Care and Well-Being of Laboratory Animals: Second Edition

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2025 | Viewed by 738

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Laboratory Animal Science and Animal Welfare, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, Germany
2. 3R Centre JLU Giessen, Interdisciplinary Centre for 3Rs in Animal Research (ICAR3R), Giessen, Germany
Interests: stereotypies in laboratory rodents; assessment of suffering; 3R education; culture of care
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The well-being of laboratory animals remains a central concern in biomedical research, with growing recognition of their intrinsic value and their capacity for sensory perception and suffering. Recent advancements in animal welfare research have deepened our understanding of the complex needs of laboratory animals, highlighting the ethical responsibilities of all stakeholders involved in their care.

In the face of these responsibilities, continuous improvement in care practices is essential to ensure that animals are housed in environments that best support their physical and psychological needs. The concept of care goes beyond routine husbandry—it involves a comprehensive approach that includes knowledge, empathy, and responsibility, with all actors contributing to the overall welfare of the animals.

The challenge of maintaining optimal well-being in laboratory animals is heightened by the artificial, often stressful environments in which they live. To truly address their needs, it is crucial to shift the perspective towards understanding how these animals experience their surroundings and how their needs can be met effectively.

This Special Issue will once again explore the latest insights on the care and well-being of laboratory animals, incorporating diverse perspectives from research, ethics, and practical implementation. We invite contributions that reflect current advancements and explore innovative solutions to improve the lives of laboratory animals.

Prof. Dr. Stephanie Krämer
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • 3Rs
  • refinement
  • animal well-being
  • animal welfare
  • laboratory animal science

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1281 KB  
Article
Housing in a Large Open Cage Did Not Affect the Phenotypic Traits of Obese Male Zucker fa/fa Rats When Compared to IVC-Housed Rats, but Improved the Rats’ Well-Being
by Oddrun Anita Gudbrandsen
Animals 2025, 15(18), 2687; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15182687 - 13 Sep 2025
Viewed by 437
Abstract
The housing of laboratory rats in cages with dimensions according to international standards for research animals can hardly be regarded as a stimulating environment, even when fulfilling the minimum requirements for environmental enrichment. Little is known about whether changes in the housing situations [...] Read more.
The housing of laboratory rats in cages with dimensions according to international standards for research animals can hardly be regarded as a stimulating environment, even when fulfilling the minimum requirements for environmental enrichment. Little is known about whether changes in the housing situations to improve living conditions will affect the phenotypic traits of well-known models for human diseases. The obese Zucker fa/fa rat develops hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and fatty liver, and is widely used for studies on metabolic complications of obesity in humans. Young male obese Zucker fa/fa rats were housed in pairs in standard individually ventilated cages (IVCs: floor area 1500 cm2 and maximum height 20 cm), or 4–6 rats were housed in a large open cage (LOC: floor area 7705 cm2 and height 75 cm). The LOC provided an environment with more physical, social, auditory, visual, olfactory, and tactile stimuli compared to IVCs. The aims were to compare the development of obesity comorbidities and to assess the well-being of rats housed under different conditions. The rats housed in IVCs and the LOC had similar adiposity, blood pressure, hepatic triacylglycerol content, and similar serum concentrations of cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and alanine transaminase. IVC-housed rats showed some signs of distress, such as less interest in nest-building and signs of apathy compared to LOC-housed rats. To conclude, LOC housing did not affect the typical phenotype of obese Zucker fa/fa rats but did improve the welfare of these rats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Care and Well-Being of Laboratory Animals: Second Edition)
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