Citric Acid Water Restriction
Thomas R Clarke
Abstract
How to prepare and carry out citric acid water restriction for motivating mice to engage in behaviour.
Steps
Baseline Weights
Handle animals and weigh for 3-5 days to establish a mean baseline weight prior to introduction of the CA water
Preparing 2% CA Water
Prepare the following:
- 2 bottles
- Citric acid crystals
- Sterile Gloves or weighing boats
- Scales
Empty one of the water bottles, place it on the scales and tare/zero
Pour the water from the other bottle into the one on the scales, record the weight of water
Calculate 2% weight of the water, this is the weight of citric acid crystals you need
e.g. 300g of water, requires 6g of citric acid (300*0.02 = 6)
Use the plastic side of the packet containing the sterile gloves or a weighing boat to weigh out the citric acid crystals
Add crystals to the bottle of water, put on the lid/spout and shake with finger covering the opening until dissolved
Label the bottle on 2 sides as "2% Citric Acid". Add a 'DO NOT REMOVE' label to the base of the bottle
Starting water restriction
Replace normal water bottle with 2% CA bottle, perform behaviour with 10% sucrose as a reward
Weigh animals daily to ensure they do not drop below 80% of their baseline weight
If any animal drops below 80% of their baseline weight, return to ad lib water per the PPL
