Kappel Sarah, Hawkins Penny, Mendl Michael T
Bristol Veterinary School, Bristol University, Langford House, Langford BS40 5DU, UK
Research Animals Department, RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, West Sussex RH13 9RS, UK
Animals (Basel). 2017 Nov 24;7(12):88. doi: 10.3390/ani7120088.
It is widely recommended to group-house male laboratory mice because they are 'social animals', but male mice do not naturally share territories and aggression can be a serious welfare problem. Even without aggression, not all animals within a group will be in a state of positive welfare. Rather, many male mice may be negatively affected by the stress of repeated social defeat and subordination, raising concerns about welfare and also research validity. However, individual housing may not be an appropriate solution, given the welfare implications associated with no social contact. An essential question is whether it is in the best welfare interests of male mice to be group- or singly housed. This review explores the likely impacts-positive and negative-of both housing conditions, presents results of a survey of current practice and awareness of mouse behavior, and includes recommendations for good practice and future research. We conclude that whether group- or single-housing is better (or less worse) in any situation is highly context-dependent according to several factors including strain, age, social position, life experiences, and housing and husbandry protocols. It is important to recognise this and evaluate what is preferable from animal welfare and ethical perspectives in each case.
人们普遍建议将雄性实验小鼠群居饲养，因为它们是“群居动物”，但雄性小鼠不会自然地共享领地，攻击行为可能会成为一个严重的福利问题。即使没有攻击行为，群体中的并非所有动物都会处于积极的福利状态。相反，许多雄性小鼠可能会受到反复社交失败和从属压力的负面影响，这引发了对福利以及研究有效性的担忧。然而，考虑到无社交接触所带来的福利问题，单独饲养可能并不是一个合适的解决方案。一个关键问题是，对雄性小鼠来说，群居还是单独饲养是否最符合其福利利益。这篇综述探讨了两种饲养条件可能产生的积极和消极影响，呈现了关于当前小鼠饲养实践和行为认知的调查结果，并给出了良好实践和未来研究的建议。我们得出结论，在任何情况下，群居还是单独饲养更好（或更不差）高度取决于多种因素，包括品系、年龄、社会地位、生活经历以及饲养和管理方案。认识到这一点并从动物福利和伦理角度评估每种情况下哪种方式更可取很重要。
