As a step towards implementing non-aversive handling techniques at a big mouse breeding facility in Germany, tunnel handling was introduced in a breeding unit comprising three inbred mouse strains. To assess whether tunnel handling would be feasible for the animal technicians in their everyday work and beneficial for the mice when being handled during weekly cage change only, the behaviour of tunnel- and tail-handled animals of both sexes was examined before, during and after the handling events over a period of nine weeks. Moreover, the time expenditure was compared between both handling techniques. It was possible to use the tunnel in all three mouse strains. However, the impact of the handling techniques on the behavioural parameters investigated in the present study were strain-specific. All behavioural parameters suggested that NZW mice benefited the most from tunnel handling. The results obtained from Hello Kitty and WNK mice were ambiguous, which may suggest that a brief handling session during the cage clean may have not been sufficient to habituate them to the process of handling. It took the animal technicians approximately 3 seconds longer per mouse when using a tunnel. The strain-specific results should encourage researchers to share their experiences with non-aversive handling techniques in different mouse strains, for example, along with their research articles.
Keywords: 3Rs; animal facilities; ethics and welfare; handling techniques; refinement; techniques; welfare.