The perceptions of veterinarians and small animal (SA) clients on what attributes constitute 'a good veterinarian' were examined by a questionnaire survey. The respondents were asked to record how important they considered 20 attributes for a veterinary surgeon to have on a five-point scale from 'not at all important' to 'very important'. In addition, they were asked to list which attributes they considered to be the three most important attributes in a veterinary surgeon; finally, they were asked whether there were any additional attributes that they considered to be highly desirable in a veterinary surgeon. In total, 407 SA clients, 243 SA veterinarians and 61 non-SA veterinarians completed the questionnaire. There were significant differences in the proportion of clients who considered an attribute to be 'very important' compared with SA veterinarians for 12 of the 20 attributes (P<0.005). A larger proportion of clients considered 'confidence', 'knowledge about veterinary medicine and surgery', 'cleanliness', 'good at explaining technical terms', 'patience', 'clear about cost of treatment', 'ability to work in a team', 'honesty', 'politeness', 'decisiveness', 'good with animals' and 'good practical skills' to be 'very important' attributes than the SA veterinarians; a larger proportion of SA veterinarians considered 'good communication skills' to be a 'very important' attribute than the clients.

The welfare of laboratory rats housed on either solid or grid floors was investigated in several ways. No differences were found in body weight gain, food consumption or water consumption amongst rats housed in either condition. When handling was standardized between the 2 groups, there was no correlation between flooring and docility. Preference testing revealed that rats chose to dwell on solid floors rather than grids, regardless of previous housing experience. This preference for solid floors was particularly marked (88%) when the animals were resting and much less marked during activity (55.4%). Since the rats were observed to spend 70 to 75% of their time resting, it was concluded that their welfare was likely to be improved by housing them on solid floors.

Nest-boxes and nesting materials were considered potentially useful items with which to enhance the environment of rats housed in standard laboratory cages. This study was carried out to determine whether such items are actually used by rats, and if so, what features are important in their design. Laboratory rats were allowed to choose between four commercially available nest-boxes. Nest-boxes were preferred to other parts of the cage but the nest-box most frequently selected was not suitable for routine laboratory use. Accordingly a new nest-box was designed, incorporating features apparently attractive to the animals. This was a simple structure of opaque perspex, consisting of a roof and three walls. Similarly, rats were exposed to six commercially available nesting materials and those consisting of long paper strips were most preferred.

SummaryPrevious work has shown that laboratory rats preferred to use nest-boxes and nesting materials rather than empty parts of the cage. In preference tests, they chose opaque or semiopaque nest-boxes and long strips of soft paper nesting material. Choice tests to demonstrate a preference between nest-boxes and nesting material were not possible because nesting materials were carried into the nest-boxes. Furthermore, preference tests did not show how important these items were to the animals. Accordingly, operant tests were conducted, in which the rats had to lift a weighted door in order to gain access to an empty cage, or one containing a nest-box, nesting material or both items. By progressively increasing the weight of the door in subsequent trials, it was shown that the rats would carry out more work to reach a nest-box, with or without nesting material, than to reach an empty cage.Keywords Laboratory rats; nest-boxes; shelters; nesting material; preferences; strength of preference; operant studies Previous work has shown that laboratory rats made use of both nest-boxes and nesting materials (Manser et al. 1998). They preferred an opaque or semi-opaque nest-box to other parts of the cage, and they preferred a cage furnished with paper nesting material to one without. Choice studies were used to test different plastic and perspex nest-boxes, as well as paper and wood nesting materials. Consideration was also made of whether the items were economical, hygienic, suitable for use in toxicological studies and allowed routine monitoring of the rats. The most suitable nest-box found was made of opaque perspex, with solid sides and 'roof and open front and base, Its dimensions were: 25 cm

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