Assistant Laboratory Animal Technician (ALAT) Practice Exam 2025 – Complete All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

The thermo-neutral zone (TNZ) for mice is crucial for maintaining their comfort and wellbeing. This temperature range represents the optimal conditions under which mice can regulate their body temperature without expending extra energy for heating or cooling themselves.

For mice, the correct TNZ is typically found between 26°C to 34°C. Within this range, mice can easily maintain their body temperature because they do not have to use metabolic energy to adapt to environmental temperature changes. This is particularly important for laboratory settings, as it ensures that the animals are in an environment conducive to their health and the validity of experimental results.

When temperatures fall outside of this range, mice start to expend energy to either generate heat if it's too cold or to dissipate heat if it's too warm. This can lead to physiological stress, which can affect their health and behaviors and potentially skew scientific data if not properly controlled. Thus, understanding the TNZ is essential for anyone working in laboratory animal care or research.