Better welfare for mice through handling and training

Abstract

The question to be answered with this study was whether it was possible to train mice to use less restraining during a subcutaneous injection, so that it could ultimately lead to less stress and better well-being for the mice, and a less negative association with the researcher. This was done with female C3H mice by means of clicker training (the bridging stimulus was a dog whistle and the reward peanut butter), the mice were trained through several steps / levels to stand to the right side of the platform and to allow an injection on a platform in a training cage. Attention was paid to the time it took for the mouse to first stand to the right, how much percentage of the time the mice stood to the right side of the platform during training, behaviors (which could be influenced by stress) and contact-seeking behaviors towards the researcher. The study ultimately found that there was more habituation than training, because only touch the hand of the researcher, eating of the reward, the number of times the mouse withdrew and the time it took to inject were significantly different. And there were no differences in time right, behaviors or many contact seeking behaviors with the researcher, which would be affected by training. Thus habituation has caused that an injection could be given with less restraining. This led to a stress reduction and with that an improvement in well-being, and also ensured a less negative association with the researcher.