Challenges and Solutions for Laboratory Rodent Housing: presented by Dr. Joanna Makowska

What are rats and mice really like? What does it mean to provide laboratory rodents with a good life? The aim of this talk is to challenge existing preconceptions about what constitutes a “normal” laboratory rat or mouse. This lecture will showcase videos and data on laboratory rodents’ motivation to perform natural behaviors, focusing on burrowing, climbing, and upright standing in rats, as well as the importance of having separate nesting and elimination sites in mice. Creative ideas for how to implement some changes in a conventional facility will be covered. Keywords: Optimice, Block Party, Animal Welfare, Animal behavior, mouse behavior, rat behavior. bedding, dirty bedding, preference testing