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The effect of cage size on reproductive performance and behavior of C57BL/6 mice

Lab Animal volume 36, pages 32–39 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Scientific research has yet to conclusively determine the optimal cage size for mice. The authors examined the effect of cage size on mouse breeding performance and on offspring behavior, which can serve as indications of overall well-being. They housed breeding trios of C57BL/6Tac mice in standard or large individually ventilated cages and measured four reproductive parameters: litter size; litter survival to weaning age; average pup weight at 7, 14 and 21 days; and the number of days between litter births. They investigated the behavior of a subset of male and female pups from parents housed in cages of each size in the elevated plus maze test, the open field assay and the acoustic startle test. Cage size had no significant effect on any of the reproductive parameters measured and few or inconsistent effects on behavior in weaned pups.

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Figure 1
Figure 2: Performance on the elevated plus maze.
Figure 3: Activity in an open field test over a 3-h test session.
Figure 4: Response in male mice to an i.p. saline injection, given after 1 h in the activity chamber.
Figure 5: Amplitude of the startle response after presentation of acoustic stimuli for (a) males and (b) females.
Figure 6: Prepulse inhibition of the startle response after presentation of acoustic stimuli for (a) males and (b) females.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Jane Hoel for her work in colony management of the mice in this project and Pam McElveen for her assistance. We thank Antonio Perez and Randal Nonneman for their assistance in running the behavioral tests. This project was supported by funds from the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and by the Mouse Behavioral Phenotyping Laboratory of the Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; grant number NIH/NICHD P30-HD03110.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 1100 Bioinformatics, CB# 7115

    Julia Whitaker,  Virginia Godfrey,  Judith Nielsen,  Dwight Bellinger &  John Bradfield

  2. Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Center and Department of Psychiatry, CB# 7146

    Sheryl S. Moy

  3. Department of Biostatistics, 3101 McGavran-Greenberg, CB#7420, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 27599, NC

    Benjamin R. Saville

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  1. Julia Whitaker
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Correspondence to Julia Whitaker.

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Whitaker, J., Moy, S., Saville, B. et al. The effect of cage size on reproductive performance and behavior of C57BL/6 mice. Lab Anim 36, 32–39 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban1107-32

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