ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes available scientific studies on the effects of handling and restraining the most commonly used species, and interprets these in relation to animal welfare. Food restriction can make animals less vulnerable to experimental stressors and better able to adjust to physiological and biochemical perturbations. The fact that restricted food consumption can increase longevity and health in animals is analogous to the human situation. Handling—holding the animal for less than a minute—can be either manual or involve the use of restraint device. The use of telemetry avoids the need for handling and restraint of animals during recording; it has been shown that these latter result in profound effects on many parameters that can be recorded with telemetry. All practical training emphasises the need for animals to be habituated; for example in standard tests for anxiety, ensuring that the animal is accustomed to the experimenters improves the consistency of the results.
