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Can seeds help mice with the daily grind?
K R Pritchett-Corning1, R Keefe, J P Garner
1Research Models and Services, Charles River, Wilmington, MA, USA.
Laboratory Animals
|June 14, 2013
Summary
Laboratory mice may exhibit abnormal food grinding, producing waste material called orts. Providing sunflower seeds or chewing devices reduced ort production, suggesting enrichment can improve mouse welfare and reduce feed wastage.
Area of Science:
- Animal Behavior
- Laboratory Animal Science
- Animal Welfare
Background:
- Food grinding behavior in laboratory mice, resulting in waste material (orts), is not universally observed within strains, suggesting it may indicate abnormal behavior and welfare concerns.
- Increased feed consumption and cage soiling associated with food grinding are undesirable from a husbandry standpoint.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential motivations behind food grinding behavior in laboratory mice.
- To identify effective treatments for reducing food grinding and subsequent ort production.
Main Methods:
- Outbred Crl:CD1(Icr) mice exhibiting food grinding were subjected to three feeder treatments: no enrichment, a chewing device, or sunflower seeds.
- Ort production was measured at baseline and during/after treatment periods.
- Body weight was recorded and analyzed in relation to ort production.
Main Results:
- Both the chewing device and sunflower seed groups showed a significant decrease in ort production compared to baseline (P < 0.05).
- Mice provided with sunflower seeds maintained reduced food wastage even after the treatment was removed.
- A negative correlation was observed between average body weight per cage and ort production levels.
Conclusions:
- Enrichment strategies, particularly the provision of sunflower seeds, can effectively reduce food grinding and ort production in laboratory mice.
- The findings suggest that food grinding may not solely be driven by a need to gnaw, indicating a potential nutritional motivation.
- Interventions like sunflower seeds can improve laboratory mouse welfare and husbandry by mitigating abnormal behaviors and reducing waste.
