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. 
Zevnik, B., Jerchow, B., Buch, T. 2022. 3R measures in facilities for the production of genetically modified rodents. Lab Animal 51(6), 162-177.

Sociocultural changes in the human–animal relationship have led to increasing demands for animal welfare in biomedical research. The 3R concept is the basis for bringing this demand into practice: Replace animal experiments with alternatives where...

Semus, H. 2022. Using restaurant glassware and flatware wash racks for washing water bottles and cage accessories. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 10(4) (July/August), 32-33.

In the event of an emergency resulting in our automatic watering system being shut off, we identified the need to increase the number of rodent water bottles we have on hand. Once we realized we...

Ulfhake, B., Lerat, H., Honetschlager, J. et al. 2022. A multicentre study on spontaneous in-cage activity and micro-environmental conditions of IVC housed C57BL/6J mice during consecutive cycles of bi-weekly cage-change. PLOS ONE 17(5), e0267281.

Mice respond to a cage change (CC) with altered activity, disrupted sleep and increased anxiety. A bi-weekly cage change is, therefore, preferred over a shorter CC interval and is currently the prevailing routine for Individually...

Henry, B. A., Power, M. L., Maslanka, M. T. et al. 2022. Challenges of devising a milk recipe in a hand‐reared hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). Zoo Biology 41(4), 360-364.

In January 2017, a Nile hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious) was born approximately six weeks premature at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Due to the calf's weakened condition and lack of interest from the dam, management...

Bonnefous, C., Collin, A., Guilloteau, L. A. et al. 2022. Welfare issues and potential solutions for laying hens in free range and organic production systems: A review based on literature and interviews. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9, 952922.

In free-range and organic production systems, hens can make choices according to their needs and desires, which is in accordance with welfare definitions. Nonetheless, health and behavioral problems are also encountered in these systems. The...

de Jong, I. C., Schokker, D., Gunnink, H. et al. 2022. Early life environment affects behavior, welfare, gut microbiome composition, and diversity in broiler chickens. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9, 977359.

This study aimed to identify whether early-life conditions in broiler chickens could affect their behavior and welfare, and whether or not this was associated with an altered gut microbiome composition or diversity. Broilers were tested...

Müller, K., Lengheimer, T., Kral-Pointner, J. B. et al. 2022. Exposure to soiled bedding reduces abnormal repetitive behaviors in mice. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 16, 1062864.

Hygiene management protocols in laboratory mouse husbandries worldwide most commonly employ soiled bedding-exposed sentinel mice to monitor the occurrence of infections in mouse colonies. Using this approach, sentinel mice repeatedly receive a mixture of used...

Orosz, G. 2022. Mouse food hopper dividers for a refined feeding method. Animal Technology and Welfare 21(3), 160–176.

This project aimed to establish whether a different method of presenting diet “ad-libitum” to laboratory mice could lower the negative consequences of exceess food, such as decreased quality, palatability and increased cost. The main aim...

Sohel Khan, A., Lea, S. E. G., Chand, P. et al. 2022. Predictors of psychological stress and behavioural diversity among captive red panda in Indian zoos and their implications for global captive management. Scientific Reports 12(1), 14034.

At high elevations, biodiversity is at elevated risk from extinctions due to rapid environmental changes. In the most of its range in Himalayas, the red panda, an endangered species, is struggling to survive in the...

Bárdos, B., Nagy, I., Gerencsér, Z. et al. 2022. Nest material preference of wild mouse species in laboratory housing. Applied Sciences 12(11), 5750.

Our research examined the nest-building characteristics of two mouse species native to Hungary, the mound-building mouse (Mus spicilegus) and the house mouse (Mus musculus), under laboratory housing conditions. In indoor housing, the nest-building material plays...

Bist, R. B., Chai, L. 2022. Advanced strategies for mitigating particulate matter generations in poultry houses. Applied Sciences 12(22), 11323.

Poultry farming plays a key role in agricultural air emissions. Particulate matter (PM) level tends to be high in broiler and cage-free layer houses, that may impair health and welfare of animals and their caretakers...

Brando, S., Coe, J. 2022. Confronting back-of-house traditions: Primates as a case study. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 3(3), 366–397.

This review commentary focuses on traditional management practices and facility design with suggested improvements in non-public primate management areas, often called “back-of-house”, (henceforth BOH) in zoos, sanctuaries, and research facilities. Progress has been made toward...

Fieschi-Méric, L., Ellis, C., Servini, F. et al. 2022. An improvement in enclosure design can positively impact welfare, reduce aggressiveness and stabilise hierarchy in captive Galapagos giant tortoises. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 3(4), 499–512.

