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Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Nest Building as an Indicator of Health and Welfare in Laboratory Mice
Published on: December 24, 2013
The Nest Building Test in Mice for Assessment of General Well-Being
Ann-Katrin Kraeuter1,2, Paul C Guest3, Zoltán Sarnyai4,5
1Laboratory of Psychiatric Neuroscience, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.
Abstract:
This chapter presents a method for assessing general behavior, well-being, and sensorimotor gating. A detailed protocol is given for assessment of nest building performance in female mice using a strict scoring system. The test can be used for assessing moods and behaviors associated with psychiatric disorders such as depression and schizophrenia. It can also be useful for testing movement disorders such as Parkinson disease.
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