Knowledge Base

Problem

Users are unable to achieve consistent, valid runs because animals are stressed, stop mid-walkway, groom, or behave erratically, resulting in runs that fail the compliance criteria.

Details

Run quality in CatWalk XT is heavily dependent on animal welfare, habituation, and environmental conditions. This is a common question from new users and labs setting up new protocols. Applies to all animal models and all CatWalk XT versions.

Solution

**Environment:**
1. Keep the room quiet and dim during testing. Minimize foot traffic and sudden noises.
2. Maintain consistent lighting conditions across all sessions.
3. Soft background white noise or quiet background music can reduce startle responses.

**Animal handling:**
1. Habituate animals to the experimenter: handle them gently and regularly in the days before testing. Avoid picking up rodents by the tail.
2. Place animals in the goal box (destination end of the walkway) with a cage mate for 5 minutes during the first habituation session to reduce novel-environment anxiety.
3. Gradually introduce animals to the walkway corridor over multiple sessions before collecting experimental data.

**Habituation protocol (recommended minimum):**
- Day 1: Place animals in the goal box for 5 minutes with cage mates; do not force walkway crossings.
- Days 2–3: Allow free exploration of the walkway; reward with a small treat at the goal box.
- Days 4+: Begin guided crossings; collect data only when animals walk continuously without stopping.

**During acquisition:**
1. Allow only one animal on the walkway at a time.
2. Gently guide the animal to the start of the walkway and allow it to walk freely to the goal box — avoid chasing or stressing the animal.
3. Discard runs where the animal stops, grooms, or changes speed dramatically mid-walkway (use the non-compliant run criteria in Detection Settings).
4. Allow adequate inter-trial rest (return animal to home cage between runs).