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Housing and husbandry: Dog

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory dog.

Guidance

Four dogs in a pen, interacting and showing amicable social behaviour. The two dogs in the background are nose to nose. In the foreground one dog is on his back with legs in the air, a second dog can be seen sniffing him from the side.

Housing and husbandry: Rabbit

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory rabbit.

Guidance

Two white rabbits in a floor pen. The cage is grey and you can see sawdust and straw on the floor. The closest rabbit is sitting on a raised ledge looking towards a food hopper which contains hay and carrots. The other rabbit can be seen exploring the floor towards the back.

Housing and husbandry: Mouse

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory mouse.

Guidance

Housing and husbandry: Cat

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory cat.

Guidance

A technician with cats in a play area. The technician is wearing a white protective suit, mask, hair net and laboratory gloves. She is holding a piece of string which one of the cats is rearing up to play with. One cat sits on a shelf to the left, another is walking along the floor looking at the camera.

Housing and husbandry: Non-human primate

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of laboratory non-human primates.

Guidance

A large room housing a breeding group of rhesus macaques. In the background is a floor-to-ceiling height bay window, letting lots of natural light into the room. The floor is covered in a deep layer of wood shavings, with one monkey on the floor foraging for scattered food. Wooden ladders, platforms and shelves fill the walls and room space, some of which have monkeys resting on them. Suspended from the ceiling are swings made from wood and ropes, and from plastic barrels and firehoses.

Housing and husbandry: Hamster

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory hamster.

Guidance

Two hamsters in a cage. The floor is covered in sawdust. One hamster is towards the right hand side, the other is in the middle, emerging from a cardboard tube (enrichment). Both hamsters are red and light brown in colour.

Housing and husbandry: Ferret

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory ferret.

Guidance

Ferrets in a cage. You can see multiple examples of environmental enrichment including a hammock, red plastic ball, cardboard tubes and nesting boxes.

Housing and husbandry: Guinea pig

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory guinea pig.

Guidance

White guinea pigs in floor pen. Each enclosure holds around three to five guinea pigs and is separated with clear perspex partitions so the animals can see each other. Each enclosure has a silver box to create shade and shelter. The floor is covered in sawdust and straw.

Housing and husbandry: Gerbil

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory gerbil.

Guidance

Gerbil is held by a laboratory technician in a gloved hand.

Housing and husbandry: Rat

Information to help refine the housing and husbandry of the laboratory rat.

Guidance

A rat accepting a treat, in this case a cereal cheerio snack, from a technician. The rat sits on top of a housing box within a cage (the lid is open). The technician is reaching in with a gloved hand, and the black and white lister hooded rat is reaching up to take the treat.

The 3Hs Initiative – Housing, Handling and Habituation

A framework to improve the lives of laboratory rodents through refined management approaches.

Guidance | Webinar and video

Social housing aids recovery from stressors in zebrafish

Group housed zebrafish show lower levels of stress and anxiety when they undergo procedures than those who are housed singly.

Guidance

A row of plastic fish tanks holding zebrafish at a laboratory. The tanks are tall and narrow, and sit next to each other in numbered racks. The whole aquarium has a blue hue to it. You can see many zebrafish in each tank, socially housed.

Zebrafish welfare

Guidance, information and recommendations for those working with zebrafish.

Guidance

Minimising aggression in group-housed male mice

Recommendations for reducing aggression between group-housed male mice.

Guidance

A mouse with wounds on its back, the result of mouse aggression.

Senses and communication: Non-human primate

Primate sensory capabilities and communication signals: implications for care and use in the laboratory

A rhesus macaque looks in a mirror hung outside its cage

Breeding and colony management advice service

For answers to more specific questions about colony management or breeding difficult strains you can email our dedicated advice service.

Guidance

White speech bubble icon on a blue background

Rat playpens

The positive impact playpens have on laboratory rat welfare, and guidance on how to set one up in your institution.

Guidance

A tall cage which has been used to create a rat playpen. There are three different tiers with ladders to allow the rats to climb up between each one. A number of white rats can be seen moving between the different levels. Enrichment and play objects are available on each level including an cardboard box that used to hold laboratory gloves, coloured balls, tubes, a wheel and a raised platform on the top level with some bedding material.

An automated behaviour monitoring tool for zebrafish

The Fish Behaviour Index (FBI) is an automated tool to monitor the behaviour of singly housed zebrafish.

Tool

Fish image taken by the Fish Behaviour Index

Amphibian care and welfare webinar

A joint webinar from the NC3Rs/RSPCA Animals in Science department on refining the use of amphibians in research.

Webinar and video

Double-decker rodent telemetry

The welfare benefits of double-decker rodent cages in allowing rats to engage in natural behaviours.

Guidance

Two white rats sit in a plastic IVC rat cage. Both are facing towards the camera. You can see a carboard tube (enrichment) towards the bottom right of the cage and a wire food hopper full of pellets in the middle back of the photo. There is an orange card pinned to the front where details of the animals can be recorded, the word moderate can be seen in caps stamped across the card.

Non-human primate accommodation, care and use guidelines

Guidelines on non-human primate accommodation, care and use adopted by the major UK bioscience funders.

Guidance | Hard copy

The front cover of the "Non-human primate accommodation, care and use guidelines" document on a green background.

Choosing appropriate enrichment

The importance of choosing the appropriate type of enrichment, including examples for rodents and zebrafish.

Guidance

Two white rats in an enriched cage containing cardboard tunnels and paper towels.

Example enrichment study protocols

Guidance on how to conduct an evaluation of environmental enrichment.

Guidance

Evaluating enrichment approach 1: Monitoring behaviour using an ethogram

Guidance on using ethograms to evaluate environmental enrichment, including examples.

Guidance

Rats in a playpen with plastic balls, bedding and a plastic wheel

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