Tickling Rats: Differential Benefits for Pet Store Rats
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| Category | Journal Articles |
|---|---|
| Abstract |
Animal welfare and the effects of the human-animal bond are becoming increasingly important to researchers and the public. Animal use in biomedical research is indispensable and inevitably creates stressful situations for the animals. One way to mediate this stress and improve rat welfare is by using a handling technique called tickling. Tickling, which mimics rat rough-and-tumble play, reduces fear of humans and stress of injections (Cloutier & Newberry, 2007; Cloutier, Panksepp, & Newberry, 2012). When rats play or are tickled, they elicit ultrasonic vocalizations (USV), which cannot be heard by humans. These vocalizations can be recorded and analyzed using specialized sound equipment and software. USVs of 50 kHz indicate positive emotions, while 20-kHz USVs indicate negative emotions. Tickling has been shown to benefi t laboratory rats, but some individuals respond more positively to tickling and may receive greater benefi ts. Additionally, welfare improvements have yet to be empirically validated in pet rats. |
| Submitter | |
| Date | 2016 |
| Publication Title | The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 1 |
| ISBN/ISSN | 2158-4052 |
| Publisher | Purdue University |
| Location of Publication | 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907 |
| DOI | 10.5703/1288284316194 |
| URL | https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpur/vol6/iss1/12/ |
| Language | English |
| Additional Language | English |
| Tags |
