van den Broek F A, Omtzigt C M, Beynen A C
Laboratory Animals Centre, Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Lab Anim. 1993 Jul;27(3):270-2. doi: 10.1258/002367793780745462.
In group-housed laboratory mice whisker trimming (removal of vibrissae) occurs occasionally, but in the A2G strain it is seen almost invariably. We have tested the hypothesis that whisker trimming in A2G mice is not prevented by offering the possibility to withdraw from it. Pairs of male or female mice showing absence of whiskers and/or absence of nasal fur were separated by placing in their cage either one or two wire screens with a 10 mm mesh. Unlike the single screen, the two screens, which were 10 mm apart from each other, excluded nose to mouth contact. After five weeks, whiskers had regrown in mice separated by the double screen, whereas in the pairs separated by the single screen whiskers remained in part absent. This suggests that 2 mice involved in whisker trimming, either actively or passively, co-operate in this behaviour.
在群居的实验小鼠中，偶尔会出现胡须修剪（去除触须）的情况，但在A2G品系中，这种情况几乎总是会出现。我们已经验证了这样一个假设：为A2G小鼠提供退出胡须修剪行为的可能性，并不能阻止这种行为的发生。将成对出现胡须缺失和/或鼻毛缺失的雄性或雌性小鼠，通过在其笼子中放置一个或两个网眼为10毫米的铁丝网筛来进行分隔。与单个筛网不同，两个相距10毫米的筛网排除了口鼻接触。五周后，被双筛网分隔的小鼠胡须重新生长，而被单筛网分隔的小鼠对中，胡须仍部分缺失。这表明，参与胡须修剪的两只小鼠，无论主动还是被动，在这种行为中存在协作。
