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All Outputs (53)

Dental disease in companion rabbits under UK primary veterinary care: frequency and risk factors (2024)
Journal Article
Jackson, M., Burn, C., Hedley, J., Brodbelt, D., & O'Neill, D. (2024). Dental disease in companion rabbits under UK primary veterinary care: frequency and risk factors. Veterinary Record, https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.3993

Background-
Some prior evidence has suggested rabbits with lop ear and brachycephalic skull conformations have higher dental disease risk. This retrospective cohort study reports the frequency and conformational risk factors for primary-care veterin... Read More about Dental disease in companion rabbits under UK primary veterinary care: frequency and risk factors.

Lifting laboratory rats: a survey of methods, handlers’ reasons and concerns, and rat behavioural responses (2023)
Journal Article
Burn, C., Camacho, T., & Hockenhull, J. (2023). Lifting laboratory rats: a survey of methods, handlers’ reasons and concerns, and rat behavioural responses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 268, Article 106077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2023.106077

Lifting mice by the tail is of animal welfare and scientific concern, but rat lifting methods are little researched, potentially differing from mice. Using an online questionnaire we explored different methods for lifting laboratory rats, alongside h... Read More about Lifting laboratory rats: a survey of methods, handlers’ reasons and concerns, and rat behavioural responses.

Ear health and quality of life in pet rabbits of differing ear conformations: a UK questionnaire survey of signalment risk factors and effects on rabbit welfare and behaviour (2023)
Journal Article
Chivers, B., Keeler, M., & Burn, C. (2023). Ear health and quality of life in pet rabbits of differing ear conformations: a UK questionnaire survey of signalment risk factors and effects on rabbit welfare and behaviour. PLoS ONE, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285372

The impacts of ear disease on animal welfare and behaviour are little documented. Ear disease may be common in rabbits, but difficult to recognise, and lop-ears have previously been indicated as a risk factor for ear disease. We aimed to better under... Read More about Ear health and quality of life in pet rabbits of differing ear conformations: a UK questionnaire survey of signalment risk factors and effects on rabbit welfare and behaviour.

Ear disease in pet rabbits: owner-reported data from a UK survey 2021-2022 (2023)
Data
Chivers, B., Keeler, M., & Burn, C. (in press). Ear disease in pet rabbits: owner-reported data from a UK survey 2021-2022. [Dataset]

Methods, analysis and interpretation of these data are published in
Chivers, B. D., Keeler, M. R. D., and Burn, C. C. (2023) Ear health and quality of life in pet rabbits of differing ear conformations: a UK survey of owner-reported signalment risk... Read More about Ear disease in pet rabbits: owner-reported data from a UK survey 2021-2022.

Pet owner perception of ferret boredom and consequences for housing, husbandry, and environmental enrichment (2022)
Journal Article
Dancer, A., Diez Leon, M., Bizley, J., & Burn, C. (2022). Pet owner perception of ferret boredom and consequences for housing, husbandry, and environmental enrichment. Animals, 12(23), Article 3262. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12233262

Boredom is a potential chronic but overlooked animal welfare problem. Caused by monotony, sub-optimal stimulation, and restrictive housing, boredom can therefore affect companion animals, particularly those traditionally caged, such as ferrets. We su... Read More about Pet owner perception of ferret boredom and consequences for housing, husbandry, and environmental enrichment.

Invertebrate sentience and sustainable seafood (2022)
Journal Article
Crump, A., Browning, H., Schnell, A. K., Burn, C., & Birch, J. (2022). Invertebrate sentience and sustainable seafood. Nature Food, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00632-6

Octopuses, crabs and lobsters are probably sentient, yet their welfare needs are poorly protected in the food system. Upholding animal welfare in the seafood industry presents challenges and more research is needed to address humane capture, housing... Read More about Invertebrate sentience and sustainable seafood.

