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Cited by 76Animal Behavior and Welfare StudiesAnimal testing and alternativesPrimate Behavior and Ecology

Rats demand social contact

Patterson-Kane, E G, Hunt, M, Harper, D·2002·Animal Welfare
DOI 10.1017/s0962728600024908
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Abstract

Abstract There is some evidence that rats benefit from social housing and from some forms of environmental enrichment, such as platforms and shelters. It is less clear whether they benefit from more spacious cages. There is a lack of information about the relative benefits of social contact, enrichment and increased space, because existing studies tend to concentrate on only one of these variables at a time. The current experiment used economic demand procedures as a method to compare, on a single scale, qualitatively different environments with a standard home cage. The data indicate that rats show a high demand for social contact, and a low demand for a larger cage or one containing pillars or novel objects. This finding suggests that social housing of laboratory rats should be strongly advocated.

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Crossref · 10.1017/s0962728600024908

Cites

26 of 26 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Mice and rats will work to obtain social contact.

    “and will actively work to obtain social contact46,47.”

    From Neural mechanisms of social homeostasis (2019) · cites this paper as [46]

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Authors
Patterson-Kane, E. G., Hunt, M., & Harper, D.
Affiliations
University of British Columbia (CA)
Corresponding author
Patterson-Kane, E G
ORCID
Venue
Animal Welfare
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
2002-08
Volume
11
Issue
3
Pages
327-332
ISSN
  • 0962-7286 (ISSN-L)
  • 2054-1538
DOI
10.1017/s0962728600024908
OpenAlex
W3135749491
Cited by
76
References
26
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
FWCI
6.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 7468 d)
Locations
Animal Welfare (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal testing and alternatives
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
Keywords
laboratory rats, social contact, social housing, environmental enrichment, novel objects

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