Refinement Database

Database on Refinement of Housing, Husbandry, Care, and Use of Animals in Research

This database, created in 2000, is updated every four months with newly published scientific articles, books, and other publications related to improving or safeguarding the welfare of animals used in research.

Tips for using the database:

  • This landing page displays all of the publications in the database.
  • Use the drop-down menus to filter these publications by Animal Type, Setting, and/or Topic.
  • Clicking on a parent category (e.g., Rodent) will include publications relating to all the items in that category (e.g., Chinchilla, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, etc.).
  • You may also add a keyword to further narrow your search.
  • Please note that at this time, only publications dated 2010 or later (with some exceptions) can be filtered by Animal Type and Topic, and only publications dated 2020 or later (with some exceptions) can be filtered by Setting. Most publications older than 2010 can only be searched by keyword. 
Egeler, J. L., Hoekwater, S., Hoffman, H. D. 2010. Monitoring program for the treatment of nonhuman primates with behavioral disorders. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 717 (Abstract #P113).

Maintaining the psychologic wellbeing of nonhuman primates housed in a laboratory setting is an important aspect in providing the best possible care for these animals. Nonhuman primates kept in captivity can begin to display abnormal...

De Villiers, C., Seier, J. V. 2010. Stopping self injurious behaviour of a young male chacma baboon (Papio ursinus). Animal Technology and Welfare 9(2), 77-80.

While access to a foraging log had no curative effect on serious self-injurious biting of a single-caged subadult male baboon, transferring the animal to an outdoor section with compatible females in adjacent cages (allowing grooming...

Williams-Fritze, M. J., Altieri, J. A., Clough, C. et al. 2010. Modification of a dog cage for use as an exercise unit for rabbits. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 703 (Abstract #P70).

The Guide for the Care and Use of Animals and the USDA Animal Welfare Regulations (AWR) outline minimum space requirements for laboratory animals, including rabbits. These documents encourage housing of animals in enclosures that allow...

Tilly, S.-L. C., Dallaire, J., Mason, G. J. 2010. Middle-aged mice with enrichment-resistant stereotypic behaviour show reduced motivation for enrichment. Animal Behaviour 80(3), 363-373.

For captive animals, living in barren conditions leads to stereotypic behaviour that is hard to alleviate using environmental enrichment. This resistance to enrichment is often explained via mechanisms that decouple abnormal behaviour from current welfare...

Pawlowicz, A., Demner, A., Lewis, M. H. 2010. Effects of access to voluntary wheel running on the development of stereotypy. Behavioural Processes 83(3), 242-246.

Stereotyped motor behaviors are a common consequence of environmental restriction in a wide variety of species. Although environmental enrichment has been shown to substantially reduce stereotypy levels, the various components of enrichment have not been...

Harper, V., Frey, A., Bradley, D. et al. 2010. Recognizing and addressing stereotypic behaviors. Tech Talk [The Newsletter for Laboratory Animal Science Technicians] 15(4), 2.

The combination of mouse igloos and running wheels proved to be highly effective in reducing flipping, circling, and jumping.

Coble, D. C., Martin, A. L., Perlman, J. E. et al. 2010. Rate of self-injurious behavior in buspirone-treated rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) across different levels of human activity in the environment. American Journal of Primatology 72(S1), 27-28. (33rd Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #7)

This study examined the effectiveness of an anxiolytic drug, buspirone, in rhesus macaques with a history of self-injurious behavior. ... However, self-biting was more prevalent during periods of high activity. Treatment with buspirone was not...

Ceja, C., White, J. 2010. Feeding behavior of Saguinus oedipus in relation to food hardness in a zoo setting: Possibilities for enrichment? Laboratory Primate Newsletter 49(3), 10-13.

We suggest that by providing animals with food in a more natural form (i.e., not cut to a standardized size), they would have an opportunity to process the food in a manner that best approaches...

Bentson, K. L., Crockett, C. M., Wahl, K. L. et al. 2010. Floating limb behaviors and self-biting are associated in laboratory monkeys. American Journal of Primatology 72(8), 725-733.

Early descriptions of floating limb behaviors in monkeys were associated with isolation rearing, a practice that ended more than two decades ago. The present authors named various forms of behaviors in which a leg is...

Latham, N., Mason, G. 2010. Frustration and perseveration in stereotypic captive animals: Is a taste of enrichment worse than none at all? Behavioural Brain Research 211(1), 96-104.

Stereotypic behaviours are common in animals in impoverished housing, arising from two complementary processes: (1) thwarted attempts to perform motivated behaviours; (2) forebrain dysfunction impeding normal behavioural inhibition. When enriched animals are moved to impoverished...

Rommeck, I., Anderson, K., Heagerty, A. et al. 2009. Risk factors and remediation of self-injurious and self-abuse behavior in rhesus macaques. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 12(1), 61-72.

Considered signs of decreased welfare--abnormal behaviors such as self-injury and self-abuse among nonhuman primates housed in the laboratory--may put into question the validity and reliability of scientific research using these animals as models. Providing environmental...

