TY - JOUR

T1 - Providing Sand Rats (Psammomys Obesus) Environmental Enrichment is not Inhibiting their Diabetes Development and Use as an Animal Model for Human Diet Induced Type 2 Diabetes

AU - Friis Mikkelsen, Lars

AU - Boserup, Tine

AU - Kiersgaard, Maria Kristina

AU - Bödvarsdottir, Thóra Brynja

AU - Sørensen, Dorte Bratbo

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - The gerbil, Psammomys obesus, commonly known as the fat sand rat, is a well-defined animal model for human type 2 diabetes (T2D). Captive housed fat sand rats often develop serious digging- and gnawing stereotypies but historically, little has been done to improve the housing conditions for the animals by providing environmental enrichment and thereby minimizing or eliminating this unwanted behaviour. Although not scientifically proven, it is generally believed that providing environmental enrichment might inhibit the development of diabetes in the fat sand rats, mainly due to raised activity levels.This study compared the development of T2D in fat sand rats housed in standard housing conditions and sand rats housed in various enriched environments. The study included 51 fat sand rats in five groups, of which one group acted as the control. The remaining four groups were housed in four different enriched environments for 37 days; including various combinations of provided mazes/burrows, nuts, seeds, maize and barley plus access to salt water. No significant differences were found in the development of diabetes in the five groups. It is concluded that provision of the tested environmental enrichment has no effect on the development of T2D in Psammomys obesus, and hence there are no reasons for not providing captive housed fat sand rats with species-specific environmental enrichment like the tested items to fulfil their natural needs and enhance their welfare.

AB - The gerbil, Psammomys obesus, commonly known as the fat sand rat, is a well-defined animal model for human type 2 diabetes (T2D). Captive housed fat sand rats often develop serious digging- and gnawing stereotypies but historically, little has been done to improve the housing conditions for the animals by providing environmental enrichment and thereby minimizing or eliminating this unwanted behaviour. Although not scientifically proven, it is generally believed that providing environmental enrichment might inhibit the development of diabetes in the fat sand rats, mainly due to raised activity levels.This study compared the development of T2D in fat sand rats housed in standard housing conditions and sand rats housed in various enriched environments. The study included 51 fat sand rats in five groups, of which one group acted as the control. The remaining four groups were housed in four different enriched environments for 37 days; including various combinations of provided mazes/burrows, nuts, seeds, maize and barley plus access to salt water. No significant differences were found in the development of diabetes in the five groups. It is concluded that provision of the tested environmental enrichment has no effect on the development of T2D in Psammomys obesus, and hence there are no reasons for not providing captive housed fat sand rats with species-specific environmental enrichment like the tested items to fulfil their natural needs and enhance their welfare.

U2 - 10.31038/IJVB.1000113

DO - 10.31038/IJVB.1000113

M3 - Journal article

SP - 1

EP - 4

JO - Integrative Journal of Veterinary Biosciences

JF - Integrative Journal of Veterinary Biosciences

SN - 2577-4492

ER -