Differences in the microenvironment of a polycarbonate caging system: bedding vs raised wire floors

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Laboratory Animal Science
• Environmental Monitoring

Background:

• Rodent housing environments significantly impact animal welfare and research outcomes.
• Cage microenvironments require careful management of temperature, humidity, ammonia, and particulates.
• Optimizing bedding and caging systems is crucial for laboratory animal care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the microenvironment of different rat caging systems.
• To evaluate the impact of bedding types and raised floorwalk inserts on key environmental parameters.
• To determine effective strategies for controlling ammonia and airborne particulates in rodent cages.

Main Methods:

• Compared polycarbonate cages with and without bedding to wire floor insert cages with bedding.
• Monitored cage microenvironment parameters: temperature, humidity, ammonia concentration, and particulates.
• Utilized statistical analysis to identify significant differences between caging conditions.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in temperature or humidity were observed across caging types.
• Bedding material use showed significant differences in ammonia concentrations.
• Raised floorwalk inserts significantly reduced particulate counts compared to cages without inserts.

Conclusions:

• Contact bedding effectively controls ammonia generation in rat cages.
• Raised floorwalk inserts significantly reduce the aerosolization of bedding particles.
• These findings support improved strategies for maintaining healthier rodent housing environments.