Keely N Wharton, Courtney Walsh, Tory J Bauer-Pisani, Peter C Smith, Steven R Wilson
Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS 2024 Mar 01Perinatal mortality is a common problem in mouse breeding colonies. Few studies have examined the influence of environmental changes on mouse pup survival. In this study, monogamous breeding cages of C57BL/6J mice were set up and randomized into 3 cage change groups: 1) cage change at 8 d after parturition, 2) cage change at 3 d after parturition, or 3) cage change at 3 d after parturition with the addition of a polycarbonate hut in the cage. Pairs were bred to produce a minimum of 4 litters. Pup survival to weaning relative to experimental cage change date, and survival rates after cage change were evaluated. The results revealed no significant differences between experimental groups. The majority of pup loss occurred within the first 24 h after birth for those pups that were alive at birth. Overall, the postpartum day of cage change did not affect the perinatal survival of mouse pups.
Keely N Wharton, Courtney Walsh, Tory J Bauer-Pisani, Peter C Smith, Steven R Wilson. Effect of Cage Change Frequency on Perinatal Mortality in C57BL/6J Mice. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science : JAALAS. 2024 Mar 01;63(2):148-153
PMID: 38061769
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