Picking up mice by the tail can compromise their welfare and affect scientific outcomes. Handling stress is a well-recognised source of variation in animal studies that can also compromise the welfare of research animals. (2020). In addition, using gloved hands to directly handle mice during cage changing is efficient and avoids the ergonomic strain associated with forceps. Using a tunnel or cupped hand to pick up mice causes less anxiety than traditional tail handling. Traditionally mice have been picked up uh via their tails. Download short video clips for use in in-house training. Professor Hurst was awarded an OBE for services to animal welfare in the 2020 New Year Honours list. handling mice by either cup handling or tunnel handling is less stressful and more trust inspiring for the mice. A reel may also serve as means of transfer, as mice like to crawl into the dark tube or climb onto the device. Therefore, it is important to know whether such protocols affect the previously-demonstrated positive effects of non-aversive handling methods. Need vole removal in your hometown? According to the MGS, tattooing was not more painful than ear tagging but caused significant tail inflammation and more agitation and anxiety. Results showed that the tail approach yielded the lowest voluntary interaction with the handler and induced more urination and defecation during the handling process. Tail or Tunnel: Handling Methods Influence Mouse Behavior in Cognitive Tasks. They observed that BALB/c mice found restraint more stressful than handling alone, and showed evidence of a stronger aversion to IP injections than isoflurane anaesthesia. Scientific Reports 10: e14562. The researchers showed that mice of all strains and sex developed a consistent voluntary interaction in the ninth daily handling session among all the three handling methods – the tail, home cage tunnel, or "cupped" on open hand . Experimental protocols often require mice to undergo repeated procedures that can cause pain or discomfort. These non-aversive methods also make handling easier for researchers and animal care staff, and enhance mouse performance in behavioural tests. Non-aversive methods do not add time to husbandry or procedures provided staff are adequately trained. Information on Vole, or Field Mouse Removal and Control. View our video tutorial on the refined mouse handling methods. Read the underpinning research and related papers. As handling mice by a tunnel requires minimal physical contact with the animal, this is likely to be another advantage for less experienced handlers. For example, they may be restrained and injected many times over the duration of a study. Benefits of tunnel handling persist after repeated restraint, injection and anaesthesia. Henderson and colleagues extended previous work by investigating whether repeated scruff restraint, intraperitoneal (IP) injections and short-duration (five minute) anaesthesia with isoflurane negated the reduction in anxiety-related behaviours associated with tunnel handling. The original research by Professor Hurst was funded by the BBSRC and the NC3Rs. To test discrimination between two different scents, the mice were then placed near a different urine stimulus. A study funded by the NC3Rs explored how handling methods influenced mice’s behavior during cognitive tasks. The authors conclude that the welfare benefits of tunnel handling are widely applicable. To reduce background variation and maximise welfare, methods that minimise handling stress should be developed and used wherever possible. Get monthly updates in your inbox from the NC3Rs on funding opportunities, events and publications. We evaluated a handling method using tunnels to tame laboratory mice (ICR) in the context of animal welfare and ease of handling. While mice may appear small and cute, they can create big problems in your yard as they build tunnels and chew on your flowers, vegetables and shrubs. A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘We are committed to the proper regulation of the use of animals in scientific research. For 96” OD and larger hand tunnels, Bradshaw is the utility industry leader in using the NATM/SEM (sprayed shotcrete) hand tunneling method. Tips and strategies for rolling out the refined handling methods in your facility. For support with implementing non-aversive handling methods, visit the NC3Rs How to pick up a mouse resource hub. Hear from champions based at facilities around the UK who have successfully implemented non-aversive mouse handling methods. These observations suggest that habituating mice to handling by either the cupping or tunnel method minimizes handling-related stress. We service over 500 USA locations! While handling mice is necessary before and after placing them in their test environment, using different techniques can significantly change the animal's response during the exam. It is well established that using handling tunnels or cupped hands in place of picking up mice by the tail improves their welfare. Mice can also be required to undergo short periods of anaesthesia for implantation of devices, or repeated instances of anaesthesia for imaging the development of diseases. However, two alternative methods for picking up laboratory mice have been investigated and validated in recent years [7–9]; ‘tunnel’ handling, that involves guiding mice into a tunnel before being lifted (thus avoiding direct contact), and ‘cup’ handling, where mice are scooped up and lifted with closed or open hands and allowed to move freely without direct physical restraint (video tutorials of … Mice quickly habituate to tunnel handling and can subsequently be restrained by the scruff or tail base for procedures or health and welfare assessments without negating the positive impacts of the non-aversive capture. These positive behavioural effects persisted even after repeated aversive procedures. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-71476-y. They were also less likely to defecate during handling and behavioural testing than their tail-handled counterparts. Tunnel handling reduced anxiety compared with tail handling. It won the 2010 NC3Rs 3Rs Prize. During 1-week acclimation to handling and subsequent 1-week oral administration (once per day), voluntary interaction with the experimenter was much greater in mice handled by a tunnel compared to those picked up by the tail. Tunnel-handled mice showed increased exploratory behaviour in an Elevated Plus Maze and Open Field Test, and spent more time interacting with their handler. A new study shows an advantage to a particular method of getting mice into a testing arena that could remove a stumbling block to accurate research. Mr John Waters, the animal technician who supported the research, won the 2017 IAT Andrew Blake Tribute Award and was named Outstanding Technician of the Year at the 2020 THE Awards. Traditionally mice are initially picked up by the base of the tail, sometimes with a hand positioned to support the animal’s body. By contrast, mice picked up in a tunnel explored their environment readily, showed a strong interest in the new stimulus, and a clear effect of becoming familiar with it in the consecutive sessions. Request copies of our mouse handling poster for display in your facility. Mice were either picked up by the tail or guided into a tunnel, then transferred to the testing arena. As well as having animal welfare benefits the research, led by Professor Jane Hurst at the University of Liverpool, has shown that picking up mice by the tail can impact on scientific outcomes, with mice handled by tunnel and cupping methods showing improved performance in behavioural tests compared to traditional tail handling. Cause pain or discomfort method to reduce background variation and maximise welfare, that... Performance in behavioural tests tagging but caused significant tail inflammation and more trust for. 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