One of my jobs is to supervise the rat lab. That doesn't mean I sit at a desk and write memos to tell people what to do. What it means is that I have to do a lot of things myself. One of the jobs that I do during the summer, due to the quieter environment, is to breed the animals that will be used for the Fall Research Methods class and for the Introduction to Psychology classes (to demonstrate how the animal model is used in research). Psi Betans also use the animals for research.
There is a three-pronged breeding approach to maintain a viable colony. The lines bred include pigmented to pigmented (from the same litter), albinic to albinic (same litter) and pigmented to albinic (same litter). Out of the 12 pairs bred, we definitely have 10 pregnant Moms-to-be.
7 comments:
Hi, Sue,
This was a most interesting glimpse into to blogland -- thanks!
And now a question :) where were your pictures and how long did it take to upload them? I wanted to upload one picture from my desktop; after 8 minutes, I cancelled it!
Thanks,
Ruth
Hi, Ruth.
I took the pictures myself in the rat lab last week. I moved the picture files from the camera to my desktop.
How long did it take to upload them? -- The upload itself took about two minutes for all three pictures, but playing around with how they looked on the blog took an hour or more.
The first thing I did was to reduce the sizes of the original pictures: they were enormous. Then I cropped them to take away unnecessary detail (and make the files even smaller). After that, I uploaded them by clicking on the picture icon and following the directions.
Originally, I chose "medium," but that was still too large, so I deleted the pictures and uploaded them again, this time "small."
I was using a Mac, so then I went to a PC to see how the blog entry (with pictures) looked. I also checked out the blog on different browsers (on the PC, Explorer and Firefox; on the Mac, Camino and Safari and Opera). They all looked slightly different.
The final result wasn't really what I wanted, but this girl had had enough "play."
Sue,
How long is the gestation for rats? (and should we quickly pull together a 23 Things baby shower for all the Moms-to-be??)
Glad to see you stuck out "playing" with your photos - they are a great complement to your post!
thanks,
christine
Hi, Christine,
The gestation period differs slightly according to variables such as the strain, the facility, and whether breeding is accomplished through technology (cloning) or the "old fashioned" natural way. The lab's all about the natural way, in part because we don't have the proper conditions for cloning, and also because I prefer this method. Anyway, the gestation period is around 28 days. The moms-to-be are weighed weekly and visually inspected daily. I also inspect by doing a gentle abdomen manipulation weekly to "feel" the pups. From yesterday's inspection, it feels like pups within the next week to 10 days. I'll keep you posted.
The photos were an experience! I'm not blessed with a lot of patience when it comes to the computer except if I'm playing with data in SPSS.
Sue
Sue,
The profile portrait is fetching! It's very reminiscent of that lovable, rascally rodent, Stuart Little.
A question arises regarding breeding from the same litter(s). Does this lead to genetic anomolies? How do you allow for in-breeding?
Hi, Charlotte,
Being compared to Stuart Little works for me!!
About the anomalies--in our lab rats, two types seem to predominate. (We keep records on them just as breeders do with hip dysplasia in Irish setters.) The anomalies are hydrocephalus and stump tail (having a tail length shorter than the norm).
The probability of the anomalies being expressed is decreased by the fact that
both mom and dad only have one opportunity for breeding, and the rats are carefully visually inspected prior to being bred. If there's the slightest deviation observed, the rat is not bred.
Hi, Christine,
It's ratbaby shower time!
As of June 7, there were 4 litters of pups. The lab's population has now increased by 40.
Sue
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