Breeding of the Cairo Spiny Mouse (Acomys cahirinus) in Laboratory Conditions

The Cairo spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus)is a unique animal model for studying ontogenesis and regeneration.Meanwhile, some peculiarities of its biology, specifically, lowfecundity and hence the small litter size, significantly complicateexperimental research. This work was aimed to study A. cahirinus behavior and reproductionand to create a breeding colony in laboratory conditions. Here, wedescribe the specific features of A. cahirinus colonymaintenance and management, including some handling and experimentaltechniques, methods of nutritional and housing optimization, aswell as of animal marking for individual identification. Some reproductiveindices of A. cahirinus colonyare also provided. We modified the animal diet by supplementingit with dried arthropods, an important component of the A. cahirinus natural diet, and createdenvironmental enrichment conditions by placing running wheels, tunnelsand huts into each cage. Our efforts yielded more than a 50% increasein A. cahirinus populationover 9 months and a 98% overall survival rate of its offspring.