<aside> 💡 For behavioural protocols that require mice to dig in sand (e.g. generalization or discrimination) or performed some rewarded behaviour, use this food restriction.

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Table of Contents

Method 1: Standard Food Restriction

• Two days before the beginning of your experiment, begin by weighing the animals and their food. Remember to use the INVESTIGATOR WILL FEED card at this point. You do not want the animal care staff to fill more food without your knowledge. You’ll keep records of the weight of the animals and food for these two days. This will help you generate a chart of their average free feeding weight and how much food they consume regularly (Food weight on Day 1 minus Food weight on Day 2).

• When you begin food restricting the animals, use the food weight you got previously calculate the amount of food consumed by each cage. You can start food restriction by giving 60% of the free feed amount (this usually amounts to about 3-4 g of food per mouse). At a similar time each day, you will weigh the animals and give them their allotted amount of food. You will record their weight and note if any food was remaining.

  <aside> 🚨 You must give food EVERY DAY if animals are on this food restriction schedule. Plan your life accordingly.

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• Monitor the weights of the mice carefully throughout food restriction period, ensuring that no mouse drops below 80% of their free feeding weight (although the mice usually work quite well at 90% free feeding weight).

Method 2: Standard Food Deprivation

• Food will be removed from the cages of experimental animals 4-18 hours (no more than 24 hours) before the behavioural study begins, and restored immediately after its conclusion.
• Typically, food will be removed in the evening for a study scheduled for the morning or afternoon of the following day).
• Food deprivations will be logged to ensure that mice will not be deprived of food for more than 24 hours. Mice will not be deprived of food in this manner on two consecutive days.
• Mice will be weighed every other day; individual weights will be logged alongside food removal/replacement data.
  • If weight loss threatens to bring any mouse below 90% ad libitum weight, the food ration to that cage will be increased.
  • If weight loss continues, the affected mouse will be separated (in the case of mice housed in groups) and/or removed from the study.