The interest in the welfare of zoo animals, from both the public and the scientific community, has long been biased towards mammals. However, growing evidence of the complex behavioural repertoires of less charismatic animals, such...

Walsh, Z. C., Olson, H., Clendening, M. et al. 2022. Social behavior deficiencies in captive American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens 3(1), 131–146.

Understanding how the behavior of captive American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) congregations compares to wild congregations is essential to assessing the welfare of alligators in captivity. Wild alligator congregations perform complex social behaviors, but it is...

Barabas, A. J., Darbyshire, A. K., Schlegel, S. L. et al. 2022. Evaluation of ambient sound, vibration, and light in rodent housing rooms. JAALAS 61(6), 660–671.

Excessive sound, vibration, and light are detrimental to rodent welfare, yet these parameters are rarely recorded in vivaria. Whether housing environments exceed the suggested thresholds and which specific factors may alter these parameters is generally...

Jones, T., Thaweethai, T., Molk, D. et al. 2022. Evaluation and refinement of a spot-change–only cage management system for mice. JAALAS 61(6), 650–659.

Maximizing operational efficiency while maintaining appropriate animal housing conditions is a continuous focus of research animal care programs. Our institution’s longstanding approach to cage-change management included scheduled cage changes every 2 wk, with spot changes...

Sansome, H. 2022. A tale of two sloths. RATEL (Journal of the Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers) 49(3), 6-8.

Designed to improve their welfare by reducing the need for restraint and/or general anesthetic where possible. We have been working to improve the husbandry management of our 1.1 Linne’s two-toed (or fingered) sloths (Choloepus didactylus)...

Schnell, A. K., Amodio, P., Boeckle, M. et al. 2021. How intelligent is a cephalopod? Lessons from comparative cognition. Biological Reviews 96, 162-178.

The soft‐bodied cephalopods including octopus, cuttlefish, and squid are broadly considered to be the most cognitively advanced group of invertebrates. Previous research has demonstrated that these large‐brained molluscs possess a suite of cognitive attributes that...

Burlingame, L. A., Gaskill, B. N., Lofgren, J. L. S. 2021. Identification of sick or dead mice (Mus musculus) housed with 6 grams of crinkle paper nesting material. JAALAS 60(1), 18-27.

Although nesting material is beneficial to the welfare of laboratory mice, provision of appropriate amounts may impair visualization of the mice. In anticipation of our academic research institution transitioning to providing 6 grams of nesting...

Allen, P. S., Lawrence, J., Stasula, U. et al. 2021. Effects of compressed paper bedding on mouse breeding performance and recognition of animal health concerns. JAALAS 60(1), 28-36.

The combination of bedding substrate and nesting material within the microenvironment of mice is an important consideration for animal care programs in regard to optimizing animal wellbeing. We used 3 general or breeding mouse colonies...

Tataryn, N. M., Buckmaster, C. A., Schwiebert, R. et al. 2021. Comparison of four beddings for ammonia control in individually ventilated mouse cages. JAALAS 60(1), 37-43.

Ammonia control is an important characteristic of rodent bedding materials. Among natural bedding materials, corncob bedding provides excellent ammonia control but contains estrogenic compounds and is ingested by mice. By comparison, processed cellulose bedding products...

Petek, M.,Çavuşoğlu, E. 2021. Welfare assessment of two free-range laying hen flocks in Turkey. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 24(1), 56-63.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of keel bone deviations and feather damage of laying hens in two different free-range housing systems under commercial conditions. Both of the free-range systems had an indoor barn...

Iyasere, O. S., Bateson, M., Beard, A. P. et al. 2021. Provision of additional cup drinkers mildly alleviated moderate heat stress conditions in broiler chickens. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 24(2), 188-199.

Sixty-four broilers of a commercial strain in a 2 × 2 factorial design with two environmental conditions: normal (N; 20°C, 50% RH) or MHS (30°C, 70% RH for 6 h/day for 3 consecutive days), and...

Webb, L. 2021. Drip, drop…drip, drop – How do I make it stop? Laboratory Animal Science Professional 9(2) (March/April), 36-38.

Whether you are an animal care/husbandry technician, facility manager, or veterinarian, everyone bemoans a leaky drinking valve (often referred to as a lixit). Leaking drinking valves and flooded cages are a fairly common problem when...

Coleman, K., Shapiro, S. J. (Eds.). 2021. Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals (1st ed). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

This 30-chapter volume informs students and professionals about the behavioral biology of animals commonly housed in laboratory and other captive settings. Each species evolved under specific environmental conditions, resulting in unique behavioral patterns, many of...