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. 
Wall, H. S., Worthman, C., Else, J. G. 1985. Effects of ketamine anaesthesia, stress and repeated bleeding on the haematology of vervet monkeys. Laboratory Animals 19, 138-144.

10 adult [single-housed] non-pregnant females were trained to present a limb for unstressed sampling. [Training protocol is not described.]

Verlangieri, A. J., De Priest, J. C., Kapeghian, J. C. 1985. Normal serum biochemical, hematological, and EKG parameters in anesthetized adult male Macaca fascicularis and Macaca arctoides. Laboratory Animal Science 35, 63-66.

Author underscores undesirable variations in serum biochemical and hematological parameters in macaques and suggests that incongruities between values presented in different reports may be due to a variety of factors including the method of restraint...

Turnquist, J. 1985. Passive joint mobility in patas monkeys: Rehabilitation of caged animals after release into a free-ranging environment. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 67, 1-6.

Housing in small cages had detrimental effects on joint mobility, which could be reversed by releasing the animals into a free-ranging environment.

Traylor-Holzer, K., Fritz, P. 1985. Utilization of space by adult and juvenile groups of captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Zoo Biology 4, 115-127 .

The incorporation of vertical structures, visual barriers, and multiple small areas to create complexity in captive chimpanzee housing is often practical and may aid in creating an environment more conductive to normal social interaction.

Tripp, J. K. 1985. Increasing activity in captive orangutans: Provision of manipulable and edible materials. Zoo Biology 4, 225-234.

The gross motor activity of [group-housed] captive orangutans increased with the provision of manipulable and edible materials.

Strum, S. C. 1985. Baboons may be smarter than people: For these political primates, friendship - not aggression - is the key to survival. Animal Kingdom 88(2), 12-25.
Stanton, M. E., Patterson, J. M., Levine, S. 1985. Social influences on conditioned cortisol secretion in the squirrel monkey. Psychoneuroendocrinology 10, 125-134.

Female squirrel monkeys exposed to footshock with conspecifics had lower cortisol levels than those tested alone.

Spinelli, J. S., Markowitz, H. 1985. Prevention of cage-associated distress. Lab Animal 14(8), 19-22, 24, 28.

It is our belief that the way laboratory animals are usually caged caused them distress. Environmental enrichment in relation to reduction of distress is discussed. No data are included in this article.

Snowdon, C. T., Savage, A., McConnell, P. B. 1985. A breeding colony of cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus). Laboratory Animal Science 35, 477-480.

Freely moving females have been trained to urinate into containers each morning in return for a food reward.

Russell, C., Russell, W. M. S. 1985. Conflict activities in monkeys. Social Biology and Human Affairs 50, 26-48.

Isolated monkeys redirect violence against themselves. They pinch the same patch of their own skin repeatedly until it is raw or even bite and tear themselves.

Renquist, D. M., Judge, F. J. 1985. Use of nylon balls as behavioral modifier for caged primates. Laboratory Primate Newsletter 24(4), 4.

The [single-housed] animals play with the ball [Nylaball?] by rolling it in the cage. Adult females hold it as a surrogate infant. Stumptail macaques often chew the ball. ... The inert nature of the nylon...

Rasmussen, K. L. R. 1985 . Response to social separation in adult macaques. American Journal of Primatology 8 , 358-359 (Absract).
Rast, J., Ellinger-Allen, J. A., Johnston, J. M. 1985. Dietary management of rumination: four case studies. American Journal of Clinical Nutrion 42, 95-101.

Four case studies are presented in which the amount of dietary intake directly affected the rate of post-meal ruminating in mentally retarded clients. In the first case small increases in meal size (8, 12, 16...

Poole, T. B. , Thomas, A. W. 1985. Recommendations, Guidelines and Information for Biomedical Research Involving Non-Human Primates With Emphasis on Health Problems of Developing Countries. European Commission DG-XII INCO ProgrammePrimate Vaccine Evaluation Network (PVEN) , Brussels, Belgium.

Indicators of inadequate welfare in nonhuman primates:- a very restricted range of activities in relation to those normal to the species in the natural environment;- the development of abnormal and stereotyped behaviours, such as eye-poking...

Poole, T. B. 1985. Captive Primate Working Party Report. Primate Eye 27, 14-15.

It is felt that different cages should be recommended for different species based on their degree of arboreality and the social groupings which were practicable in the laboratory. Weight of animal alone is not an...

Platt, M. M., Thompson, R. L. 1985. Mirror responses in a Japanese macaque troop (Arashiyama West). Primates 26, 300-314.

Behavioral data suggest that the animals perceive the mirror image not as a conspecific but as the individual monkey's own reflection.

National Research Council. 1985. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, 6th Edition. National Institutes of Health: Bethesda, MD.

Good husbandry minimizes variations that can modify an animal's response to experimentation [p. 11]] ...Lighting should be uniformly diffused throughout animal facilities to provide sufficient illumination to aid in maintaining good houskeeping practices, adequate inspection...

Meder, A. 1985. Integration of hand-reared gorilla infants in a group. Zoo Biology 4, 1-12.

Zoo-born gorilla infants could best be introduced into a group when about 1.5 to 2 years old; when younger or older, social integration becomes more difficult. An introduction to adult females in a small cage...

Lynch, J. J. 1985. The Language of the Heart. Basic Books, New York, NY.

Talking to petes, compared with people, is associateed with lower cardiovascular responses.

Kessler, M. J., London, W. T., Rawlins, R. G. et al. 1985. Management of a harem breeding colony of rhesus monkeys to reduce trauma-related morbidity and mortality. Journal of Medical Primatology 13, 91-98.

Mortality rates per year were reduced from 13.4% to 3.5% when monkeys were maintained in permanent harems to which returning females were reintroduced compared to new social groups formed from aggregates of unfamiliar animals.

Honjo, S. 1985. The Japanese Tsukuba Primate Center for Medical Science (TPC): An outline. Journal of Medical Primatology 14, 75-89.

Photographic demonstration of inadequate lighting conditions in double-tier primate cages.

Francis, G. M., Turner, J., Johnson, S. 1985. Domestic animal visitation as therapy with adult home residents. International Journal of Nursing Studies 22, 201-206.
Else, J. G. 1985. Captive propagation of vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) in harems. Laboratory Animal Science 35, 373-375.

Animals were placed randomly in ten single-male harem groups with 5-10 females per enclosure. This resulted in considerable fighting among the females. Each group was gradually reduced over a one year period to 2-4 females...

Drescher, V. M., Whitehead, W. E., Morril-Corbin, E. D. et al. 1985. Physiological and subjective reactions to being touched. Psychophysiology 22, 96-100.

The physiological and subjective effects of being touched on the wrist by another person were investigated in 20 normal adults at rest and during immersion of the hand in ice water. Touching reliably reduced heart...

Wu, D., Joiner, G. N., McFarland, A. R. 1985. A forced-air ventilation system for rodent cages. Laboratory Animal Science 35, 499-504.

A novel forced-air ventilation system for rodent cages was developed. The apparatus was operated at an air flow rate of 56 L/min when used with a 230 mm wide X 450 mm long X 165...