Social housing of laboratory animals reflects their natural social needs - regulatory requirements are tightening but implementation varies significantly.
Social housing of laboratory animals is not merely a regulatory requirement - it reflects species' genuine social needs, the deprivation of which causes measurable welfare harm. Studies consistently show that individually housed mice and rats have elevated stress biomarkers, more variable experimental results, and reduced welfare compared to group-housed animals. Individual housing 'for simplicity' is increasingly unjustifiable. The scientific case for social housing aligns with welfare - socially housed animals often provide better research models for social species. Investment in appropriate housing infrastructure has both welfare and scientific returns.