An improved technique for monitoring the drinking behavior of mice.
A set of calibrated lickometers provides continuous, quantitative monitoring of fluid consumption. It has been used in our laboratory at four levels of temporal resolution: 24 hr, 1 hr, 6 min, and for counting of individual licks. Convenient features are mounting of the licking tube-bottle assembly on the cage top (which permits the use of disposable plastic cages with litter) and automated collection of data with microcomputers.
D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000818:Animals; D004326:Drinking; D051379:Mice / Q000502:physiology*; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods*