Lab & Exotics - Test 2

Rat breeds

Rattus norvegicus

Wistar

Albino rats that are easy to handle and work well for long term studies as their life span exceeds 50 months.

Sprague Dawley

Albino rats that are the most widely outbred rat with an excellent reproductive performance, 10.5 average litter size, and good maternal characteristics.

Lewis

Albino rats that are heavily inbred and typically used for transplantation, induced arthritis, and diabetes research as they are sensitive to a number of autoimmune diseases. Their average litter size is around 7.5.

Lister Hooded

The only black and white rat that is slightly smaller and less light sensitive than other rats as well as susceptible to audiogenic seizures.

Mouse Strains

Mus musculus

C57bl/6/Bkl

A black mouse strain that has good reproductive performance and is commonly used for transgenic/knockout model development, diet induced obesity and immunology

BALB/c/Bkl

An albino mouse strain that emits a pheromone that stresses out other mice in a close distance. Used in hybridoma development research.

SCID

A hairless strain of mouse which is severely immunocompromised and homozygous for the scid mutation that blocks Tand B-cell lymphocyte development.

Nude Mouse

A hairless strain of mouse that has a genetic mutation that causes a deterioration in their thymus gland.

Guinea Pig

Cavia porcellus

Hartley Guinea Pig

The white strain of guinea pig who is a very docile species but may stampede when frightened and can be housed in tubs as they can’t jump or climb.

IAF Hairless Guinea Pig

The hairless guinea pig strain has an albino background caused by a natural mutation who is also immunocompetent and is commonly used in dermatology.

Gerbils

Meriones unguiculatus

Mongolian Gerbil

An agouti and black strain of gerbil that has an average litter size of 4.5 and is commonly used in endocrine studies due to their low water requirement and highly concentrated urine making it easy to test for high cholesterol levels and lipid metabolism.

Hamsters

Cricetus cricetus

Syrian Hamster

a gold or tan breed of hamster with an average litter size of 9.0 that is relatively free from spontaneous disease, but susceptible to induced pathogens. Their cheek pouches are ideal for evaluating the carcinogenic potential of substances.

Rabbits

Ocrytolagus cuniculus

New Zealand White

Albino strain of rabbit that is the most common one to use for research and was originally bred for meat.

New Zealand Red

Reddish brown phenotype in rabbits that have less light sensitivity than the white but less availability.

Californians

The black and white rabbit strain that is raised for meat and fur with large litters and good mothering instincts. Very available in random sources.

Flemish Giants

The biggest rabbit breed (15-22lb) with 7 colour variations and is raised for meat, fur, and a domestic pet.

Dog

Canus lupus familiaris

Beagle

A tricoloured dog breed small enough to be handled and housed but big enough for procedures to be performed. Used in both veterinary and human research.