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Can sleep behaviour be used as an indicator of stress in group-housed rats (Rattus norvegicus)?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

UA Abou-Ismail ,
OHP Burman ,
CJ Nicol  and
M Mendl
UA Abou-Ismail*
Affiliation:
Centre for Behavioural Biology, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol, BS40 5DU, UK Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
OHP Burman
Affiliation:
Centre for Behavioural Biology, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol, BS40 5DU, UK
CJ Nicol
Affiliation:
Centre for Behavioural Biology, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol, BS40 5DU, UK
M Mendl
Affiliation:
Centre for Behavioural Biology, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol, BS40 5DU, UK
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: [email protected]
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Abstract

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We assessed the value of sleep behaviour as a novel measure of stress in group-housed animals. We observed, non-invasively, sleep behaviour in 144 group-housed rats, and related it to other physiological and physical indicators of stress and welfare. Sleep frequency and duration correlated negatively with adrenal weight, and positively with bodyweight gain, and final bodyweight. Thus, low frequencies of sleep behaviour and low sleep duration correlate with some indicators of elevated physiological and physical stress, raising the possibility that sleep behaviour may provide an under-utilised, but potentially important, non-invasive indicator of stress and welfare for animals in groups.

Keywords

adrenal glandsanimal welfarebodyweightgroup-housinglaboratory ratssleep behaviour
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 16 , Issue 2: Special Issue: Proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on the Assessment of Animal Welfare at Farm and Group Level , May 2007 , pp. 185 - 188
Copyright
© 2007 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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