021-04-01 /pmc/articles/PMC8066506/ /pubmed/33915697 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11040977 Text en © 2021 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Communication
Matzek, Dana
Baldauf, Hanna-Mari
Schieweck, Rico
Popper, Bastian
Evaluation of a Configurable, Mobile and Modular Floor-Pen System for Group-Housing of Laboratory Rabbits
title Evaluation of a Configurable, Mobile and Modular Floor-Pen System for Group-Housing of Laboratory Rabbits
title_full Evaluation of a Configurable, Mobile and Modular Floor-Pen System for Group-Housing of Laboratory Rabbits
title_fullStr Evaluation of a Configurable, Mobile and Modular Floor-Pen System for Group-Housing of Laboratory Rabbits
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of a Configurable, Mobile and Modular Floor-Pen System for Group-Housing of Laboratory Rabbits
title_short Evaluation of a Configurable, Mobile and Modular Floor-Pen System for Group-Housing of Laboratory Rabbits
title_sort evaluation of a configurable, mobile and modular floor-pen system for group-housing of laboratory rabbits
topic Communication
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8066506/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33915697
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11040977
work_keys_str_mv AT matzekdana evaluationofaconfigurablemobileandmodularfloorpensystemforgrouphousingoflaboratoryrabbits
AT baldaufhannamari evaluationofaconfigurablemobileandmodularfloorpensystemforgrouphousingoflaboratoryrabbits
AT schieweckrico evaluationofaconfigurablemobileandmodularfloorpensystemforgrouphousingoflaboratoryrabbits
AT popperbastian evaluationofaconfigurablemobileandmodularfloorpensystemforgrouphousingoflaboratoryrabbits