Mice prefer draught-free housing.

An increasing number of rodents are housed in individually ventilated cage (IVC) systems, as these seem to be very effective for the protection of animals against infections, as well as protecting the staff against allergens. For the IVC systems to be properly ventilated, a huge amount of air has to be blown into the cage, which may cause a draught at animal level inside the cage. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the preferences of mice for differing levels of air speeds and air changes inside the cage. It has been concluded that mice do react to draughts, whereas they do not seem to be affected by a high number of air changes delivered without draught, which underlines the importance of applying draught-free IVC systems for mice.

The effects of feeding and housing on the behaviour of the laboratory rabbit.

The effects of housing, feeding time and diet composition on the behaviour of the laboratory rabbit were examined. The animals were caged individually in single or double metal cages with perforated metal floors, metal walls, and bars in the front, or kept as a group in floor pens. The light/dark cycle was 12/12 h with light from 04:00 to 16:00 h and 30 min twilight. One experiment compared feeding equal energy levels of a high energy diet (10.1 MJ/kg) and with a low energy diet (7.0 MJ/kg) at 08:00 h. The second experiment compared feeding the high energy diet at 08:00 h and at 14:00 h. In both studies the behaviour of the rabbits was recorded between 08:00 and 14:00 h and between 16:00 and 22:00 h. Feeding the animals at 14:00 h reduced abnormal behaviour during the dark period compared to feeding at 08:00 h, whereas no difference in behaviour could be detected between feeding a high-energy and a low-energy diet at 08:00 h. Animals in floor pens generally showed less abnormal behaviour than caged animals. The results indicate that the welfare for caged rabbits can be improved by feeding the animals in the afternoon rather than in the morning.