Refinement Database

Database on Refinement of Housing, Husbandry, Care, and Use of Animals in Research

This database, created in 2000, is updated every four months with newly published scientific articles, books, and other publications related to improving or safeguarding the welfare of animals used in research.

Tips for using the database:

  • This landing page displays all of the publications in the database.
  • Use the drop-down menus to filter these publications by Animal Type, Setting, and/or Topic.
  • Clicking on a parent category (e.g., Rodent) will include publications relating to all the items in that category (e.g., Chinchilla, Gerbil, Guinea Pig, etc.).
  • You may also add a keyword to further narrow your search.
  • Please note that at this time, only publications dated 2010 or later (with some exceptions) can be filtered by Animal Type and Topic, and only publications dated 2020 or later (with some exceptions) can be filtered by Setting. Most publications older than 2010 can only be searched by keyword. 
Philippe, C., Vergauwen, L., Huyghe, K. et al. 2023. Chronic handling stress in zebrafish Danio rerio husbandry. Journal of Fish Biology 103(2), 367–377.

The zebrafish (Danio rerio, Hamilton, 1822) is one of the most important fish model species in scientific research, with millions of fish housed in laboratory animal facilities around the world. During husbandry, it is necessary...

Podturkin, A. A., Krebs, B. L., Watters, J. V. 2023. A quantitative approach for using anticipatory behavior as a graded welfare assessment. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 26(3), 463–477.

To perform quick assessments, welfare practitioners may focus on specific behavioral indicators of welfare, which can lead to challenges in interpretation. Anticipatory behavior has been suggested as a potentially graded indicator of well-being in animals...

Shishis, S., Tsang, B., Ren, G. J. et al. 2023. Effects of different handling methods on the behavior of adult zebrafish. Physiology & Behavior 262, 114106.

The zebrafish is an important biomedical research organism. In most research, zebrafish are removed from their home tank and subsequently their phenotype is measured. The method of handling the fish, however, may significantly affect a...

Trindade, P. H. E., Barreto da Rocha, P., Driessen, B. et al. 2023. Predictive modeling toward refinement of behavior-based pain assessment in horses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 267, 106059.

After 25 years of studies on methodologies for behavioral assessment of equine pain, the Unesp-Botucatu Horse Acute Pain Scale (UHAPS) and the Orthopedic Composite Pain Scale (CPS) were recently considered suboptimal instruments to assess pain...

Walldén, W. 2023. Giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis feeding: How stereotypies and other behaviours changed at Kolmårdens djurpark in Sweden. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 11(4), 393–399.

Kolmården djurpark keeps one of the most northern living giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis groups in the world, and this comes with its challenges. For a long part of the year, the outside temperature is too cold...

Wongsaengchan, C., McCafferty, D. J., Evans, N. P. et al. 2023. Body surface temperature of rats reveals both magnitude and sex differences in the acute stress response. Physiology & Behavior 264, 114138.

Understanding how biological markers of stress relate to stressor magnitude is much needed and can be used in welfare assessment. Changes in body surface temperature can be measured using infrared thermography (IRT) as a marker...

Sharma, S., Khanal, L., Shrestha, S. et al. 2023. Zoo visitors as a source of enrichment to reduce abnormal behavior in captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) in the Central Zoo, Kathmandu, Nepal. Journal of Animal Behaviour Biometeorology 11(1), e2023005.

Overexpression of abnormal behavior among captive primates indicates poor management practices. The type, frequency, and contributing factors of abnormal behaviors vary highly across individual animals in captive settings. This study explored if sex, rearing history...

Uskenov, R., Mirmanov, A., Tretyakov, I. et al. 2023. Automatic cattle weighing on pastures with behavioral analysis during drinking. Journal of Animal Behaviour Biometeorology 11(3), e2023020.

Livestock body weight (BW) and average daily weight gain (ADG) are primary indicators of beef cattle productivity. The conventional method of weighing involves moving the cattle to a weighing location, which is labor-intensive, stressful for...

Pinho, R. H., Justo, A. A., Cima, D. S. et al. 2023. Effects of human observer presence on pain assessment using facial expressions in rabbits. JAALAS 62(1), 81–86.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of a human observer on Rabbit Grimace Scale (RbtGS) scores. The study scored video footage taken of 28 rabbits before and after orthopedic surgery, as...

Allworthy, S. 2023. Inspired by ABWAK – Making a red panda mirror box. RATEL (Journal of the Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers) 50(1), 15.

I've been lucky enough to work with red pandas for around eight years now and during that time worked on a training plan for health checks, routine weighing and general husbandry. Through this training program...

Paul, E. S., Browne, W., Mendl, M. T. et al. 2022. Assessing animal welfare: A triangulation of preference, judgement bias and other candidate welfare indicators. Animal Behaviour 186, 151-177.

To assess the welfare of captive animals, validated measures, so-called ‘welfare indicators’, are required. We used a triangulation approach to investigate the extent to which different measures converged to provide corroborating evidence of welfare. Laying...

McIndoe, K. S., Saunders, R., Blackwell, E. J. et al. 2022. The effect of blindfolding and swaddling on the stress response to handling in domestic rabbits. Animal Welfare 31(1), 27-36.