Sentience in decapod crustaceans: A general framework and review of the evidence. Animal Sentience 32(1) (2022)
Journal Article
Crump, A., Browning, H., Schnell, A., Burn, C., & Birch, J. (2022). Sentience in decapod crustaceans: A general framework and review of the evidence. Animal Sentience 32(1). Animal Sentience, 32, Article 407. https://doi.org/10.51291/2377-7478.1691

We outline a framework for evaluating scientific evidence of sentience, focusing on pain experience. It includes eight neural and cognitive-behavioural criteria, with confidence levels for each criterion reflecting the reliability and quality of the... Read More about Sentience in decapod crustaceans: A general framework and review of the evidence. Animal Sentience 32(1).

Housing and Environmental Enrichment of the Domestic Ferret: A Multi-Sector Survey (2022)
Journal Article
Dancer, A. M., Díez-León, M., Bizley, J. K., & Burn, C. C. (2022). Housing and Environmental Enrichment of the Domestic Ferret: A Multi-Sector Survey. Animals, 12, Article 1065. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12091065

Ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) are kept and used in multiple sectors of society, but little is known about how they are housed and what environmental enrichment (EE) they may benefit from. We aimed to help guide caretakers about what housing and EE... Read More about Housing and Environmental Enrichment of the Domestic Ferret: A Multi-Sector Survey.

A tunnel is not enough: Mice benefit from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel (2021)
Journal Article
Burn, C., & Popat, R. (2021). A tunnel is not enough: Mice benefit from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel. Animal Technology and Welfare, 20, 203-210

Mouse shelters can provide mice with security, help them thermoregulate, offer darkness to prevent damage to their eyes and enable climbing and gnawing opportunities. For laboratory mice, there is a vast array of commercially available cage furniture... Read More about A tunnel is not enough: Mice benefit from in-cage provision of a communal shelter as well as a handling tunnel.

The pen is milder than the blade: Identification marking mice using ink on the tail appears more humane than ear-punching even with local anaesthetic (2021)
Journal Article
Burn, C., Mazlan, N., Chancellor, N., & Wells, D. (2021). The pen is milder than the blade: Identification marking mice using ink on the tail appears more humane than ear-punching even with local anaesthetic. Animals, 11, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061664

Identification marking mice commonly involves ear-punching with or without anaesthetic, or tail-marking with ink. To identify which is most humane, we marked male BALB/c mice using ear-punching (EP), ear-punching with anaesthetic EMLATM cream (EP+A),... Read More about The pen is milder than the blade: Identification marking mice using ink on the tail appears more humane than ear-punching even with local anaesthetic.

Handling mice using gloves sprayed with alcohol-based hand sanitiser: acute effects on mouse behaviour (2021)
Journal Article
Burn, C., Lopez Salesansky, N., Wells, D., Whitfield, L., & Chancellor, N. (2021). Handling mice using gloves sprayed with alcohol-based hand sanitiser: acute effects on mouse behaviour. Animal Technology and Welfare, 20, 11-20

Alcohols are commonly used in laboratory animal facilities to disinfect hands, equipment and laboratory environments. The effect on mice is unknown, so we observed male and female C57BL/6J and BALB/c mice during and after handling with nitrile gloves... Read More about Handling mice using gloves sprayed with alcohol-based hand sanitiser: acute effects on mouse behaviour.

Does Providing Hiding Spaces for Zebrafish in Large Groups Reduce Aggressive Behaviour? (2020)
Journal Article
Czeszyk, A., Burn, C., & Russell, C. (in press). Does Providing Hiding Spaces for Zebrafish in Large Groups Reduce Aggressive Behaviour?. The Journal of Young Investigators, 38(5), 43-56. https://doi.org/10.22186/jyi.38.5.43-56

There are extensive studies investigating the effects of enrichment on the welfare and behaviour of commonly used laboratory animals. However, when it comes to zebrafish, Danio rerio, there is limited knowledge available regarding what type of enrich... Read More about Does Providing Hiding Spaces for Zebrafish in Large Groups Reduce Aggressive Behaviour?.

Do rabbits need each other? Effects of single versus paired housing on rabbit body temperature and behaviour in a UK shelter (2020)
Journal Article
Burn, C. C., & Shields, P. (2020). Do rabbits need each other? Effects of single versus paired housing on rabbit body temperature and behaviour in a UK shelter. https://doi.org/10.7120/09627286.29.2.209

In the wild, rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are social but territorial. Recent surveys suggest that over half of pet rabbits are housed singly. We aimed to compare welfare in single versus paired rabbits. We predicted singletons would show more abno... Read More about Do rabbits need each other? Effects of single versus paired housing on rabbit body temperature and behaviour in a UK shelter.

