why do scientists mainly use rats in experiments rather than other animals? What makes them so special and why?
In: Biology
The common lab animal is a mouse, not a rat. Specifically the mice are called, Swiss Mice and other terms.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laboratory_mouse
They are used because of uniform genetic makeup among other desirable traits.
By using a standardized creature, the experiments can be replicated by other researchers.
They’re easy and quick to breed, clean to house, and don’t eat a ton. They’re cheap, quick, and easy.
Additionally, people don’t hold rats/mice in high moral standing, so scientists can get away with a lot more than they could if they were testing on more social creatures. I’d say more intelligent, but rats are smarter than half the dogs I’ve ever met, so…
Rats are very smart, practically immune to disease, and always die of cancer. So it turns out rats are really great at helping us understand what chemicals can cause cancer. Their advanced intelligence is a good model for psychology. They also have hands, which few animals have. This is another way they model humans well.
I think mice are more commonly used than rats in medical studies. Mice are very similar to us on a molecular level. And they breed quickly, allowing “life long” studies in 2 months time span.
Which animals you use are sort of a paper rock scissors game. It just depends on your goals.
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