Nervous and muscle measurements 1) Abdominal tone: Choose the appropriate item from the following list upon holding the animal in the hand and touching the abdominal muscles (scored).
1: No resistance (soft) 2: Normal (proper hardness) 3: High resistance (very hard)
2) Limb tone: Choose the appropriate item from the following list upon holding the animal in the hand and touching the muscles of the limbs (scored).
3) Grip strength: Use a small animal grip measurement device (for measuring forelimbs and hindlimbs). Take care that the strength of the measurer is not recorded by the device (measured).
(1) Engage animal's forelimbs on wire screen to which a strain gauge is horizontally attached. (2) Gently pull backward along the wire screen until the forelimbs release. (3) Record the peak value shown on the device. (4) Engage the animal's hindlimbs on wire screen to which a strain gauge is attached at a 45 degree angle in a manner similar to that described above. (5) Take 2 measurements for the forelimbs and 2 for the hindlimbs. (6) Measure in kgf (kilograms force), record absolute values and determine the mean of the 2 measurements.
4) Landing foot splay (indiscrete data)
(1) Spread recording paper on testing platform. (2) Cover the bottoms of the feet of the animal's hindlimbs with ink and pick up by the neck or back. (3) Drop the animal when it is at rest, stomach down, onto the testing paper from a height of 30 cm. (4) Perform the above actions twice. (5) Take measurements in millimeters as the linear distance between the heels, recording absolute values and determining the mean of the 2 measurements.