Advice on refined methods for handling, habituation and training
If you work with animals in research, you will encounter various situations where handling is required. This may occur during routine husbandry, such as health checks or cage changes, or during interventions that are part of the procedures you conduct. We have developed advice to support you in planning how to handle and train your animals.
Continuously working to refine animal experimentation is important both for enhancing the welfare of laboratory animals and for improving the quality of research. This applies to all types of procedures, from advanced experiments with high severity to common minor procedures.
The 3Rs Center is currently working on a project to develop brief advice on how to refine common minor procedures. Our second advice in this series focuses on handling, habituation and training of laboratory animals. Handling can cause stress to the animals, particularly if they are not used to it or if it is forced upon them. When animals experience stress, several physiological functions and systems are affected, which in turn may influence your results and the variability observed in your data. Our advice is intended to support you in planning how to handle and train your animals.
The material is intended for researchers, Animal Welfare Bodies, and Regional Animal Ethics Committees in their work to develop and evaluate applications for ethical approval of animal experimentation. Others working with laboratory animals may also find the material useful.
Report: Refined methods for handling, habituation and training pdf, 209.8 kB.