by Yasemin Cole
Technique Name: Mouse Handling and Restraint
Fun Rating: 3/5
Difficulty Rating: 4/5
What is the general purpose?
To study human biology, scientists oftentimes cannot use humans and do not want to use humans for ethical or moral reasons. Mice are 99% genetically similar to humans and therefore have similar biology to humans. Researchers can study mice to learn fundamental concepts about biology that have applications to human health. To study mice, we need good techniques for handling them safely for both mice and humans.
Why do we use it?
Generally, mice should be approached slowly and confidently with minimal noise. Mice become scared of any sudden movements. Because mice are prey animals, they run around and hide to avoid handling. However, proper mice handling techniques provide security, allowing animals to be immobilized without experiencing stress or anxiety. It’s important for scientists to be observant of the mouse’s response to handling. With exposure to handling, mice become less anxious and more comfortable.
A team of researchers (on an ethics review committee) are involved in approving any scientific experiment performed on mice. When applications are reviewed, there is a focus on the animal’s health and safety, where experiments are led in a way that causes the least pain and maximal comfort to mice (this also applies to any animal used for scientific research). To protect the animals, only specific mouse-handling techniques are allowed. The below techniques keep both animals and researchers safe during scientific studies.
How does it work?
There are multiple ways to handle and restrain mice (Figure):
- General restraint – Mice are first placed onto a surface they can grip with their nails (such as the cage wires). Mice are picked up by the base of their tail (closest to their body) and can be grasped by the skin around their neck and shoulder blades with the thumb and forefingers. When properly immobilized, mice don’t struggle, have less anxiety, and can breathe comfortably.
- Handling tunnels – Mice can be handled by guiding them into a tunnel. To do this, a tunnel is tipped towards the mouse so that it crawls into the tunnel. Instead of handling the mice for a long period of time, the mice travel through a confined tunnel, providing them with a sense of security. The tunnel is then transported to the location of interest (such as another cage).
- Cupping – The third method to work with mice is to scoop the mouse into your hand. Generally, this is done with mice who are less anxious and docile. However, with more exposure, especially handling tunnels, mice become more familiar with human touch.
Figure: Tunnel Used to Transport Mice
Studying mice have allowed researchers to develop medications and study the mechanism for several diseases, for example, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and nicotine addiction. Proper and ethical handling techniques with mice are important for research and mice safety. If you’d like to read more about how to work with mice, you can check out the following resource links:
https://animal.research.uiowa.edu/mouse-technique-training-lab
https://about.citiprogram.org/course/working-with-mice-in-research-settings/
