Figure 1
Effect of handling method and hold duration on voluntary interaction and anxiety (mean ± sem). Duration of voluntary interaction with the handling device (hand for tail and cup, or hand holding tunnel) (A) after the first and fifth daily handling session according to hold duration and method, and (B) immediately before (b) and after (a) handling in the first and fifth sessions pooled across hold durations. (C,D,E) Measures of anxiety in an open field test conducted two days after the fifth handling session (m: males, f: females). P values from univariate (A) or repeated measures ANOVAs (B,C) shown in Tables 1 and 2. Asterisks indicate significance of planned comparisons between tunnel or cup versus tail (*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.005, ****P < 0.001). Data for tunnel and cup handled mice pooled across groups experiencing same or tail handling at cage cleaning prior to the experiment. Number of mice/cages: Tail = 16/8 m + 16/8 f (8/4 mf per duration), Tunnel = 32/16 m + 32/16 f (16/8 mf per duration), Cup = 32/16 m + 32/16 f (16/8 mf per duration).
