Start positions and putting the animal in

The first second of a trial matters. The original notes on rats ask you to support the rat in your hand and lower it into the water tail-end first, so its head doesn't go under, because "dropping them in head-first stresses them, which impairs learning". They add that animals are usually put in facing the pool wall, to minimise bias. You can read that in full on the rats page.

Varying the start point from trial to trial is what lets you see whether the animal has learnt a place rather than a route.

Questions people ask

How should I move animals to the testing room?

Move them in their home cages on a quiet trolley, then let them settle for at least 30 minutes before testing. Your local ethics committee, licence conditions and vet always take precedence.

More detail

Move animals calmly, in their home cages, and give them time to settle in the testing room before you start. Trolley wheels can produce ultrasound [Home Office]; at least 30 minutes acclimation [Bromley-Brits 2011; Seibenhener & Wooten 2015]. Keep the route and timing the same each day.

Going deeper

We found no study comparing transport methods inside a building; this is good practice drawn from the sources above.

Sources: gov.uk/government/publications/care-and-accommodation-of-animals-in-science-advisory-standards; Bromley-Brits et al. (2011). Morris Water Maze Test for Learning and Memory Deficits in Alzheimer's Disease Model Mice. Journal of Visualized Experiments (53). doi:10.3791/2920; Seibenhener & Wooten (2015). Use of the Open Field Maze to Measure Locomotor and Anxiety-like Behavior in Mice. Journal of Visualized Experiments (96). doi:10.3791/52434

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