Longitudinal Study of Changes in Ammonia, Carbon Dioxide, Humidity and Temperature in Individually Ventilated Cages Housing Female and Male C57BL/6N Mice during Consecutive Cycles of Weekly and Bi-Weekly Cage Changes.

ABSTRACT: Housing conditions are essential for ensuring animal welfare and high-quality research outcomes. In this study, we continuously monitored air quality-specifically ammonia, carbon dioxide, relative humidity, and temperature-in Individually Ventilated Cages (IVCs) housing five female or male C57BL/6N mice. The cages were cleaned either weekly or bi-weekly, and the data were collected as the mice aged from 100 to 348 days. The survival rate remained above 96%, with body weight increasing by 35-52% during the study period. The ammonia levels rose throughout the cleaning cycle, but averaged below 25 ppm. However, in the older, heavier mice with bi-weekly cage cleaning, the ammonia levels reached between 25 and 75 ppm, particularly in the males. While circadian rhythms influenced the ammonia con

SUBMITTER: Andersson M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11428529 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature