The DOI matches its Crossref record; 27 of the 27 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Preference for social contact versus environmental enrichment in male laboratory mice
Open accessAbstract
Due to their aggressive nature, male mice are less frequently used than female mice in biomedical research. When aggressive males are being used, individual housing is common practice. The question arises whether this is an acceptable housing for a social species. The present study was designed to gain more insight into the nature of inter-male social contact and into the potential of a form of environmental enrichment (nesting material) to compensate for the lack of social contact. In a series of tests, we analysed whether male mice of different ages preferred to spend time (1) near a familiar cage mate versus an empty cage, or (2) near to a familiar cage mate versus direct contact with nesting material (tissues). Dwelling time in each of the test cages and sleeping sites was recorded, as was the behaviour of the test mice. Results indicated that when other conditions were similar, male mice preferred to sleep in close proximity to their familiar cage mate. Furthermore, the need to engage in active social behaviour increased with age. Tissues were used to a large extent for sleeping and sleep-related behaviour. It is concluded that single housing in order to avoid aggression between male mice is a solution with evident negative consequences for the animals. When individual housing is inevitable due to excessive aggressive behaviour, the presence of nesting material could partly compensate for the deprivation of social contact.
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“make nests in close proximity to conspecifics when partially separated43,45”
From Neural mechanisms of social homeostasis (2019) · cites this paper as [45]
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“Laboratory mice can be much more violent than rats-cases of death due to aggression are not uncommon, especially after placing stranger mice into a common cage. 68,69”
From Ecological validity of social interaction tests in rats and mice (2019) · cites this paper as [69]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Van Loo, P. L. P., Van de Weerd, H. A., Van Zutphen, L. F. M., & Baumans, V.
- Affiliations
- Department of Laboratory Animal Science, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.166, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands
- University of Newcastle, Department of Agriculture, King George VI Building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU, UK
- Utrecht University (NL)
- ORCID
- Baumans, V.
- Venue
- Laboratory Animals
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2004-04-01
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 178-188
- ISSN
- 0023-6772 (ISSN-L)
- 1758-1117
- OpenAlex
- W2133901557
- Cited by
- 118
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 11.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Laboratory Animals (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal testing and alternatives
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Keywords
- environmental enrichment, nesting material, single housing, aggression, social behavior, animal welfare
- MeSH terms
- Agonistic Behavior, Animals, Animal Welfare, Behavior, Animal, Housing, Animal, Male, Mice, Inbred BALB C, Random Allocation, Social Dominance, Mice
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