Table 1.

Study outline.

	Day
Group	–6	–5	–4	–3	–2	–1	0	1
1 a (control) n = 8				BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI Cage change	BW, DFI, DWI Fecal sampling Triple test
1 b (control) n = 8							Blood sampling
2 (ABS) n = 7	BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI Catheterization	BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI Cage change Blood sampling	BW, DFI, DWI Fecal sampling Triple test
3 (cheek) n = 18				BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI Cage change Blood sampling	BW, DFI, DWI Fecal sampling Triple test
4 (tail) n = 18				BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI	BW, DFI, DWI Cage change Blood sampling	BW, DFI, DWI Fecal sampling Triple test

In total, 60 mice were randomly divided into four groups; one control group (control), one group sampled by automated blood sampling (ABS), one group sampled by facial vein phlebotomy (cheek) and one group sampled by caudal vein phlebotomy (tail). The control group was split into two groups in order to obtain behaviors in the triple test (1 a) and plasma corticosterone levels (1 b), not influenced by previous handling. The control mice were, except for the recording indicated in the table, otherwise left undisturbed. Body weights (BW), daily food intake (DFI) and daily water intake (DWI) were recorded each morning throughout the experiment from three days prior to (1) surgery at day –3 (Group 2), (2) blood sampling at day 0 (Groups 3 and 4) or (3) control behavioral analysis at day 1 (Group 1). The mice of Groups 2–4 were transferred to clean cages and the bedding was then collected after 24 h of blood sampling. The eight mice of Group 1 was transferred in the same way to clean cages in the morning one day prior to the behavioral analysis and the bedding was collected after 24 h of no intervention.