Lab Animals - ANS 001 UC Davis - Hovey

Mus musculus

Mouse species and genus

Rattus norvegicus

Rat species and genus

Oryctolagus canicalus

Rabbit species and genus

Dam 

Mother mouse 

Dam

mother rat

Doe

mother rabbit

Sire

father mouse

Sire

father rat

Buck

father rabbit

Pup

mouse parturition 

Pup

rat parturition

Kindle

rabbit parturition

pup (lowercase)

mouse offspring

Pup (capital)

rat offspring

Kit/kittling

rabbit offspring

Most widely used mammal in research?

Mouse

mouse handling

scruff and tail

rat handling

forelimbs and chest 

rabbit handling

support to the hindquarters, and return hind end first

Mouse and rat estrus cycle

4-5 days

Rabbit estrus cycle (induced)

15-16 days

Lee-Boot effect

synchronization of females through housing together for persistent diestrus

Whitten effect 

putting the bedding of a male into the cage of a female to induce estrus

How long after the whitten effect is imposed does the female enter estrus? 

3 days

Mice and rat digestion

Monogastric

Rabbit digestion

non-ruminant hindgut

Rabbit diet

concentrate selecting herbivores

Mice and rat diet

omnivorous 

Coprophagy

The reingestion of soft feces/caecotrophs to gain more vitamins, protein through microbes, and VFAs

Photoperiod for lab animals

14 hours light and 10 hours dark or 12 hours light and 12 hours dark