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Effects of physical activity and group size on animal welfare in laboratory rats

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

E Spangenberg ,
K Dahlborn ,
B Essén-Gustavsson  and
K Cvek
E Spangenberg*
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7011, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
K Dahlborn
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7011, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
B Essén-Gustavsson
Affiliation:
Section for Comparative Physiology and Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7054, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
K Cvek
Affiliation:
Section for Comparative Physiology and Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7054, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: elin.spangenberg@afb.slu.se
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Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate whether moderate physical activity and group size influence physical fitness, the level of social interactions in the home cage and rats’ performance in the Elevated Plus Maze and a handling test. Forty-eight male Sprague Dawley rats were kept in groups of two, four or eight for seven weeks in cages adjusted to the group size. Home cage social interactions were studied during direct observations. Half of the number of rats from each cage were subjected to moderate exercise on a treadmill for five weeks. An exercise test was performed at the beginning and end of the experimental period, during which time lactate levels were analysed via blood sampling. Rats living in groups of four or eight performed better in the second exercise test, had more social interactions and showed more activity, open-arm entries and risk assessment in the Elevated Plus Maze test, compared to rats living in pairs. The trained rats had lower blood lactate levels in the second exercise test, lower bodyweight and plasma insulin levels and had a greater relative heart weight at the end of the study compared to control rats. In conclusion, rats kept in larger groups had more social interactions, a lower lactate response during exercise and showed less emotional reactivity. Moderate treadmill exercise resulted in the expected increase in the rats’ physical fitness. The results show that both group size and physical activity are important factors for animal welfare.

Keywords

animal welfaregroup sizelaboratory ratphysical fitnesssocial interactionstreadmill exercise
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 18 , Issue 2 , May 2009 , pp. 159 - 169
Copyright
© 2009 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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