Ferrecchia, C., Pincolini, K., Chum, H. et al. 2017. Husbandry of laboratory-housed Egyptian (Rousettus aegyptiacus) fruit bats. Laboratory Animal Science Professional 5(2) (June), 18-23.

The University of California, Berkeley, houses a variety of unique species, each requiring their own specific husbandry protocols, as well as additional enrichment and safety protocols. While housing of bats in zoological parks is common, we sought to develop a standard specifically for housing a wild-caught breeding colony of bats in an indoor laboratory facility. Experts from several other research institutions, zoos, conservancies, and the principal investigator were consulted to facilitate a smooth transition from the wild to our indoor research facility. This article describes the housing, husbandry, and environmental enrichment for our freely flying captive breeding colony of wild caught fruit bats in a laboratory.