The environmental conditions of the animal facilities are monitored daily. The temperature and humidity are measured every day and air-conditioning is monitored continuously.
|
Environmental parameter |
Research unit |
Mouse barrier |
|
Temperature |
21 ± 2 °C |
+21 °C ± 2 °C |
|
Humidity |
40 % |
55 % (40-70 %) |
|
Ventilation |
12 air changes /h |
15 air changes /h |
|
Illumination |
12 h light (06:00 – 18:00) |
12 h light (05:00 - 17:00) |
|
|
Food |
Bedding |
Enrichment |
|
Species |
|
|
|
|
Mouse |
Research unit Barrier |
Aspen chips |
Nest material: aspen shavings Nest box: Mouse-house II Cube tunnel |
|
Rat |
Teklad Global Rodent diet |
Aspen chips
|
Nest material: aspen shavings Cube tunnel |
|
Rabbit |
Teklad Global Rabbit diet |
No contact bedding Perforated plastic floor, |
Hay (Finland) Rabbit brick (Tapvei, Estonia) |
|
Pig |
Pekoni1Mure |
No bedding |
Straw and Hay (Finland) Sisal rope (Piippo, Finland) Plastic toys, biting sticks |
|
Sheep |
Hay, ad libitum |
Straw |
Straw and Hay |
Cages and pens
Small rodents and rabbits are usually held in cages and large laboratory animals in pens with a solid floor. The minimum requirements for the area per one animal or group of animals are set in the legislation.
At KEKS, mice and rats live in solid bottom plastic cages with a layer of bedding on the bottom. Rabbits are housed in cages with a perforated plastic floor and a litter sheet beneath the floor. During workdays, rabbits are transferred to more spacious floor pens where they can get exercise. Pigs are kept in floor pens with a shelter-box. Sheep are kept either in smaller pens as pairs or in a combined fold as a flock.
An integral part of the animal well-being programme at KEKS is that the animals are offered spaces which clearly exceed the minimum requirements.
|
Species |
Cage type |
Bottom area on the bedding level |
|
|
|
length x width x height (cm) |
|
Mouse |
II Long |
31,0 x 15,5 x 14 |
|
|
III |
37,5 x 20,5 x 15 |
|
|
IVC cage |
39 x 20 x 16 (floor area 501 cm2) |
|
Rat |
III |
35,5 x 20 x 18 |
|
|
IV |
54,0 x 32,5 x 18 |
|
Rabbit |
Enrichment cage EC2
Solid floor pen |
4252 cm3 98 x 183 (1,8 m2) |
|
Pig |
Solid floor pen |
3,5 - 3,9 m2 |
|
Sheep |
Solid floor pen
|
3,6 m2
|
Last updated: 22.12.2016