The mouse in the house - an alternative to tail handling

Abstract: Refining procedures and practices for mice is an important step to ensure high standards of welfare. Previous studies have focused on refining living conditions while more recent studies are more focused on handling practices. The common practice of handling mice by their tail increases anxiety and induces aversion but non-aversive handling (e.g. tunnel handling or cupping) can mitigate the negative tail handling effects. This study investigated whether using a home cage cardboard house for brief lifts between cages would have the same positive effects on mice as tunnels, compared to body supported tail lifts. Brief handling every other day resulted in familiarisation with the house handling technique, which resulted in only one instance of defecation for house handled mice compared to the tail handled mice that regularly defecated, urinated and vocalised during handling. House handled mice exhibited greater voluntary interactions with the house than tail handled mice did to the hand. Additionally, the house handled mice showed less anxiety and explored the open field arena more than the tail handled mice. This suggest that using the house as a handling device can be beneficial for improving and refining the welfare of laboratory mice.