Animal Facilities Research Articles

Contaminants and Where to Find Them: Microbiological Quality Control in Axenic Animal Facilities.

The use of axenic animal models in experimental research has exponentially grown in the past few years and the most reliable way for confirming their axenic status remains unclear. It is especially the case when using individual ventilated positive-pressure cages such as the Isocage. This type of cage are at a greater risk of contamination and expose animals to a longer handling process leading to more potential stress when opened compared to isolators. The aim of this study was to propose simple ways to detect microbial contaminants with Isocages type isolator resulting by developing, validating and optimizing three different methods (culture, microscopy, and molecular). These three approaches were also tested in situ by spiking 21 axenic mice with different microorganisms. Our results suggest that the culture method can be used for feces and surface station (IBS) swabs exclusively (in Brain Heart Infusion for 7 days at 25°C and 37°C in aerobic conditions, and at 30°C in anaerobic conditions), while microscopy (wet mounts) and molecular method (quantitative PCR) were only suitable for fecal matter analyses. In situ results suggests that the culture and molecular methods can detect up to 100% of bacterial contamination events while the microscopy approach generates many erroneous results when not performed by a skilled microscopist. In situ results also suggest that when an axenic mouse is contaminated by a microbial agent, the microorganism will colonize the mouse to such an extent that detection is obvious in 4 days, in average. This report validates simple but complimentary tests that can be used for optimal detection of contaminants in axenic animal facilities using Isocage type isolators.

Development of incident severity classification for laboratory animals.

An incident reporting system (IRS) prevents possible adverse events by collecting and analyzing incidents that occur. However, few studies are available regarding IRSs in the laboratory animal field. This study aimed to develop an incident severity classification for laboratory animals (ISCLA) to evaluate the usefulness of the IRS in laboratory animal facilities. Twenty-three incidents reported from March 2019 to February 2020 on our IRS were retrospectively reviewed. Three of the 23 incidents failed to obtain some experimental data. Two of these incidents were harmless to animals, but the other caused the animals moderate distress. In addition, two of the three incidents made animals unsuitable for experiments. Since the inconsistent impact of incidents on animals and experiments prevented the comparison of the severity of individual incidents, we developed the ISCLA. According to the ISCLA, the above three incidents were classified into Category 3b and 4a. The others were classified into Category 0 (n=5), 1 (n=6), 2 (n=3), and 3a (n=6) in ascending order of severity. No incident was classified into Category 4b and 5. Furthermore, incidents occurring in the animal housing area were more severe than those occurring in the supporting area (P=0.002). This study showed that incident occurrences had characteristics that were not visible from individual incidents alone. Moreover, the ISCLA was considered useful when conducting the IRS and taking improvement measures in laboratory animal facilities.

Work Category Affects the Exposure to Allergens and Endotoxins in an Animal Facility Laboratory in Italy: A Personal Air Monitoring Study

Scientists and technicians who work in contact with laboratory animals are exposed to complex biological mixtures from animals, bedding and feed. The main objective of this study was to characterize the exposures to endotoxins and animal allergens in a biomedical research institution located in Central Italy by means of air sampling in the breathing zone of the staff during daily work activities. Forty-two inhalable dust samples were collected for endotoxins and allergens analysis. Filter extracts were analyzed using a Kinetic-QCL LAL kit for endotoxins; ELISA assays were performed for Mus m 1, Rat n 1, Can f 1, Fel d 1 and Equ c 4 detection. Laboratory animal attendants (LAAs) showed endotoxin concentrations significantly higher (4.59 ng/m3) than researchers (0.57 ng/m3), researchers working only in an office (0.56 ng/m3) and technicians (0.37 ng/m3). Endotoxin concentrations exceeding the recommended occupational exposure limit proposed by the Dutch Expert Committee on Occupational Safety were found in the case of two subjects in the animal attendants category. With regards to rat and mouse allergens, a higher average dose was found for mouse than rat allergens. Also for these bio-contaminants, the LAAs are confirmed as the work category at higher risk of exposure (15.85 ng/m3), followed by technicians (10.67 ng/m3), researchers (2.73 ng/m3) and researchers in an office (0.08 ng/m3). Fel d 1 was also detected (average: 0.11 ng/m3) highlighting a passive transport between living and occupational settings. Our data could be useful to improve the control and preventive measures, ensuring lower levels of allergens and endotoxins in animal facilities.

Exposure to concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and risk of mortality in North Carolina, USA

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) have emerged as an environmental justice issue due to disproportionate siting in low-income and minority communities. However, CAFOs’ impact on health is not fully understood. We examined risk of cause-specific mortality associated with CAFOs in North Carolina (NC) for 2000-2017 and health disparities. We obtained data on individual-level cause-specific mortality and on permitted animal facilities. We estimated associations between exposure to CAFOs and cause-specific mortality using logistic regression, controlling for demographics (e.g., age) and area-level covariates. To estimate exposure to CAFOs, we considered (1) a binary indicator (presence or absence) of CAFOs within a buffer around individual residence based on several buffer sizes, and (2) four levels of exposure (no, low, medium, and high) based on the number of CAFOs within 15 km around each residence. We considered individual-level (sex, race/ethnicity, age, education) and community-level (median household income, urbanicity, and region) factors. Under all buffer sizes used to estimate CAFOs exposure, people living near CAFOs had significantly higher risk of cardiovascular mortality than other persons. Comparing those living near CAFOs to the no exposure group, odds ratios (ORs) for cardiovascular mortality were 1.01 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00, 1.03), 1.04 (1.03, 1.06), and 1.06 (1.05, 1.07) for low, medium, and high CAFOs exposure, respectively, indicating a trend of higher risk with higher exposure. Those in the high CAFOs exposure group had significantly higher risk of anemia and kidney disease mortality than those with no exposure. Results suggest higher mortality risk from CAFOs for some subpopulations, however differences were not statistically significant. Findings provide evidence of excess mortality risk from CAFOs in NC. These results have implications for future studies of environmental justice and CAFOs.

Phenomics Approach to Investigate Behavioral Toxicity of Environmental or Occupational Toxicants in Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Over the last few years, environmental pollution, especially water pollution, has become a serious issue worldwide. Thus, methods that can help us understand the impact and effects of these pollutants, especially on aquatic animals, are needed. Behavioral assessment has emerged as a crucial tool in toxicology and pharmacology because many studies have shown, in multiple animal models, that various pharmacological compounds can alter behavior, with many of the findings being translatable to humans. Moreover, behavior study can also be used as a suitable indicator in the ecotoxicological risk assessment of pollutants. Several model organisms, especially rodent models, have been extensively employed for behavior studies. However, assessments using this model are generally time consuming, expensive, and require extensive facilities for housing experimental animals. Moreover, behavioral studies typically use different measurements and assessment tools, making comparisons difficult. In addition, even though behavioral phenomics has the potential to comprehensively illustrate the toxicities of chemicals, there is only a limited number of studies focusing on animal behavior using such a global approach. Here, we describe a phenomics approach that can be used to investigate the impact of pollutants using zebrafish. The approach consists of several behavioral tests, including response to a novel environment, mirror-reflection image, predator fish, and conspecifics, after exposure to a test chemical. Phenotype fingerprinting, a method for summarizing individual phenotypes based on the results of the behavioral tests, is then conducted to reduce data complexity and display the pattern of each compound on behavioral phenotypes in zebrafish. This approach may be useful to researchers studying the potential adverse effects of different pollutants. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Novel tank test Basic Protocol 2: Shoaling test Basic Protocol 3: Aggression test (mirror biting test) Basic Protocol 4: Social interaction test Basic Protocol 5: Fear response test Basic Protocol 6: PCA and heatmap clustering.

The residence of synaptically released dopamine on D2 autoreceptors.

SUMMARYNeuromodulation mediated by synaptically released endogenous transmitters acting in G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is slow primarily because of multistep downstream signaling. What is less well understood is the spatial and temporal kinetics of transmitter and receptor interaction. The present work uses the combination of the dopamine sensor, dLight, to detect the spatial release and diffusion of dopamine and a caged form of a D2-dopamine receptor antagonist, CyHQ-sulpiride, to rapidly block the D2 autoreceptors. Photoactivation of the CyHQ-sulpiride blocks receptors in milliseconds such that the time course of dopamine/receptor interaction is mapped onto the downstream signaling. The results show that highly localized release, but not dopamine diffusion, defines the time course of the functional interaction between dopamine and D2 autoreceptors, which determines downstream inhibition.

Working with laboratory rodents in Spain: a survey on welfare and wellbeing

BackgroundReplacement, reduction and refinement, the 3R principles, provide a framework to minimize the use and suffering of animals in science. In this context, we aimed to determine the actual perception that individuals working with laboratory rodents in biomedical research have on animal welfare and on their interaction with the animals, as well as how they perceive its impact on their social relations. To this end, we designed an anonymous on-line survey for people working with rodents, at three responsibility levels, in Spain.ResultsOf the 356 participants, 239 were women (67 %); 263 were researchers (74 %), and 93 animal facility staff (26 %), of which 55 were caretakers/technicians (15 %), and 38 welfare officer/veterinarians (11 %). Animal facility staff indicated environmental enrichment to be a universal practice. About half of the participants reported that, in their opinion, animals suffer “little to none” or “minor” stress and pain. Animal caretakers/technicians and researchers perceived higher levels of stress and pain than welfare officers/veterinarians. Participants judged decapitation the most unpleasant method to kill rodents, whereas anaesthetic overdose was the least one. A sizable proportion − 21 % of animal caretakers/technicians and 11.4 % of researchers - stated that they were never given the choice not to euthanize the rodents they work with. Overall, women reported higher interactions with animals than men. Nevertheless, we could detect a significant correlation between time spent with the animals and interaction scores. Notably, 80 % of animal facility staff and 92 % of researchers rarely talked about their work with laboratory rodents with people outside their inner social circle.ConclusionsOverall, the participants showed high awareness and sensitivity to rodent wellbeing; animal facility staff reported a similar perception on welfare questions, independently of their category, while researchers, who spent less time with the animals, showed less awareness and manifested lower human-animal interaction and less social support. Regarding the perception on social acceptance of laboratory animal work, all groups were cautious and rarely talked about their job, suggesting that it is considered a sensitive issue in Spain.

COVID-19 disaster management plans for two laboratory animal facilities in South Africa.

Policies and guidelines are available for acute disasters such as earthquakes, fire and floods, however, little is available on how laboratory animal facilities should mitigate subacute disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic that imposed major restrictions on the free movement of people. As such, laboratory animal facilities had to find plausible mitigating measures to safeguard the welfare of animals in their care, to prevent animal suffering if staff could not reach the animals, albeit with limited time. The simplest approach was to stop active experiments and halt animal breeding, or to euthanize all animals. Challenges with such methods included the ethical debate regarding euthanasia of animals at the start of a pandemic and the need to perform a harm-benefit analysis while drafting the disaster plans, termination of studies at advanced stages with information loss or killing of genetically modified strains that would be difficult to replace.Two research animal facilities in South Africa addressed these challenges by implementing several changes such as allowing only essential studies to continue, maintaining small breeding colonies for essential strains, and providing staff with private transport for travelling to and from work to avoid public transport and risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Engineering changes included redesigning working areas to cater for social distancing.The mitigating measures put in place by the two laboratory animal facilities were successful in ensuring the continued welfare of animals during the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. These measures can be adopted in future pandemics that lead to restricted movement of staff.Plans de gestion en cas de catastrophes telles que le COVID-19 pour deux installations d'animaux de laboratoire en Afrique du Sud.

Perceptions of laboratory animal facility managers regarding institutional transparency.

Institutions that conduct animal research are often obliged to release some information under various legal or regulatory frameworks. However, within an institution, perspectives on sharing information with the broader public are not well documented. Inside animal facilities, managers exist at the interface between the people who conduct animal research and those charged with providing care for those animals. Their perception of transparency may influence their interpretation of the institutional culture of transparency and may also influence others who use these facilities. The objective of our study was to describe perceptions of transparency among animal research facility managers (all working within the same ethical oversight program), and how these perceptions influenced their experiences. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were used to describe perceptions and experiences of 12 facility managers relating to animal research transparency. Four themes emerged from the participant interviews: 1) communication strategies, 2) impact on participant, 3) expectations of transparency, and 4) institutional policies. Similarities and differences regarding perceptions of transparency existed among participants, with notable differences between participants working at university versus hospital campuses. These results illustrate differences in perceptions of transparency within one institutional animal care and use program. We conclude that institutions, regulators and the public should not assume a uniform interpretation of a culture of transparency among managers, and that sustained communication efforts are required to support managers and to allow them to develop shared perspectives.

Evaluation of Rodent Cage Processing Using Reduced Water Temperatures

Studies published in 1994 and 2000 established a temperature range of 143-180 °F for effective cage sanitization in animal facilities. These 2 studies were, respectively, theoretical and based on experiments using hot water to sanitize bacteria-coated test tubes. However, such experimental methods may not capture the practical advantages of modern washing technology or account for the routine use of detergent in cage wash. Moreover, these methods may not translate to the challenges of removing adhered debris and animal waste from the surfaces being sanitized. A sample of highly soiled cage bottoms, half of which were autoclaved with bedding to create challenging cleaning conditions, were processed at 6 combinations of wash and rinse cycles with 125 °F, 140 °F, and 180 °F water with detergent. All cycles were equipped with a data logging device to independently verify temperatures. After washing, cages underwent visual inspection and microbial sampling consisting of organic material detection using ATP detection and Replicate Organism Detection and Counting (RODAC) plates. Cages with any amount of visible debris failed inspection, as did cages that exceeded institutional sanitization thresholds. Results indicate that wash and rinse temperatures of 140 °F for a programmed wash duration of 450 s and rinse of 50 s effectively clean and disinfect both highly soiled and autoclaved cages. Accounting for both steam and electrical energy, these parameters result in an annual savings of $21,867.08 per washer on an equivalent run basis using the current institutional standard of 180 °F.

Sprague Dawley Sıçanlarında Anne-Yavru Ayrılmasının Maternal Sistolik ve Diyastolik Kan Basıncı Üzerine Etkisi

This study investigates changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in Sprague Dawley rat dams exposed to postpartum stress. Eighteen pregnant dams were randomly divided into three groups: Control (C, n = 6, no-stress), Maternal Separation (MS, n = 6), and Brief Maternal Separation (BMS, n = 6). The dams and pups in group C were housed under standard conditions in their cages at the animal facility during the postpartum period. From postpartum day 2 to day 14, the dams and pups in group MS and BMS were separated from each other every day for 3-h and 15-min, respectively. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures of the dams were recorded on postpartum days 2, 8, and 14 by tail-cuff method. The findings show that the 3-h dam-pup separation caused high systolic blood pressure in dams, compared to the control dams at all time points that blood pressure was recorded (p<0.001). However, this effect is significant only on postpartum days 2 (p<0.01) and 8 (p<0.001) when compared to the dams that were subjected to 15-min separation. In addition, the 3-h and 15-min dam-pup separations lead to high diastolic blood pressure when compared to the controls throughout the experiment. The 3-h separation caused high diastolic blood pressure only on day 2, when compared to the dams that were subjected to the 15-min pup separation (p<0.01). The obtained data indicate that postpartum dam-pup separation may lead to an increase in blood pressure in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Regulation of transgelin and GST-pi proteins in the tissues of hamsters exposed to sodium arsenite

Regulation of transgelin and GST-pi proteins in the tissues of hamsters exposed to sodium arsenite

Does and duration of exposure time dependent regulation of proteins in the urinary bladder of hamsters exposed to sodium arsenite

Does and duration of exposure time dependent regulation of proteins in the urinary bladder of hamsters exposed to sodium arsenite

Impact of environmental conditions on the levels of stress and breeding performance in Wistar rats: conventional environment versus environmentally controlled housing.

It has been established that providing comparable and standard environmental conditions to house experimental rats is of high importance. However, there is growing evidence that rats prefer higher temperatures owing to their thermoneutral zone that lies between 28-34°C. This experiment validates the stress levels of Wistar rats of both sexes housed in conventional conditions about 24-31°C and a relative humidity of 70-92% in a tropical animal facility when compared to rats housed in controlled temperatures of 20-24°C with humidity maintained between 30-70%. Adequate air-changes to maintain ammonia-free environment was provided with a power-exhaust system in a conventional setup and with the individually ventilated caging system in the environmentally controlled group. To assess stress, faecal corticosteroid metabolite assay was done in naïve animals and in a set of animals that underwent retro-orbital bleeding under general anaesthesia. Mothering ability, fecundity and preweaning mortality were also compared between animals housed in two different conditions. Results showed no differences in stress hormone levels between the groups. However, faecal weights differed between males and females in both naïve and orbital bled groups. Animals housed in controlled environment clearly had better breeding data with lesser preweaning mortality in comparison to the conventionally housed rats. Further studies are required to elucidate whether the results are comparable when conducted during all seasons of the year at different locations across the globe.

Caring for those who care: towards a more expansive understanding of ‘cultures of care’ in laboratory animal facilities

ABSTRACT The importance of a Culture of Care is increasingly referred to in the literature surrounding laboratory animal science, with good care viewed as essential to the competent management of animal facilities. Yet ‘culture of care’ is poorly defined, with care often being seen as synonymous with an attention to animal welfare. This paper draws on data from focus groups with researchers and animal technologists working in UK animal research facilities to identify practices that support or negate a culture of care. Tronto’s ethic of care is used as a framework to consider how caring cultures are shaped within laboratory animal facilities, revealing practices which support or limit care. I suggest that closer attention human–human as well as human–animal relations is central to more expansive understanding of a culture of care, one which values care labour, recognises the need for both practical and emotional support, and provides opportunities for technologists and researchers to develop attentiveness to one another’s work. The paper also recognises key obstacles to developing a more expansive culture of care including institutional hierarchies, the need to realise scientific outcomes, and the preconceptions held by individuals who work in animal facilities .

Aberrant Subchondral Metabolism Activates Piezo2 to Induce Osteoarthritis

Pain is a major symptom of osteoarthritis (OA), but the relationship between pain and OA remains poorly understood. Aberrant subchondral metabolism is hypothesized to be a leading cause of OA pain. Furthermore, it has been shown that piezo2 is a major mechanotransducer of mammalian proprioceptors. However, whether aberrant subchondral metabolism induces mechanical allodynia by regulating the piezo2 channel still remains unknown. In this study, we report that after anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) surgery in mice, under the condition of high expression of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in subchondral bone, the level of piezo2 both in subchondral bone and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) increased, accompanied by the loss of bone mass and pain hypersensitivity. PGE2 also sensitized DRG neurons by modifying piezo2 in vitro. Given this data, pharmacologically inhibiting piezo2 could reduce the expression of piezo2 and attenuate pain hypersensitivity. Thus, aberrant subchondral metabolism induced piezo2 neuronal modification is an important player in OA, and is a potential therapeutic target in the early to midterm stages of OA. Funding: This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NO. 82002373), the National Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province(NO. 2020JJ5958), Youth Science Foundation of Xiangya Hospital(NO. 2019Q19). F. Han was supported by China Scholarship Council(NO. 201906370183). Declaration of Interest: The authors declare no competing financial interests. Ethical Approval: All animals were maintained at the animal facility of Central South University. All the experimental protocols were approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of Central South University(Protocol number: 202005375).

Gestational Monosodium Glutamate Exposure Effects on Anogenital Distance of Male Rat Pups

High-dose Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) expo sure increases the estrogen level in pregnant rats. However, there are limited data available on whether the MSG-related maternal hormonal effects can affect male litters' genitalia phenotype. This study aimed to analyze the impact of MSG on estrogen level in pregnant rats and anogenital distance in male pups. Experiment for this study was performed at the animal facility of Biomedical Laboratory at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, from April 2019 to February 2020. Pregnant Wistar rats were given MSG orally at 2 and 4 mg/g body weight (BW) for 20 days. On day 21, pregnant rats were sacrificed and blood was drawn intracardially. Estradiol serum level was measured by ELISA. Male pups were counted, and the anogenital distance (AGD) was measured. Maternal serum estradiol levels were statistically analyzed by One-Way ANOVA and the AGD of male litters were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results showed that perinatal MSG exposure increased the estradiol level (26.3±4.5 pg/ml; 37.5±6.7 pg/ml; 62.1±8.2 pg/ml in control, 2 mg/g BW, and 4 mg/g BW group, respectively [mean±SD; p=<0.001]) and decreased the AGD (4 mm; 3 mm; 1.5 mm in control, 2 mg/g BW, and 4 mg/gBW group, respectively [median; p=<0.01]) in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, MSG exposure during pregnancy is a risk factor for male rat feminization.

Behavioural effects of cage systems on the G93A Superoxide Dismutase 1 transgenic mouse model for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Environmental factors inherent to animal facilities can impact on the neuro-behavioural phenotype of laboratory mice and genetic mouse models for human diseases. Many facilities have upgraded from traditional 'open filter top' cages (FT) to individually ventilated cage (IVC) systems, which have been shown to modify various behavioural responses of laboratory mice. Importantly, the impact of IVC housing on the G93A superoxide dismutase 1 mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is currently unknown. Male and female wild type-like (WT) and heterozygous SOD1G93A mice were group-housed in FT or IVC systems from PND 30 ± 5 onwards. Body weight and motor function were assessed weekly from 15 weeks onward. Mice were also tested for cognitive abilities (i.e., fear conditioning and social recognition memory) and sensorimotor gating (i.e., prepulse inhibition: PPI). SOD1G93A mice lost body weight, and their motor function degenerated over time compared with control littermates. Motor impairments developed faster when SOD1G93A females were housed in IVCs. Context and cue freezing were increased in SOD1G93A females compared with controls, whereas all SOD1G93A mice exhibited lower acoustic startle and PPI than WT mice. IVC housing led to an increase in cue freezing in males and reduced the severity of PPI deficits in SOD1G93A females. Overall, IVC housing impacted moderately on the SOD1G93A phenotype but central behavioural deficits were still evident across housing conditions. Nonetheless, our findings indicate the importance of assessing the effect of cage system in genetic mouse models as these systems can modulate the magnitude and onset of genotypic differences.

Assessment of the Culture of Care working with laboratory animals by using a comprehensive survey tool.

The term Culture of Care, within the scientific community using laboratory animals, is being used more and more frequently after it was introduced in the EU Directive 2010/63/EU, where it is phrased as a 'climate of care', which became effective in national legislation from January 2013. However, there is a risk that the term could become a meaningless phrase if no agreed local definition of the term exists at the animal facility (called establishment in the EU Directive). This paper presents a comprehensive survey tool that provides a means to describe what the Culture of Care in an establishment looks like. The tool is one of the elements that can contribute to the overall picture of the culture; however, it cannot stand alone. Together with an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Culture of Care (e.g. key performance indicators) and a description of the outcomes and achievements in terms of animal welfare and the 3Rs (Replace, Reduce, Refine), the survey tool will constitute a comprehensive picture. The survey tool offers a multilevel and comprehensive view of different subcultures, presenting details on mindset and behaviour of the employees and the different relations within the culture, thus enabling the initiation of improvement projects if required. The tool addresses essential elements of a co-operative culture in terms of what we think, what we do and how we work together.

Evaluation of Potential Sustainable Bedding Substrates Focusing on Preference, Behavior, and Stress Physiology in Rats—A Pilot Study

Simple SummaryThe use of animals in research is currently a very controversial and emotionally discussed topic; however, to date, animals still play a pivotal and fundamental role in the advancement of biomedical research. Housing conditions of laboratory animals are especially important, as they constitute an overarching factor independent of the respective experiments. In this pilot study, we investigated different types of bedding, i.e., substrates which are used to house laboratory rats. Bedding is a crucial environmental factor for rats as it has a significant influence on their well-being and the animals tend to have a lifelong exposition to a single type of substrate. Our objective for this pilot study was to evaluate corncob and spelt as ecological alternatives to the most commonly used aspen wood chip bedding. Although the rats’ behavior was not changed by different types of bedding substrates, we detected that the rats liked to consume spelt, which could potentially lead to confounding results, when the animals are tested for certain scientific hypotheses. Therefore, this is a crucial factor to consider when planning an experiment that fulfills high-quality scientific outcomes while simultaneously complying with important animal welfare considerations.Ensuring optimal housing conditions for laboratory animals is a crucial prerequisite for high-quality and ethically justifiable in vivo science. In addition to guaranteeing animal welfare and promoting scientific validity, environmental sustainability is also increasingly gaining attention in laboratory animal facilities. Consequently, comprehensive management of such aspects is one of the core tasks of any research vivarium. Hygienic monitoring and adhering to standardized experimental protocols have been highlighted in the past; nevertheless, various environmental aspects of housing animals still need to be evaluated in greater depth. In this pilot study, we aimed at assessing the suitability of spelt and corncob as economical and ecologically friendly bedding substrates as compared with commonly used aspen wood chips. Therefore, following a descriptive study design, we examined the preferences of male and female Wistar rats for corncob and spelt under specific conditions. In addition, we evaluated potential effects on behavior, metabolism, and stress physiology. The type of bedding did not seem to influence behavior in the observed parameters but did have time- and sex-dependent effects on blood glucose. Furthermore, housing animals on spelt led to a significant reduction in food consumption, probably compensated for by the intake of spelt, and although it did not influence glucose levels, it may have certainly impacted the nutrient supply. Our descriptive pilot study, therefore, highlights the importance of a thorough condition-associated evaluation of even seemingly marginal environmental factors, when balancing potential cost-benefit advances in sustainability and questions of standardization and reproducibility of experimental protocols.