Editing Laboratory mouse (section)

=== Handling ===
Traditionally, laboratory mice have been picked up by the base of the tail. However, recent research has shown that this type of handling increases anxiety and aversive behaviour.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hurst JL, West RS | title = Taming anxiety in laboratory mice | journal = Nature Methods | volume = 7 | issue = 10 | pages = 825–6 | date = October 2010 | pmid = 20835246 | doi = 10.1038/nmeth.1500 | s2cid = 6525713 }}</ref> Instead, handling mice using a tunnel or cupped hands is advocated. In behavioural tests, tail-handled mice show less willingness to explore and to investigate test stimuli, as opposed to tunnel-handled mice which readily explore and show robust responses to test stimuli.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Gouveia K, Hurst JL | title = Optimising reliability of mouse performance in behavioural testing: the major role of non-aversive handling | journal = Scientific Reports | volume = 7 | pages = 44999 | date = March 2017 | pmid = 28322308 | pmc = 5359560 | doi = 10.1038/srep44999 | bibcode = 2017NatSR...744999G }}</ref>