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Optimizing the Design for Delivering Food and Liquid to Mice with Head Implants
Partnering with Animal Care Systems, we designed a water bottle feeder combination to allow ad lib water and food consumption without compromising the head implants in our OptiRat Plus® and OptiMice® caging systems. Keywords: welfare, behavior, head implanted animal model, head implant, installation, efficiency, Optimice, Optirat Plus, mice, mouse, rat Citation: Optimizing the Design for…
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Nesting Enrichment and Shredding Prevention for Mice
The data indicates that the brown crinkle paper with or without a Nestlet or Enrich-n’Nest allows CD-1 mice to build more complex nests. Brown crinkle paper alone also resulted in a significant decrease in shredding of the 5053 LabDiet used in this study. Keywords: welfare, housing effects, food grinding, shredding, behavior, Optimice, mouse, mice Citation:…
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Initial Observations on Connected Cage Communities of Mice
The differential responses of both sexes of mice to connected versus isolated caging in this initial study raises attractive possibilities for more complex behavioral studies, breeding via expanded harems, and other scenarios using this housing apparatus. Keywords: welfare, housing effects, alternate housing, tubes, cage connectors, behavior, Blockparty, Optimice, mouse, mice Citation: Pritchett‐Corning, K. Initial Observations…
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An Evaluation of BlockParty Caging for Co-Housing Large Groups of Mice
Blockparty for Optimice is an alternative housing arrangement that connects 10 cages on the same row of a ventilated rack, permitting up to 50 adult mice to be housed together while meeting the cage space recommendations in the Guide. This housing system was evaluated to compare how adult male and female CD-1 mice fared when…
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Effects on Different Caging Systems on Behavioural Testing in Mice
Based on our findings it seems that (i) different caging systems have differential effects on locomotor activity, (ii) MFVC housed mice display a lower level of anxiety-like behaviour, (iii) the light-dark box test showed that mice have increased transitions without increased general locomotor activity, further research is needed to clarify this behaviour. Keywords: welfare, housing…
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The Effect of Different Ventilated Caging Systems on the Growth Rate of C57BI/6J Male Mice
Different ACH as well as the turnover of dry air, the created noise or vibration and the differences on the cage design and structure could be some of the factors which may influence the growth rate of animals. Further research is now needed to clarify the exact mechanism of this altered growth rate. Keywords: welfare,…
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Choosing Resting Areas in Different Individually Ventilated Mouse Caging Systems
The aim of the present study was to compare the preference of mice housed in the forced air and the motor free ventilated caging system to choose different areas within the cage for resting. Keywords: welfare, housing effects, air flow, forced air, IVC, Tecniplast, behavior, nesting, Optimice, mice, mouse Citation: Alexakos, P. Choosing Resting Areas…
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Maintaining Germ-Free Animals on an Optimice Rack
Original Optimice study cages were maintained germ-free for 16 weeks before the study ended, then animals were transferred into an isolator. Keywords: biocontainment, bioexclusion, axenic, germ-free, cross-contamination, Optimice, mice, mouse Citation: Delaney, E. Maintaining Germ-Free Animals on an Optimice Rack. Poster presented at: American Association for Laboratory Animal Science; 2014; San Antonio TX, USA.
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Acceleration Associated with Rotatation of Animal Care Systems Carousel Racks
This study was undertaken to approximate the acceleration that a rodent would experience during routine rotation of the rack by personnel, and to compare this motion to those laboratory rodents may undergo routinely in day to day activities. Keywords: Welfare, Housing Effects,Behavior, rotational force, rotation, acceleration, density, high density, Optimice, mice, mouse Citation: Chua, B.…
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Flexible Solutions Addressing Operational Needs are Key to Success in Vivarium Planning
The design team specified Animal Care Systems ultra high density Optimice Caging system because it made efficient use of the available floor space. Keywords: Vivarium Planning,Design, Efficiency, density, high density, ultra high density, Optimice, design, layout, architect, mice, mouse Citation: Haugh, K. Flexible Solutions Addressing Operational Needs are Key to Success in Vivarium Planning. CRB…