Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Note
  • Published:

The effects of different types of individually ventilated caging systems on growing male mice

Lab Animal volume 41, pages 192–197 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Ventilation rate and turnover rate of dry air vary among different types of ventilation systems used with individually ventilated cages (IVCs) and can affect the well-being of rodents housed in these cages. The authors compared the effects of two types of IVC systems, forced-air IVCs and motor-free IVCs, on 4-week-old C57Bl/6J male mice. The mice were acclimatized to the cages for 8 d and then monitored for 87 d. Their body weights, food and water consumption and preferred resting areas were recorded. Mice that were housed in motor-free IVCs had a significantly greater increase in body weight than those housed in forced-air IVCs, despite having similar food consumption. Mice in forced-air IVCs had greater water consumption than mice in motor-free IVCs. In addition, mice in forced-air IVCs were more frequently located in the front halves of their cages, whereas mice in motor-free IVCs were located with similar frequency in the front and back halves of their cages, perhaps because of the higher ventilation rate or the location of the air inlets and outlets in the rear of the cage. These results suggest that body weight, food and water consumption and intracage location of growing male mice are influenced by the type of ventilation system used in the cages in which the mice are housed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Mean daily food consumption (g) per cage did not differ significantly between mice housed in forced-air IVCs and those housed in motor-free IVCs for 87 d.
Figure 2: Mean daily water intake (g) per cage was significantly greater for mice housed in forced-air IVCs than for mice housed in motor-free IVCs for 87 d.
Figure 3: Mean body weight (g) increased significantly more for mice housed in motor-free IVCs than for mice house in forced-air IVCs for 87 d.
Figure 4: Observed intracage locations of mice housed in forced-air IVCs or motor-free IVCs for 87 d.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rosenbaum, M.D., VandeWoude, S., Volckens, J. & Johnson, T. Disparities in ammonia, temperature, humidity and airborne particulate matter between the micro- and macroenvironments of mice in individually ventilated caging. J. Am. Assoc. Lab. Anim. Sci. 49, 177–183 (2010).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Hasegawa, M. et al. Intra-cage air change rate on forced-air-ventilated micro-isolation system—environment within cages: carbon dioxide and oxygen concentration. Exp. Anim. 46, 251–257 (1997).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Höglund, A.U. & Renström, A. Evaluation of individually ventilated cage systems for laboratory rodents: cage environment and animal health aspects. Lab. Anim. 35, 51–57 (2001).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Rosenbaum, M.D., VandeWoude, S. & Johnson, T.E. Effects of cage-change frequency and bedding volume on mice and their microenvironment. J. Am. Assoc. Lab. Anim. Sci. 48, 763–773 (2009).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Reeb, C. et al. Microenvironment in ventilated animal cages with differing ventilation rates, mice populations, and frequency of bedding changes. Contemp. Top. Lab. Anim. Sci. 37, 43–49 (1998).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Clough, G., Wallace, J., Gamble, M.R., Merryweather, E.R. & Bailey, E. A positive, individually ventilated caging system: a local barrier system to protect both animals and personnel. Lab. Anim. 29, 139–151 (1995).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Lipman, N.S., Corning, B.F. & Saifuddin, M. Evaluation of isolator caging systems for protection of mice against challenge with mouse hepatitis virus. Lab. Anim. 27, 134–40 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Morrell, J.M. Efficacy of mini-containment units in isolating mice from micro-organisms. Scand. J. Lab. Anim. Sci. 24, 191–199 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Reed-Whitaker, C.K. et al. Control strategies for aeroallergens in an animal facility. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 103, 139–146 (1999).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Baumans, V., Schlingmann, F., Vonck, M. & van Lith, H.A. Individually ventilated cages: beneficial for mice and men? Contemp. Top. Lab. Anim. Sci. 41, 13–19 (2002).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Kostomitsopoulos, N.G. et al. The influence of the location of a nest box in an individual ventilated cage on the preference of mice to use it. J. Appl. Anim. Welf. Sci. 10, 111–121 (2007).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Balcombe, J.P. Laboratory environments and rodents' behavioral needs: a review. Lab. Anim. 40, 217–235 (2006).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Würbel, H. Ideal homes? Housing effects on rodent brain and behaviour. Trends Neurosci. 24, 207–211 (2001).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Baumans, V. Science-based assessment of animal welfare: laboratory animals. Rev. Sci. Tech. 24, 503–513 (2005).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Broom, D.M. Animal welfare: concepts and measurement. J. Anim. Sci. 69, 4167–4175 (1991).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Council of European Communities. Council Directive 86/609 on the approximation of laws, regulations, and administrative provisions of the member states regarding the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes. Off. J. Eur. Commun. L358, 1–29 (1986).

  17. Institute for Laboratory Animal Research. Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. 8th edn. (National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 2011).

  18. European Commission. Commission Recommendation on guidelines for the accommodation and care of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes. Off. J. Eur. Commun. L197, 1–89 (2007).

  19. Nicklas, W. et al. Recommendations for the health monitoring of rodent and rabbit colonies in breeding and experimental units. Lab. Anim. 36, 20–42 (2002).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Castelhano-Carlos, M.J. & Baumans, V. The impact of light, noise, cage cleaning and in-house transport on welfare and stress of laboratory rats. Lab. Anim. 43, 311–327 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Norton, J.N., Kinard, W.L. & Reynolds, R.P. Comparative vibration levels perceived among species in a laboratory animal facility. J. Am. Assoc. Lab. Anim. Sci. 50, 653–659 (2011).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Krohn, T.C., Hansen, A.K. & Dragsted, N. The impact of cage ventilation on rats housed in IVC systems. Lab. Anim. 37, 85–93 (2003).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Oliva, A.M. et al. Toward a mouse neuroethology in the laboratory environment. PloS One 5, e11359 (2010).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Gordon, C.J., Becker, P. & Ali, J.S. Behavioral thermoregulatory responses of single- and group-housed mice. Physiol. Behav. 65, 255–262 (1998).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Gordon, C.J. Effect of cage bedding on temperature regulation and metabolism of group-housed female mice. Comp. Med. 54, 63–68 (2004).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Lipman, N.S. Microenvironmental conditions in isolator cages: an important research variable. Lab Anim. (NY) 21, 23–27 (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Lipman, N.S. Isolator rodent caging systems (state of the art): a critical view. Contemp. Top. Lab. Anim. Sci. 38, 9–17 (1999).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Arieh Bomzon at Consulwrite for his editorial assistance in preparing this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Nikolaos Kostomitsopoulos,  Pavlos Alexakos,  Konsolaki Eleni,  Athanasia Doulou &  Kostantinos Paschidis

  2. Department of Animals, Division Laboratory Animal Science, Science and Society, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands

    Vera Baumans

Authors
  1. Nikolaos Kostomitsopoulos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pavlos Alexakos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Konsolaki Eleni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Athanasia Doulou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Kostantinos Paschidis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Vera Baumans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nikolaos Kostomitsopoulos.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kostomitsopoulos, N., Alexakos, P., Eleni, K. et al. The effects of different types of individually ventilated caging systems on growing male mice. Lab Anim 41, 192–197 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0712-192

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0712-192

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing