ABSTRACT
Laboratory mice (Mus musculus) are the most widely used vertebrate species in research, invaluable across a broad range of fields. Mice have been used in research for the past three centuries, which might lead to the assumption that these animals are adapted to laboratory environments. Although in many ways this is true, modern day laboratory mice still retain many of the motivations and behaviors of wild conspecifics. This chapter will therefore begin by reviewing the behavioral biology of, free-living wild Mus musculus (the progenitors of laboratory mice), then will describe common behaviors of captive laboratory mice. Husbandry practices that aid in maintaining mouse behavioral health, and research practices that improve data quality by taking natural mouse behaviour into account will be outlined. Finally, we discuss the unique challenges of working with a species that is developmentally plastic and has a sensory world very unlike our own.
