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. 
Schapiro, S. J., Lambeth, S. P., Malling, R. et al. 2011. Structures and functions that facilitate the voluntary participation of chimpanzees in research/medical procedures. American Journal of Primatology 73(S1), 35. (34th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #7)

Training captive nonhuman primates to voluntarily participate in a variety of necessary research and medical procedures is a valuable refinement in the management of captive primates. For the purposes of this talk, training programs require...

Rubino, S., Smith, R., Nagy, Z. et al. 2011. Acclimation of cynomolgus monkeys to pole and collar chair restraint: Creating efficiency and improving quality. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 784 (Abstract #P181).

Cynomolgus monkeys are acclimated in-house during their 4- to 5-wk quarantine period to pole and collar chair restraint to facilitate safe handling and adequate immobility for study procedures like oral gavage and blood collection. Acclimation...

Rogge, J. R., Sherenco, K. D., Malling, R. et al. 2011. Establishing a positive reinforcement training program in neotropical primates: A comparison of squirrel and owl monkeys. American Journal of Primatology 73(S1), 84. (34th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #157)

To enhance the psychological well-being of non-human primates, many biomedical facilities use positivereinforcement training (PRT) techniques to encourage voluntary participation in husbandry and clinical procedures.PRT increases the animal?s control over its environment and desensitizes the...

Rambo, M. 2011. Nonhuman primate positive reinforcement training: Flexible resource approach. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 777 (Abstract #P149).

In a review of current literature on positive reinforcement training, the majority of sources suggest that in order to produce results worthy of the time investment, training sessions must be held 2 to 3 times...

Owen, Y., Amory, J. R. 2011. A case study employing operant conditioning to reduce stress of capture for red-bellied tamarins (Saguinus labiatus). Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 14(2), 124-137.

Traditional techniques used to capture New World monkeys, such as net capture, can induce high levels of acute stress detrimental to welfare. Alternatively, training nonhuman animals via operant conditioning to voluntarily participate in husbandry and/or...

Meisfjord Jørgensen, G. H., Hanche-Olsen Liestøl, S., Bøe, K. E. 2011. Effects of enrichment items on activity and social interactions in domestic horses (Equus caballus). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 129(2-4), 100-110.

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of items intended to provide enrichment during turnout, both for individual and group kept horses in an attempt to reduce the amount of passive behaviours...

Beisner, B. A., Isbell, L. A. 2011. Factors affecting aggression among females in captive groups of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). American Journal of Primatology 73(11), 1152-1159.

Captive groups of primates often exhibit higher rates of aggression than wild, free-ranging groups. It is important to determine which factors influence aggression in captivity because aggression, particularly intense aggression, can be harmful to animal...

West, A. M., Leland, S. P., Muhammad, F. et al. 2010. Temperament ratings of laboratory rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): Effects of cage level and room composition. American Journal of Primatology 72(S1), 42. (33rd Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #52)

Measures of temperament in nonhuman primates generally reflect interactions between inherent individual characteristics and environmental contexts, and they may be indicators of physical and psychological well-being. Heritable aspects of temperament have been identified, but it...

Watts, A. 2010. Thinking outside the box in box training. Tech Talk [The Newsletter for Laboratory Animal Science Technicians] 15(2), 3.

At the Oregon National Primate Research Center, we train animals to enter transfer boxes using positive reinforcement training (PRT), a type of training in which the trainer reinforces desired behaviors (such asentering the transfer box)...

Perlman, J. E., Lambeth, S. P., Horner, V. et al. 2010. Videotaped demonstrator improves efficiency of training chimpanzees to urinate on cue. American Journal of Primatology 72(S1), 52. (33rd Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #84)

Studies have shown chimpanzees can learn to perform tasks by watching live or videotaped demonstrators. The present study assessed whether female chimpanzees exposed to a videotaped demonstrator would learn a husbandry-related task, urinating into a...

Moreau, E. 2010. To squeeze or not to squeeze? A Discussion on LAREF, September, 2009. Laboratory Primate Newsletter 49(2), 3-4.

The discussion was started by the following questions: "Is the squeeze-back mechanism more or less stressful than the pole and collar system for removing a macaque from his cage for an IM (intramuscular) injection?" and...

Minier, D. E., Tatum, L., McCowan, B. 2010. Human-directed contra-aggression training using positive reinforcement for indoor-housed rhesus macaques. American Journal of Primatology 72(S1), 53. (33rd Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #87)

The quality of human-animal interactions can be an indicator of well-being in laboratory primates and increased anxiety-related behavior, such as aggression, may compromise an animal’s ability to provide research outcomes reflective of normal function. The...

