Tickling, a Technique for Inducing Positive Affect When Handling RatsSylvie Cloutier 1,2, Megan R. LaFollette 3, Brianna N. Gaskill 3, Jaak Panksepp 1, Ruth C. Newberry 4
1Center for the Study of Animal Well-being, Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, 2Canadian Council on Animal Care, 3Department of Animal Sciences, Center for Animal Welfare Science, College of Agriculture, Purdue University, 4Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
This article demonstrates the standardized application of playful handling, a tickling technique designed to mimic rat rough-and-tumble play. This technique is effective at reducing fearful reactions to humans and generating positive affect when rats are handled for common husbandry activities and medical and research procedures such as injection.
