Nest Building Behavior as an Early Indicator of Behavioral Deficits in Mice

Area of Science:

• Animal Behavior
• Laboratory Animal Science
• Welfare Assessment

Background:

• Nest building is an innate rodent behavior crucial for welfare assessment.
• Changes in nesting can indicate health decline, cognitive impairment, or stress.
• Nesting behavior is sensitive to environmental, physiological, and genetic factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a nesting behavior paradigm using four distinct nesting materials.
• To evaluate the inter-rater reliability of nest construction assessments.
• To identify optimal nesting materials for consistent welfare evaluation in rodents.

Main Methods:

• A nesting behavior assay was developed using four types of nesting material.
• Intraclass correlations were utilized to quantify inter-rater reliability.
• Comparative analysis of nest construction quality across different materials was performed.

Main Results:

• Shredded paper demonstrated higher inter-rater reliability compared to cotton squares, paper twists, and cob bedding.
• Nest construction using shredded paper yielded more consistent observational data.
• The protocol provides a reliable method for assessing rodent welfare through nesting.

Conclusions:

• Shredded paper is a superior nesting material for enhancing the reliability of welfare and cognitive assessments in mice.
• The described methodology and statistical approach (intraclass correlation) are valuable for researchers.
• This study offers a refined protocol for consistent and accurate evaluation of rodent living quality.