Table 6.
Action Points for Animal Technologists, Researchers, Veterinarians, and AWERB/ACUC Members.
| Find out more about natural mouse behaviour, e.g., by reading references and reviews such as Latham & Mason 2004 [16];Van Loo et al. (2003) [12]; Weber et al. (2017) [9]. |
| Ask for a discussion and review of local practice for housing male mice as a topic for the AWERB (or AWB, ACUC if outside the UK). In the case of the AWERB, this is linked to several tasks including advising staff on accommodation and care, advising on the Three Rs, and providing a forum for discussion. This could include defining an ‘acceptable’ level and/or duration of aggression for group housed animals, and consideration as to whether male mice may have a ‘life worth living’ or a ‘good life’ at your facility. |
| Ask your local person responsible for ensuring that staff have access to species-specific information (the Named Information Officer in the UK) to research the behaviour of the strains of male mouse you currently use, and seek advice from internal and external colleagues on good practice for housing and caring for them. |
| If males are group-housed, review whether the housing protocols reflect current thinking regarding minimising the risk of aggression, e.g., with respect to group size, cage furniture, cleaning protocols, age at grouping, stability of groups, and quality and quantity of space. |
| Ensure that welfare assessment protocols for male mice, both day to day and during evaluations of housing systems, will capture both good and poor welfare. |
| If aggressive strains are routinely housed and/or used in the facility, question whether less aggressive strains could be used instead (e.g., as background strains in breeding programmes). |
| Check progress with the UK NC3Rs mouse aggression project and participate in similar initiatives. (nc3rs.org.uk/laboratory-mouse-aggression-study). |
| Ensure that any proposals for ‘solutions’ such as housing intact males with castrated males, or ovariohysterectomised females, are subject to full ethical review that gives due weighting to the harms and benefits for all the animals involved. |
| Further actions for researchers: |
| Discuss the housing protocol for male mice used in your studies with veterinarians, animal technologists, and care staff, and consult with people with expertise in mouse behaviour. Identify the animal welfare, ethical and scientific implications, and satisfy yourself that the chosen protocol is the optimal one. |
| If a study requires that animals are randomised, explore the potential to achieve this without disrupting groups (e.g., by identifying individuals, using minimally invasive techniques). |
| Report (and justify) the housing protocol in papers, posters and talks, according to good practice guidelines such as ARRIVE [142] or the Gold Standard [143]. |