Stress during handling can negatively impact the welfare of an animal. Gradual habituation or systematic desensitisation can reduce this but is not always possible. Blindfolding has been shown to decrease stress indicators, including heart rate...

Vaz, J., McElligott, A. G., Narayan, E. 2022. Linking the roles of personality and stress physiology for managing the welfare of captive big cats. Animal Welfare 31(1), 99-111.

Animal welfare is important for the humane treatment of animals under our care. Zoos and rescue centres manage various charismatic animals, such as big cats, with limited resources. It is therefore essential for caretakers to...

Goldsborough, Z., Sterck, E. H. M., de Waal, F. B. M. et al. 2022. Individual variation in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) repertoires of abnormal behaviour. Animal Welfare 31(1), 125-135.

Abnormal behaviour in captive animals is both pervasive and ambiguous. Although individual differences are central to the field of animal welfare, studies on abnormal behaviour predominantly employ quantitative, population-level approaches. For example, whereas previous studies...

Mainau, E., Llonch, P., Temple, D. et al. 2022. Alteration in activity patterns of cows as a result of pain due to health conditions. Animals 12(2), 176.

The main conditions and diseases considered painful in dairy cows are mastitis, lameness, calving (including dystocia and caesarean section) and metritis. The cattle literature reports that deviation from normal daily activity patterns (both increased and/or...

Molinaro, H. G., Anderson, G. S., Gruny, L. et al. 2022. Use of blood lactate in assessment of manual capture techniques of zoo-housed crocodilians. Animals 12(3), 397.

Species-specific welfare indicators are important in promoting positive welfare for zoo animals. Reptiles are a notoriously understudied group in regards to behavior, welfare needs, and husbandry requirements. Using opportunistically obtained samples, we evaluated how blood...

Augustine, L., Baskir, E., Kozlowski, C. P. 2022. Investigating welfare metrics for snakes at the Saint Louis zoo. Animals 12(3), 373.

Modern herpetoculture has seen a rise in welfare-related habitat modifications, although ethologically-informed enclosure design and evidence-based husbandry are lacking. The diversity that exists within snakes complicates standardizing snake welfare assessment tools and evaluation techniques. Utilizing...

Schütz, A. K., Krause, E. T., Fischer, M. et al. 2022. Computer vision for detection of body posture and behavior of red foxes. Animals 12(3), 233.

The behavior of animals is related to their health and welfare status. The latter plays a particular role in animal experiments, where continuous monitoring is essential for animal welfare. In this study, we focus on...

Lanci, A., Benedetti, B., Freccero, F. et al. 2022. Development of a composite pain scale in foals: A pilot study. Animals 12(4), 439.

Prompt pain management is crucial in horses; however, tools to assess pain are limited. This study aimed to develop and pilot a composite scale for pain estimation in foals. The “Foal Composite Pain Scale” (FCPS)...

Rowe, E., Mullan, S. 2022. Advancing a “good life” for farm animals: Development of resource tier frameworks for on-farm assessment of positive welfare for beef cattle, broiler chicken and pigs. Animals 12(5), 565.

There is increasing recognition that farm animal welfare standards should ensure positive welfare, as well as prevent negative welfare. Resources that are valued by an animal and that provide opportunities to engage in motivated behaviours...

Zuerl, M., Stoll, P., Brehm, I. et al. 2022. Automated video-based analysis framework for behavior monitoring of individual animals in zoos using deep learning—A study on polar bears. Animals 12(6), 692.

The monitoring of animals under human care is a crucial tool for biologists and zookeepers to keep track of the animals’ physical and psychological health. Additionally, it enables the analysis of observed behavioral changes and...

Diggins, R., Burrie, R., Ariel, E. et al. 2022. A review of welfare indicators for sea turtles undergoing rehabilitation, with emphasis on environmental enrichment. Animal Welfare 31(2), 219-230.

For animals undergoing rehabilitation it is vital to monitor welfare in a way that is feasible, practical, and limits stress to the animal. The industry gold standard is to assess welfare under the Five Domains...

Reynolds, P. S. 2022. Introducing non-aversive mouse handling with ‘squnnels’ in a mouse breeding facility. Animal Technology and Welfare 21(1), 42-45.

Based on queries received during our 2021 LASA 3Rs’ presentation, we describe operational highlights and concerns that came up during the rollout of nonaversive handling as standard of care at our mouse breeding facility. We...

Neville, V., Mounty, J., Benato, L., Hunter, K. et al. 2022. Thinking outside the lab: Can studies of pet rats inform pet and laboratory rat welfare? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 246, 105507.

Surveys provide a low-cost means to obtain large amounts of data that are ideal for conducting exploratory research, and they are becoming an increasingly valuable tool in a veterinary context. We investigated whether surveys of...

Mels, C., Niebuhr, K., Futschik, A. et al. 2022. Predictors for plumage damage and bloody lesions indicative of feather pecking in pullets reared in aviaries. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 250, 105607.

Feather pecking remains a serious problem in poultry farming. This study aimed to identify risk factors for plumage damage as a proxy for feather pecking, and the predictive value of practical animal-based parameters. Data were...