Does ‘playtime’ reduce stimulus-seeking and other boredom-like behaviour in laboratory ferrets? (2020)
Journal Article
Burn, C. C., Raffle, J., & Bizley, J. K. (2020). Does ‘playtime’ reduce stimulus-seeking and other boredom-like behaviour in laboratory ferrets?

Much environmental enrichment for laboratory animals is intended to enhance animal welfare and normalcy by providing stimulation to reduce ‘boredom’. Behavioural manifestations of boredom include restless sensation-seeking behaviours combined with in... Read More about Does ‘playtime’ reduce stimulus-seeking and other boredom-like behaviour in laboratory ferrets?.

Lop-eared rabbits have more aural and dental problems than erect-eared rabbits: a rescue population study (2019)
Journal Article
Johnson, J. C., & Burn, C. C. (2019). Lop-eared rabbits have more aural and dental problems than erect-eared rabbits: a rescue population study. Veterinary Record, 185(758), https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105163

This research aimed to assess whether rabbits having lop ears, an artificially selected conformation, compromises welfare. We investigated the occurrence of aural and dental pathology in lop-eared compared with erect-eared rabbits. Thirty rabbits (15... Read More about Lop-eared rabbits have more aural and dental problems than erect-eared rabbits: a rescue population study.

Visitor effects on zoo-housed Sulawesi crested macaque (Macaca nigra) behaviour: Can signs with ‘watching eyes’ requesting quietness help? (2019)
Journal Article
Dancer, A. M. M., & Burn, C. C. (2019). Visitor effects on zoo-housed Sulawesi crested macaque (Macaca nigra) behaviour: Can signs with ‘watching eyes’ requesting quietness help?. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 211, 88-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2018.12.005

Visiting public can cause changes in the behaviour of zoo-housed primates. These effects, if indicative of stress, can be of welfare concern. However, few options to mitigate visitor effects through modulating visitor behaviour have been explored. He... Read More about Visitor effects on zoo-housed Sulawesi crested macaque (Macaca nigra) behaviour: Can signs with ‘watching eyes’ requesting quietness help?.

Prospective cohort study to assess rates of contagious disease in pre-weaned UK dairy heifers: management practices, passive transfer of immunity and associated calf health (2017)
Journal Article
Johnson, K. F., Chancellor, N., Burn, C. C., & Wathes, D. C. (2017). Prospective cohort study to assess rates of contagious disease in pre-weaned UK dairy heifers: management practices, passive transfer of immunity and associated calf health. Veterinary Record Open, 4, e000226. https://doi.org/10.1136/vetreco-2017-000226

Bestial boredom: a biological perspective on animal boredom and suggestions for its scientific investigation (2017)
Journal Article
Burn, C. C. (2017). Bestial boredom: a biological perspective on animal boredom and suggestions for its scientific investigation. Animal Behaviour, 130, 141-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.06.006

Boredom is likely to have adaptive value in motivating exploration and learning, and many animals may possess the basic neurological mechanisms to support it. Chronic inescapable boredom can be extremely aversive, and understimulation can harm neural... Read More about Bestial boredom: a biological perspective on animal boredom and suggestions for its scientific investigation.

Olfactory variation in mouse husbandry and its implications for refinement and standardisation: UK survey of non-animal scents (2016)
Journal Article
Lopez-Salesansky, N., Mazlan, N. H., Whitfield, L. E., Wells, D. J., & Burn, C. C. (2016). Olfactory variation in mouse husbandry and its implications for refinement and standardisation: UK survey of non-animal scents. Laboratory Animals, 50(4), 286-295. https://doi.org/10.1177/0023677215614296

With their highly sensitive olfactory system, the behaviour and physiology of mice are not only influenced by the scents of conspecifics and other species, but also by many other chemicals in the environment. The constraints of laboratory housing lim... Read More about Olfactory variation in mouse husbandry and its implications for refinement and standardisation: UK survey of non-animal scents.