Warren G. Hoag, D.V.M., and Edwin P. Les, Ph.D. 



APPENDIX IV 



Husbandry, Equipment, and Procurement of Mice\ 



The husbandry of laboratory mice is worth considerable attention by research 

 workers. Too often the task of checking, maintaining, and procuring experimental 

 mice, or other laboratory animals for that matter, is relegated to less well-trained 

 individuals on the institutional staff. This is unfortunate since it should be remembered 

 that in most cases the entire experimental design is based on the initial use of normal, 

 healthy animals and on the maintenance of such animals under conditions which 

 provide safeguards against the introduction of immeasurable variables such as fluctua- 

 tions in patterns of care, environmental conditions, diet, and status of health. If 

 experimental animals are to be used as the yardsticks or biological test tubes in re- 

 search, one must make sure that such animals truly measure, either quantitatively or 

 qualitatively, only those things intended rather than other unpredictable variables. 



It is the purpose of this appendix to attempt to describe conditions and methods 

 for the husbandry of laboratory mice which will allow the investigator to adopt those 

 suited both to his experimental environment and to his budget. Since much descriptive 

 literature is available concerning equipment, animal-room construction, care of mice, 

 and the like, 547, 1233 ' 1333, 1366, 1410 only certain specific items will be described as 

 examples of methods of husbandry in mice. It is important to emphasize that the 



f General sources of information: Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, 2101 

 Constitution Ave. N.W., Washington 25, D.C.; Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, 

 7a Lamb's Conduit Passage, London W.C.I; National Society for Medical Research, 920 

 South Michigan Boulevard, Chicago 5, 111. 



538 



