PVC Pipe Provides Lab Rat Habitat
ITAJAI, Brazil, July 25, 2008 (VNS) – Polyvinyl (PVC) pipes and connectors are serving as unique respite for laboratory rats and mice, providing them with a more natural habitat, according to researchers at the Health Sciences Centre from the University of Vale do Itajai (Univali).
According to Univali professor Marcel Frajblat, president of the Brazilian School for Animal Experimentation (Cobea), the housing boxes inside a laboratory have not until now allowed the animals to hide from artificial light or from the presence of humans, which they perceive as a danger.
But by adding vinyl pipes and connectors to the housing boxes, the animals are given a more natural habitat, allowing them to retreat from bright lights and perceived predators, and even amuse themselves as they crawl through the vinyl pipes and connectors.
Studies have shown the presence of these PVC pipes have not altered the results of the experiments. In fact, according to lab technicians, the lab animals have registered improved psychological well-being so that they can better express their natural behavior while undergoing experiments.
At the next meeting of the Federation of Experimental Biology Societies in August in Aguas de Lindola, Cobea plans to launch a campaign to encourage other scientists to place PVC pipes and connectors in laboratory boxes housing mice and rats. The campaign also aims to encourage PVC pipe manufacturers to donate pieces that may be defective in the field.
Professor Fragblat pointed out animals are critical in laboratory studies to develop medicine, vaccine tests, and orthopedic and cardiac prostheses. He added that researchers have a duty to maximize the well-being of the test animals in the laboratory, and both lab technicians and lab animals welcome PVC pipes and connectors as lab-rat habitats.
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