What is a critical goal of water and feed management in a mouse facility?

• A. Provide ad libitum access to clean water and nutritionally complete feed; monitor intake to detect health problems.
• B. Restrict water to manage weight.
• C. Use only bottled water; ignore feed.
• D. Allow unlimited access to any food including treats.

Answer: (A)

Providing reliable, adequate hydration and nutrition with ongoing monitoring of intake is essential in a mouse facility. Allowing ad libitum access to clean water and nutritionally complete feed ensures mice meet their daily energy and hydration needs without the stress of restriction, supporting welfare, growth, and reliable experimental outcomes. At the same time, tracking how much water and feed are consumed helps detect health problems early—drops or spikes in intake can indicate illness, pain, dental issues, or gastrointestinal problems, enabling timely interventions.

Other approaches—restricting water to control weight, using only bottled water while neglecting feed, or letting mice have unlimited access to any food including treats—pose welfare risks and can lead to dehydration, malnutrition, obesity, and nutritional imbalances, while reducing the ability to monitor health.