Monitoring the temperature of mouse caging is an important aspect of conducting research studies involving mice. For example, a study in ~10,000 mice reported large differences in metabolic rates among 10 different research facilities, linked mainly to differences in ambient housing temperature (Corrigan et al., eLife, 2020). Intentionally varying the housing temperature between 22°C and 28°C causes strong changes in not only metabolic rate, but also heart rate, blood pressure, inflammation, and food intake in mice, highlighting how critical the home-cage environment is to research outcomes (Ganeshan and Chawla, Nat Rev Endocrinol, 2017). Based on this and other literature, we believe there are two keep benefits to understanding the temperature in your rodent caging.
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Improved mouse health and well-being: Mice are sensitive to changes in temperature and can be easily stressed by conditions that are too hot or too cold. By monitoring the temperature of their caging, researchers can ensure that the mice are kept at a comfortable and stable temperature that supports their health and well-being.
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Enhanced research accuracy and reliability: Temperature fluctuations can affect the behavior and physiology of mice, which can in turn impact the results of research studies. By monitoring the temperature of the caging, researchers can control for this variable and ensure that the results of their studies are accurate and reliable. This is especially important for studies involving behavioral experiments or tests of metabolism, feeding, and energy balance.
Pallidus can help you easily monitor the temperature in mouse caging. By controlling for this important variable, researchers can enhance the quality of their studies and reduce the use of resources.