Physiological reference values for the mouse can be divided into environmental factors, general physiological factors and blood values, as listed in the tables below.
| Environmental factors (unit) | Value |
|---|---|
| Temperature (ºC) | 20–24* |
| Relative humidity (%) | 55 ± 10 |
| Ventilation (air changes per hour) | 10–20 |
| Light/darkness (hours) | 12–14 / 12–10 |
| Minimum floor area of the cage (cm²) | 330 |
| Minimum floor area of the cage per animal of a certain weight (cm²) | 60 (0–20 g) 70 (20–25 g) 80 (25–30 g) 100 (> 30 g) |
| Minimum floor area for breeding animal with pups (cm²) | 330 |
| Minimum cage height (cm) | 12 |
| Maximum light intensity animal room (measured at animal height in lux) | 60 |
* A higher temperature is required for newborns, animals that are ill or have undergone surgery and specific genetically altered strains (data modified from source: Van Zutphen, L.F.M., Baumans, V. and Beynen, A.C., Principles of Laboratory Animal Science, second edition, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, 2001).
| General physiological parameters (unit) | Value |
|---|---|
| Adult weight (g) | 20–40 (male) 25–40 (female) |
| Lifespan (years) | 1–2 |
| Resting heart rate (beats per min) | 300–800 |
| Resting respiration rate (breaths per min) | 100–200 |
| Body temperature (ºC) | 36.5–38.0 |
| Number of chromosomes (2n) | 40 |
| Body surface (cm²) | 36 (20 g) 130 (50 g) 260 (125 g) |
| Water intake (mL/100 g/day) | 15 |
| Sexual maturity (weeks) | 5 (male and female) |
| Breeding age (weeks) | 8–10 (male and female) |
| Estrous cycle (days) | 4 (2–9) |
| Estrous duration (hours) | 14 |
| Gestation (days) | 19 (18–21) |
| Litter size (number of pups) | 6–12 |
| Birth weight (g) | 0.5–1.5 |
| Weaning weight (g) and weaning age (days) | 10 and 21–28 |
| Blood values (unit) | Value |
|---|---|
| Blood volume (mL/kg) | 76–80 |
| HemoglobinHemoglobin Iron-containing pigment of red blood cells that carries oxygen to the body’s tissues via the bloodstream. (g/100 mL) | 10–17 |
| HematocritHematocrit The volume of red blood cells as a percentage of total blood volume. (% vol) | 39–49 |
| Leukocytes (×1000/mm³) | 5–12 |
| Glucose (mg/100 mL) | 124–262 |