Major, C. A., Kelly, B. J., Novak, M. A. et al. 2009. Self-directed biting in male rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with self-injurious behavior (SIB) increases following acute treatment with the anxiogenic drug FG7142. American Journal of Primatology 71(S1), 89. (32nd Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #182)

A small percentage of captive macaques spontaneously exhibit self-injurious behavior (SIB), mostly in the form of self-directed biting. Several risk factors have been identified in the etiology of SIB in monkeys, including exposure to early...

Hohmann, G., Mundry, R., Deschner, T. 2009. The relationship between socio-sexual behavior and salivary cortisol in bonobos: tests of the tension regulation hypothesis. American Journal of Primatology 71(3), 223-232.

Bonobos are known for their pacifistic behavior and their large repertoire of behaviors that are thought to serve conflict resolution. One is an unusual form of ventro-ventral mounting that facilitates genital contacts (GC). Various hypotheses...

Gottlieb, D. H., Tatum, L., Ghirardo, S. et al. 2009. Assessment of efficacy of three types of foraging enrichment in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). American Journal of Primatology 71(S1), 33. (32nd Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #13)

Rhesus macaques housed indoors in captivity commonly display abnormal behaviors that are rarely seen in their wild counterparts. These behaviors include stereotypic behaviors and self-abuse. These behaviors are often seen as signs of poor welfare...

Crockett, C. M., Baker, K. C., Lutz, C. K. et al. 2009. Developing a reliable laboratory primate alopecia scoring system for interfacility collaboration and on-line training. American Journal of Primatology 71(S1), 73. (32nd Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #133)

Of the potential flags of impaired well-being in laboratory primates, alopecia has received particular regulatory focus, making it a top priority for behavioral managers. Consensus on a reliable alopecia scoring system used by multiple facilities...

Carrasco, L., Colell, M., Calvo, M. et al. 2009. Benefits of training/playing therapy in a group of captive lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Animal Welfare 18(1), 9-19.

Adding a few minutes of positive human interaction per animal per week to the management of captive gorillas resulted in improved well-being in several areas: the drop in abnormal behaviours, behaviours directed at the public...

Camacho, J. N., Moeller, E., Morris, J. 2009. A psychologic wellbeing response plan for nonhuman primates. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 558 (Abstract #PS84).

Under animal care situations that conform to compliance standards for environmental enrichment established by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and the Guide to the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, at least 10% of laboratory...

West, A. M., Leland, S. P., Lorence, M. A. et al. 2008. Behavioral correlates of alopecia severity in laboratory rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). American Journal of Primatology 70(S1), 51. (31st Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #93)

Alopecia in laboratory primates is often regarded as a sign of excessive self-grooming due to social deprivation or insufficient environmental enrichment. The purpose of this study was to examine, in individually housed macaques, the occurrence...

Videan, E. N., Ely, J., Lammey, M. et al. 2008. Successful elimination of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes): a case study using a combination of risperidone and environmental enrichment. American Journal of Primatology 70(S1), 50. (31st Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #91)

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) can result in open wounds, tissue damage, and increased risk of infection. In many cases, increased environmental enrichment is not consistently effective in eliminating this behavior. We report here on the successful...

Hawkins, P., Hubrecht, R., Buckwell, A. et al. 2008. Refining Rabbit Care: A Resource for Those Working With Rabbits in Research. UFAW/RSPCA: Southwater, UK, 27 pp.

The report sets out how to provide: optimal enclosure characteristicsand size; social housing; solid flooring and substrate; raised areas; refuges; gnawing objects and dietary enrichment; positive interaction with humans; toys and objects to manipulate; for...

Shutt, K., MacLarnon, A., Heistermann, M. et al. 2007. Grooming in Barbary macaques: better to give than receive? Biology Letters 3(3), 231-233.

It is well established that grooming underpins sociality in group-living primates, and a number of studies have documented the stress-reducing effects of being groomed. In this study, we quantified grooming behaviour and physiological stress (assessed...

Munds, R. A., Best, K., Hoppy, P. et al. 2007. Captive lemur response to two types of natural enrichment. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 132(S44), 175 (76th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists Program, Abstract).

Enrichment has been known to increase the well being and species typical behavior of captive animals. While much research has been done on the effectiveness of enrichment or captive monkeys and apes, research on enrichment...

Minkel, R. 2007. Pair-housing eliminates compulsive hair pulling: a case report. Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum (electronic discussion group), September 27, 2007.

At a previous institution we had a cyno who suffered from severe hair pulling. He had removed practically all hair from his body; all that was left was a patch in the middle of his...

Mallapur, A., Waran, N., Sinha, A. 2007. A note on enrichment for captive lion-tailed macaques (Macaca silenus). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 108(1-2), 191-195.

Two enrichment techniques were devised with the aim of reducing stress and improving welfare for captive lion-tailed macaques in an Indian zoo. In Study A, a log, cotton ropes and a feeding basket were added...

Lutz, C. K., Davis, E. J., Suomi, S. J. et al. 2007. The expression of self-injurious behavior in Macaca mulatta: prevalence, risk factors, and context. American Journal of Primatology 69(S1), 38. (30th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #18)

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) such as self-biting and self-wounding has been observed in a small, but persistent, percentage of captive nonhuman primates. Although biting often looks severe, not all self-biters wound themselves. Risk factors for SIB...