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. 
Bethell, E. J., Koyama, N. F. 2015. Happy hamsters? Enrichment induces positive judgement bias for mildly (but not truly) ambiguous cues to reward and punishment in Mesocricetus auratus. Royal Society Open Science 2, 140399.

Recent developments in the study of animal cognition and emotion have resulted in the ‘judgement bias’ model of animal welfare. Judgement biases describe the way in which changes in affective state are characterized by changes...

Camus, S. M. J., Rochais, C., Blois-Heulin, C. et al. 2014. Depressive-like behavioral profiles in captive-bred single- and socially-housed rhesus and cynomolgus macaques: A species comparison. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 8, 47.

Background: To unravel the causes of major depressive disorder (MDD), the third leading cause of disease burden around the world, ethological animal models have recently been proposed. Our previous studies highlighted a depressive-like profile among...

Sneddon, L. U., Elwood, R. W., Adamo, S. A. et al. 2014. Defining and assessing animal pain. Animal Behaviour 97, 201-212.

The detection and assessment of pain in animals is crucial to improving their welfare in a variety of contexts in which humans are ethically or legally bound to do so. Thus clear standards to judge...

Bode, A. E., Barber, H. 2014. Use of vinyl nonadhesive tape as an alternative for positioning rodents in small animal imaging. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 597-598. (Abstract #P185).

Specific positioning for different imaging modalities is essential in our small animal imaging core. While we have different animal holders designed to position the animal inside the MRI, additional securing of the animal to the...

Novak, M., Hamel, A., Coleman, K. et al. 2014. Hair loss and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis activity in captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). JAALAS 53(3), 261-266.

Hair loss is a common problem in captive macaque colonies. A potential factor is the possible influence of stressful environments in the development of hair loss. We examined the relationship between hair loss and chronic...

Meade, T. M., Hutchinson, E., Krall, C. et al. 2014. Use of an aquarium as a novel enrichment item for singly housed rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). JAALAS 53(5), 472-477.

Locomotor stereotypies are behaviors often seen in singly housed rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and are considered to represent a maladaptive response to captive environments. Active and passive enrichment items are commonly used to mitigate these...

Kroeker, R., Bellanca, R. U., Lee, G. H. et al. 2014. Alopecia in three macaque species housed in a laboratory environment. American Journal of Primatology 76(4), 325-334.

Alopecia is a persistent problem in captive macaque populations and despite recent interest, no factors have been identified that can unequivocally explain the presence of alopecia in a majority of cases. Seasonal, demographic, and environmental...

Gottlieb, D. H., O'Connor, J. R., Coleman, K. 2014. Using porches to decrease feces painting in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). JAALAS 53(6), 653-656.

The goal of this project was to evaluate the efficacy of a porch in decreasing feces painting in captive rhesus macaques. The porch is a small extension that is hung on the outside of a...

Guesgen, M. J., Beausoleil, N. J., Minot, E. O. et al. 2014. Social context and other factors influence the behavioural expression of pain by lambs. Applied Animal Behavioural Science 159, 41-49.

There is evidence that the presence of a conspecific can alter the experience of pain in humans and other animals. This ‘social buffering’ may be mediated by factors such as relatedness and familiarity. This study...

Reinhardt, V. (ed.) 2013. Compassion Makes a Difference - Discussions by the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum [LAREF], Volume III. Animal Welfare Institute, Washington, DC.

This is the third volume of discussions that took place on the Laboratory Animal Refinement & Enrichment Forum (LAREF). This forum is dedicated to the exchange of personal experiences of refining the conditions under which...

Lutz, C. K., Coleman, K., Worlein, J. et al. 2013. Hair loss and hair-pulling in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). JAALAS 52(4), 454-457.

Alopecia is a common problem in rhesus macaque colonies. A possible cause of this condition is hair-pulling; however the true relationship between hair-pulling and alopecia is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine...

Kroeker, R., Bellanca, R. U., Lee, G. H. et al. 2013. Alopecia in three macaque species housed in a laboratory environment. American Journal of Primatology 75(S1), 38. (36th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #30)

Alopecia is a persistent problem in laboratory macaques, and is important to address due to the perceived implication for health and psychological well-being. Alopecia ratings were taken at 4 time points over a 12-month period...

Harding, K. 2013. Behavior treatment of alopecia in macaca fascicularis: Comparison of outcomes. American Journal of Primatology 75(S1), 51 .(36th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #67)

Alopecia in captive macaques is assumed to have a behavioral cause; either by over-grooming, or a result of stress. Analysis of behavioral treatments of alopecia remains elusive, yet facilities are accountable for treatment. Retrospective analysis...

