Animal Welfare
Scientific Quality
Ease of Handling
Job Satisfaction
Strong evidence indicates that it is beneficial to animal welfare & scientific to picking up mice with refined handling methods (i.e., tunnel handling or cupping) rather than by the tail. Picking mice up by the tail – even for only 2s at cage change – causes negative effects.
Tunnel handling simply involves guiding mice into a tunnel to pick them up. They can then be tipped out backward and scruffed for procedures, as needed. The benefits of tunnel handling remain even if mice are then given injections, have blood drawn, or undergo gas anesthesia. Cupping involves picking mice up with cupped hands, it does not require any new equipment, but does require a bit more training of mice.
There have been 19 publications supporting the benefits of refined handling improving welfare & scientific quality including:
For extensive details on the evidence base for refined handling including a printable table of each study’s key findings & methods see NC3Rs mouse handling research summary.
Will this take longer for husbandry & procedures?
What if I have to then restrain mice by the tail or perform aversive procedures?
The benefits of refined handling persist even after standard procedures such as:
Do I need home cage tunnels?
Home cage tunnels are not necessary to gain benefits from tunnel handling. However, they are beneficial as they provide enrichment, decrease training time as the mice are already familiar with the tunnel, and support biosecurity. Note: to prevent cage leaks from home cage tunnels be sure to place the tunnel parallel along the edge of the cage.
Where can I purchase tunnels?
You can get tunnels from vendors such as Datesand, Braintree, IPS, LBS, SerLab, etc. or from independent providers (e.g., www.petroextrusions.com).
What size and material of tunnels should I get?
Tunnels should be appropriate for the size of the cage. Not sure where to start? At some institutions, 3.5 inch square tunnels work great as they can’t get improperly wedged in the cages and can provide an area for a breeding dam to pull up her pups in case of a flood.
If you already use cardboard tunnels those can work. However, if getting new tunnels, clear plastic is recommended to allow for mouse visualization for health inspection in the tunnel and make it easy to slide the mouse out backwards.
What about biosecurity?
Tunnel handling has successfully been used in BSL2 and BSL3 laboratories and immune-compromised mice.
Are there strain & sex differences?
Thus far refined handling has been beneficial for all strains tested and both sexes (though males of some strains may take a bit longer to train). Strains tested thus far include BALB/c, CD1s, C57BL/6, DBA/2, and ICGN. These methods were actually developed for handling wild-caught mice
For answers to more frequently asked questions check out the FAQ page on the NC3Rs website: https://www.nc3rs.org.uk/mouse-handling-faqs
For detailed instructions, click on the picture above or see training videos on the NC3Rs website: https://www.nc3rs.org.uk/video-clips.
Download our editable slide deck that gives a high-level overview of what refined methods for picking up mice are, why to do them, and how. Just click here or the image below:
For more details & tips see NC3Rs tips for implementation.
For even more extensive information on non-aversive handling of mice, please visit NC3Rs’ How To Pick-Up A Mouse Hub. Their resources include video tutorials, webinar, how-to videos, poster, a practical guide to implementation, a summary of the evidence base, and answers to frequently asked questions.