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. 
Desmond, T., Laule, G. M., McNary, J. 1987. Training to enhance socialization and reproduction in drills. American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) Regional Conference Proceedings, 352-358.

The females were trained to present to us by positioning their hindquarters right up to the fence. We then desensitized them to a smooth plastic syringe casing being inserted into the vagina. This behavior would...

de Waal, F. B. M. 1987. Tension regulation and nonreproductive function of sex in captive bonobos (Pan paniscus). National Geographic Research 3, 316-335.

Sexual and affiliative behaviors were used to regulate social tensions.

Yasutomi, M., Adachi, N. 1987. Effects of playthings on prevention of cannibalism in rearing chickens. Japanese Poultry Science 24, 372-373.

Access to enrichment items (e.g., corks, buttons, balls) reduced the incidence of cannibalism in young birds.

Warmick, C. 1987. Effects of captivity on the ethology and psychology of reptiles. Herpetoculturist 1, 10-12.

Cold-blood animals tend to have much greater problems adapting to changes in their species-typical environment than warm-blooded animals do.

Van Liere, D. W., Bokma, S. 1987. Short-term feather maintenance as a function of dust-bathing in laying hens. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 18, 197-204.

Dust-bathing regulates the amount of feather lipids and maintains down structure in good conditions in laying hens. Poor feather condition negatively influences animal welfare. Hens need an opportunity to bathe in a dusty substrate.

van Hoosier, G. L. , McPherson, C. W. 1987. Laboratory Hamsters. Academic Press, Orlando, FL.
Traystman, R. J. 1987. ACUC, who needs it? The investigator's viewpoint. Laboratory Animal Science 37((Special issue)), 108-110.

The author succinctly summarizes the prevailing attitude of investigators toward their research subjects: The investigator, above all, wants to pursue his or her research activities, be they of basic science or clinical nature. The academic...

Sutherland, S. D. , Festing, M. F. W. 1987. The guinea-pig. In: The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory Animals, Sixth Edition. Poole, T. B. (ed), 393-410. Churchill Livingstone, New York, NY.

Brief outline of species-adequate housing for guinea pigs. Outbreaks of fur chewing may occur when hay is not fed.

Steplewski, Z., Goldman, P. R., Vogel, W. H. 1987. Effect of housing stress on the formation and development of tumors in rats. Cancer Letters 34, 257-261.

Tumor induction by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) or inoculation with adenocarcinoma cells was studied in rats raised in groups (group G) or individually (group I) as well as in rats raised in groups and switched to individual...

Spinelli, J. S. 1987. Reducing pain in laboratory animals. Laboratory Animal Science 37(Speccial Issue), 65-70.

Useful analysis and discussion of legal guidelines.

Shyu, W. C., Nightingale, C. H., Tsuji, A. et al. 1987. Effect of stress on pharmocokinetics of amikacin and ticarcillin. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 76, 265-266.

Aberrant serum ticarcillin concentrations were measured when the animals were simply picked out, put on a laboratory bench, and wrapped in a towel to restrain them for blood collection. No aberration occurred in quasi trained...

Schaefer, A. L., Salomons, M. O., Tong, A. K. W. et al. 1987. The effect of environmental enrichment on aggression in newly weaned pigs. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 67, 1169 (Abstract).

The provision of enrichment object [tire hung from chains, pig-pacifier toy , teeter-totter ] reduced aggression among newly weaned pigs.

Parrott, R. F., Thornton, S. N., Forsling, M. L. et al. 1987. Endocrine and behavioural factors affecting water balance in sheep subjected to isolation stress. Journal of Endocrinology 112, 305-310.

Selected endocrine stress responses to single-housing are assessed.

Niezgoda, J., Wro?ska, D., Pierzchala, K., Bobek, S. and Kahl, S. 1987. Lack of Adaptation to Repeated Emotional Stress Evoked by Isolation of Sheep from the Flock. Journal of Veterinary Medicine Series A. 34:734?739.

The aim of this study was to examine whether sheep can adapt to emotional stress evoked by individual isolation from the flock. The experiments were performed on 12 sheep divided into 2 groups; the control...

Nicol, C. J. 1987. Effect of cage height and area on the behavior of hens housed in battery cages. British Poultry Science 28, 327-336.

With increased area, head scratching, body shaking and feather raising were performed at a higher rate and cage pecking at a lower rate. .. Welfare implications are briefly discussed.

Metz, J. H. M. 1987. Behavioural problems of rabbits in cages. In: Rabbit Production Systems Including Welfare. Auxilia, T. (ed), 221-230. Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, Belgium.

Group-housed rabbits interacted with straw 11% of the 24-h day.

Lehmann, M. 1987. Interference of a restricted environment - as found in battery cages - with normal behaviour of young fattening rabbits. In: Rabbit Production Systems Including Welfare. Auxilia, T. (ed), 257-268. Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, Belgium.

Single-caged rabbits were not able to hop in rabbit-typical fashion; they were less active but more restless [frequent activity changes] and showed more stereotypical gnawing of the wire cages than group-housed animals. It is evident...

Lagadic, H., Faure, J.-M. 1987. Preferences of domestic hens for cage size and floor types as measured by operant conditioning. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 19, 147-155.

Choice tests indicated that hens prefer large cages rather than small ones, and littered floors rather than wire floors. Hens placed only a low priority on having access to litter relative to increased cage size.

Kilgour, R. 1987. Learning and the training of farm animals. The Veterinary Clinics of North America 3, 269-284.

Habituation attenuates the fear normally associated with novel situations.

Hurst, J. L. 1987. The functions of urine marking in a free-living population of house mice, Mus domesticus rutty. Animal Behaviour 35, 1433-1442.

The urine-marking behaviour of free-living house mice,Mus domesticusRutty, was investigated in a poultry house where mice defended small territories and where evidence of previous marking behaviour was extensive. Thin smears of urine were found spread...

Houpt, K. 1987. Abnormal behavior. In: The Veterinary Clinics of North America 3, 2: Farm Animal Behavior. Price, E. O. (ed), 357-367. Saunders, Philadelphia, PA.
Holmes, L. N., Song, G. K., Price, E. O. 1987. Head partitions facilitate feeding by subordinate horses in the presence of dominant pen-mates. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 19, 179-182.

Six pairs of mares, each with established dominant-subordinate relationships, were allowed to compete for feed in a 112-cm trough following 24 h of deprivations. .. Differences in feeding times between dominant and subordinate mares were...

Hennesy, M. B., Foy, T. 1987. Non-edible material elicits chewing and reduces the plasma corticosterone response during novelty exposure in mice. Behavioral Neuroscience 101, 237-245.

If mice were placed in a novel environment with metal foil or cardboard available, they chewed these materials. These animals had lower plasma corticosterone levels in novel cages than mice in the same environment without...

Grandin, T., Curtis, S. E., Taylor, I. A. 1987. Toys, mingling and driving reduce excitability in pigs. Journal of Animal Science 65(Supplement 1), 230 (Abstract).

Pigs offered toys are less excitable than pigs who have no access to toys.

Grandin, T. 1987. Animal handling. The Veterinary Clinics of North America 3, 323-338.

Pigs raised in pens with hanging rubber hose toys and weekly petting were less excitable compared to pigs raised with no extra environmental stimulation.