McMillan, J. L., Galvan, A., Wichmann, T. et al. 2010. The use of positive reinforcement during pole and collar training of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 705-706 (Abstract #P78).

The pole and collar method enables safe transfer of a monkey from their home environment to a restraint chair without sedation. The ability to conduct procedures with a conscious and cooperative subject is cost effective...

Martin, A. L., Franklin, A. N., Bloomsmith, M. A. 2010. Improving the efficiency of positive reinforcement training by testing food item preference. American Journal of Primatology 72(S1), 27. (33rd Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #6)

Positive reinforcement training relies on identifying an effective reinforcing consequence, often food, to be presented contingent on the performance of the desired behavior. Prior to training sessions, we used a multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO)...

Haba Nelsen, S. L., Bradford, D., Houghton, P. 2010. Laser lixit training: An alternative form of target training that can be utilized in the daily husbandry care of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis). American Journal of Primatology 72(S1), 27. (33rd Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #5)

Rhesus and cynomolgus macaques are some of the most frequently utilized laboratory nonhuman primates, and it is common for one facility to have a significantly large colony of either or both species. Daily care needs...

Egeler, J. L., Hoekwater, S., Hoffman, H. D. 2010. Operant training differences between male and female group-housed nonhuman primates. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 660 (Abstract #PS17).

Operant training of animals is a widely accepted practice for training or conditioning animals to cooperate with technical procedures or perform certain tasks in a laboratory setting. This type of training has been proven to...

Egeler, J. L., Hoekwater, S., Hoffman, H. D. 2010. A novel approach for utilizing large group-housing style cages for nonhuman primates in toxicology studies. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 716 (Abstract #P110).

The ability to provide permanent group-housed caging for nonhuman primates involved in toxicology research is quickly becoming an important step in improving the overall quality of life for these animals. This type of caging offers...

Egeler, J. L. 2010. Operant training differences between male and female group-housed nonhuman primates. Tech Talk [The Newsletter for Laboratory Animal Science Technicians] 15(6), page numbers missing.

Operant training of animals is a widely accepted practice to train or condition animals to cooperate with technical procedures or perform certain tasks in a laboratory setting. This type of training has been proven to...

Coleman, K., Maier, A. 2010. The use of positive reinforcement training to reduce stereotypic behavior in rhesus macaques. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 124(3-4), 142-148.

Stereotypic behavior is a pervasive problem for captive monkeys and other animals. Once this behavior pattern has started, it can be difficult to alleviate. We tested whether or not using positive reinforcement training (PRT) can...

Veillette, M., Reebs, S. G. 2010. Preference of Syrian hamsters to nest in old versus new bedding. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 125(3-4), 189-194.

This study tested whether Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) have an aversion to old bedding (up to 14 days) by offering them the option to nest in a new cage. A secondary goal was to assess...

Harkness, J. E., Turner, P. V., Vande Woude, S. et al. 2010. Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents (5th Ed.). Wiley-Blackwell, Ames, Iowa.

The Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents provides concise, up - to - date, reasonably comprehensive information to anyone concerned with the health, care, and management of rabbits and rodents. The book is intended...

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...

Bennett, A. J., Corcoran, C. A., Hardy, V. A. et al. 2010. Multidimensional cost-benefit analysis to guide evidence-based environmental enrichment: Providing bedding and foraging substrate to pen-housed monkeys. JAALAS 49(5), 571-577.

Refinement of animal care and housing is an important shared goal - and challenge - of the team of research, veterinary, and animal care personnel charged with ensuring the wellbeing of laboratory animals. This study...

Baker, K. C., Bloomsmith, M. A., Neu, K. et al. 2010. Positive reinforcement training as enrichment for singly housed rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Animal Welfare 19(3), 307-313.

Positive reinforcement training is one component of behavioural management employed to improve psychological well-being. There has been regulatory promotion to compensate for restricted social housing in part by providing human interaction to singly caged primates...

Pomerantz, O., Terkel, J. 2009. Effects of positive reinforcement training techniques on the psychological welfare of zoo-housed chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). American Journal of Primatology 71(8), 687-695.

Captive environments encompass various factors that can elevate stress levels and jeopardize the wellbeing of the captive animals. The use of positive reinforcement training (PRT) techniques enables researchers and caretakers to reduce tension directly associated...