Advances in Rodent Housing and Management: Optimizing Conditions for Medical Research Excellence

<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Housing and management of experimental animals are important aspects to consider alongside the welfare of experimental animals. Both are related to the behavior of animals and the results of the research to be conducted. Every laboratorian should pay attention to the management and housing of experimental animals, starting from the characteristics of cages according to the needs of the animals, sanitation that must be considered, and cage enrichment so that animals can express their natural behaviors. The focus on good management and housing aims to reduce stress on animals, create comfort and optimal care, and ensure more accurate research results.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This article is based on scientific information obtained from various literature such as articles and books published from various sources in the last 10 years from 2014-2024. Data collection was carried out by searching for scientific articles and journals using the Google Scholar search engine containing the concepts being studied. Article searches were carried out using the keywords "Characteristics of Animal Housing", "Management of experimental rodents", and "Rodentia" so that the articles that appeared matched the research topic.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>providing suitable living conditions enables animals to develop, reach maturity, reproduce, and exhibit normal behavior in both laboratory and healthy environments. <strong>Conclusions: </strong>Social animals such as rodents thrive when they have companionship. Mice and rats are active during the night, while guinea pigs are active in daylight. Cage size is adjusted to the needs of each animal so that they can engage in their natural activities. Room temperature is also considered to avoid problems for the animals. Environmental enrichment for rodent animals needs to be considered to minimize stress.</p>