Laboratory mouse housing conditions can be improved using common environmental enrichment without compromising data

Area of Science:

• Laboratory animal science
• Animal welfare research
• Experimental design

Background:

• Adequate housing is crucial for laboratory animal welfare.
• Environmental enrichment can enhance the well-being of research animals.
• Concerns exist regarding the impact of enrichment on experimental data comparability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effect of nesting material and shelters on physiological parameters in mice.
• To determine if environmental enrichment compromises the comparability of experimental results.
• To evaluate the influence of enrichment on data variability.

Main Methods:

• Studied 360 mice from two strains (C57BL/6NTac and DBA/2NCrl), both sexes.
• Compared three housing conditions: barren, nesting material only, and nesting material with shelter.
• Measured 164 physiological parameters to analyze effects on means and variability.

Main Results:

• Environmental enrichment affected the mean values of some physiological parameters.
• No consistent effects of enrichment were observed on the variability of parameters.
• The influence of enrichment on results was negligible compared to other factors.

Conclusions:

• Nesting material and shelters can be used to improve mouse welfare.
• Enrichment does not impair experimental outcomes or data comparability.
• Animal welfare can be enhanced without compromising scientific rigor.