Domestic rats and mice have complex social and behavioral needs that require appropriate enrichment and social housing to achieve good welfare.
Rats and mice are often underestimated in their behavioral complexity and emotional lives. As prey species, they hide signs of suffering until disease is advanced. The welfare needs of social housing, appropriate space, and environmental enrichment are substantial for such small animals. The social bond between rats is particularly important - rats separated from companions show distress responses comparable to those documented in separation anxiety in other species.