Views: 41
Caging
Since many animals spend most of their lives in cages, these enclosures are an important aspect of the laboratory animal environment. Animals should be housed with a goal of maximizing species-specific behaviors and minimizing stress-induced behaviors. Some animals normally requires housing in compatible pairs or groups.
The environment in which animals are maintained should be appropriate to the species, its life history, and its intended use. For some species, it might be appropriate to approximate the natural environment for breeding and maintenance.
Laboratory animal cages must:
- Be sited in secure, cool, silent and easily accessible places, well drained and away from direct wind and rain.
- Be kept clean and cleanness should be done on regular basis. Its floors and walls should easy to be sprayed and disinfected.
- Be well ventilated and lighted so as not to predispose these animals to infections and other effects caused by poor ventilation. The optimum humidity in these cages should be between 45-65%, the cages should also be adequately lighted.
- Allow for specific social interaction within or between enclosures ,and allow observation of animals with minimal disturbance of them;
- Provide a safe ,comfortable and secure environment that permits the normal physiologic and behavioral needs of the animals to be expressed;
- Enable ready access to food and water receptacles and be constructed of materials that balance the needs of the animal with sanitation.
- Be constructed with materials that resist corrosion and withstand chipping, cracking or rusting
Materials for making cages include, wood, iron sheets, wire mesh, plastic, glass etc. The choice of which material to use will depend on many factors including:
- Cost
- Availability
- Durability
- Comfortability
It is also important to take cognizance of the fact some laboratory animals e.g. Hamsters have a habit of gnawing plastic cage materials. such animals should therefore be kept in wooden or metallic cages
Nevertheless, hamsters must be provided with wood to gnaw otherwise their incisors might overgrow until feeding is impossible ) cages should be labeled and the materials used for labeling should be those that are not easily chewed by the gnawing animals and insects.
Environment
Environmental factors can have a profound effect on the health and well-being of animals as well as on the outcome of experimental manipulation.
Temperature, humidity, air pressure differential and air exchange rate,
illumination level, and noise levels all may affect animal well-being and
research results. The range of daily temperature fluctuations should be kept to a minimum (e.g., ± 2º F) to avoid large demands on the animals’ metabolic and behavioral processes.
Relative humidity should also be controlled (e.g., 30% to 70%). In general, an air exchange rate of 10 to 15 changes per hour is considered an acceptable standard.
Light intensity, duration of exposure, wavelength of light, and light history of the animal, pigmentation of the animal and other factors should be considered when establishing an illumination level in the animal room.
Sound exposure can also have variable effects on animals, noise generators (e.g., human activities, noisy animals, equipment) should be minimized in animal areas. Environments should be designed to accommodate animals that make noise, rather than resorting to methods of reducing the noise made by animals.