Hannibal, D., Cassidy, L., Day, A. et al. 2013. Increased produce enrichment reduces alopecia in captive outdoor socially-housed rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). American Journal of Primatology 75(S1), 92. (36th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #195)

Alopecia is relatively rare in wild primates but more frequent in captive settings. We investigate whether increasing the quantity and variety of produce enrichment reduces alopecia. Alopecia was scored bimonthly from September 2011 through mid-November...

Gottlieb, D. H., Capitanio, J. P., McCowan, B. 2013. Risk factors for stereotypic behavior and self-biting in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): Animal's history, current environment, and personality. American Journal of Primatology 75(10), 995-1008.

Captive rhesus macaques sometimes exhibit undesirable abnormal behaviors, such as motor stereotypic behavior (MSB) and self-abuse. Many risk factors for these behaviors have been identified but the list is far from comprehensive, and large individual...

Gottlieb, D. H., Maier, A., Coleman, K. 2013. The relationship between environmental enrichment, temperament, and stereotypy in captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). American Journal of Primatology 75(S1), 91. (36th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #193)

Stereotypic behaviors are common in captive primate colonies, and it would be beneficial to know effective methods of remediation, and which animals are most likely to express the behavior. The first goal of this research...

Gonzaleza, M., Averosa, X., de Herediaa, I. B. et al. 2013. The effect of social buffering on fear responses in sheep (Ovis aries). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 149(1-4), 13-20.

Fear in farm animals has been extensively studied because of its close relation to animal welfare. Numerous studies have categorized the behavioral responses of animals to stimuli that can elicit a fear reaction under social...

Metcalf Pate, K. A., Freeman, Z. T., Shirk, E. et al. 2012. Platelet activation in the context of stress in self-injurious rhesus macaques. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 640 (Abstract #PS49).

Stress has been associated with adverse hematologic and physiologic consequences, including immunosuppression and an increased risk of cardiac disease. Aberrant platelet activation has been documented in humans exposed to mental stress, and activated platelets, as...

Hutchinson, E. K., Freeman, Z., Rice, K. A. et al. 2012. Objective assessment of self-injurious behavior in rhesus macaques and successful treatment with guanfacine. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 647-648 (Abstract #PS78).

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) occurs sporadically in 5% to 15% of captive nonhuman primates, with over-representation among males and those animals housed in single caging prior to adulthood. Though SIB may manifest as a range of...

Gottlieb, D. H., Ghirardo, S., Minier, D. E. et al. 2012. Efficacy of 3 types of foraging enrichment for rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). JAALAS 50(6), 888-894.

The 3 enrichment devices had different effects on individual expression of stereotypy: supertubes decreased it, shakers increased it, and puzzle balls led to a decrease followed by an increase. We present potential reasons for the...

Fante, F., Baldan, N., De Benedictis, G. M. et al. 2012. Refinement of a macaque transplantation model: Application of a subcutaneous port as a means for long-term enteral drug administration and nutritional supplementation. Laboratory Animals 46(2), 114-121.

A new application of a device enabling the long-term enteral administration of drugs or nutritional supplementation was developed for implementing in research entailing the use of macaques (Macaca fascicularis). After implanting a subcutaneous port, a...

Coleman, K. 2012. Individual differences in temperament and behavioral management practices for nonhuman primates. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 137(3-4), 106-113.

This review will examine how individual differences in temperament might affect, or be affected by, behavioral management practices for captive primates. Measuring temperament may help us predict the outcome of social introductions. It can also...

Truelove, M. A., Martin, A. L., Perlman, J. E. et al. 2011. Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) pair-housing assessment using a quantitative data collection system. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 744-745 (Abstract #PS110).

A behavioral data collection system is described to monitor compatibility of rhesus macaque pairs.

Runeson, E. P., Lee, G. H., Crockett, C. M. et al. 2011. Evaluating paint rollers as an intervention for alopecia in monkeys in the laboratory (Macaca nemestrina). Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 14(2), 138-149.

Adult female macaques (Macaca nemestrina) in the laboratory with alopecia from known or suspected overgrooming were subjects in a study evaluating effectiveness of a grooming device. The intervention evaluated was a paint roller on a...

Hawkins, P., Burn, C., Hurst, J. et al. 2011. Report of the 2010 RSPCA/UFAW rodent welfare group meeting - The effect of husbandry on welfare and promoting good practice. Animal Technology and Welfare 10(2), 105-114.

The RSPCA/UFAW Rodent Welfare Group holds a one-day meeting every autumn so that its members can discuss current welfare research, exchange views on rodent welfare issues and share experiences of the implementation of the 3Rs...