Hello,
I am doing the pole test to my mice where I use a 1 cm diameter, 50 cm height pole.
I place the mice with their head oriented upward on the top of the pole.
I am supposed to record the time for them to turn and orient themselves downwards and the time to descend the pole back to their home cage.
However, my mice do not succeed to turn, they either freeze at the top of the pole or slip and fall.
Anyone experienced this problem and know what can I do?
Thanks!
Malik
what material is your pole made of? If it is polyethylene or smooth metal they cannot grip or safely move to orient downhill and will slip and fall when they cannot hold onto the pole.
Try using a wooden pole made of pine or cedar that are soft wood that a mouse can get toe nails to grip onto safely.