The Animal Resources Core (ARC) at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH) faces many of the same challenges other institutions manage in terms of enrichment for laboratory animals. A Behavior...
Zebra finches are an uncommon animal model in the biomedical industry but are widely used in language development, memory, and learning studies. Native to Australia, they are desert birds that like warm days and 40%+...
With the increased use of aquatic animals in research, especially zebrafish and African clawed frogs, there has been an increased interest in how to best address their psychological wellbeing. In this article, we have shown...
Behavioral testing slings, such as the Pavlov sling, offer an effective form of restraint for beagles while minimizing stress. Although these slings provide effective restraint, their high cost makes them less likely to be considered...
In February 2023, a workshop entitled The 3rd International Workshop on Circadian and Neurophysiological Photometry was held in Manchester, UK to address the problem of light measurement in laboratory animal research. This workshop resulted in...
Numerous studies have shown the negative side effects the lack of enrichment has on the overall health of animals in research. This lack in data may lead to unnecessary risks for welfare issues, like the...
Itchy, dry skin…on pigs? Yes! Yucatan minipigs are commonly used in biomedical research and are prone to dry skin (xerosis) accompanied by itchy skin (pruritus). At our institution, minipigs were oiled twice weekly with lanolin...
FTDs are Australian carnivorous nocturnal marsupials, whose diet, environmental needs, and enrichment vary from typical research species. Due to the limited working knowledge on the husbandry and care of this species in a biomedical setting...
Practical mechanisms that can be implemented by animal facilities to enhance refinement include the use of non-aversive handling, non-invasive alternative procedures, and additional environmental enrichment. Thus, we sought to collate these techniques by developing a...
New Zealand White rabbits are commonly used for polyclonal antibody production, which can require collecting no more than 10% of total body weight every two weeks (approximately 20 ml of blood for a 4 kg...