Characteristics of open field behavior of Wistar and Sprague-Dawley rats

The open field test (OFT) was carried out on Wistar and Sprague-Dawley rats between the ages of 3 to 20 weeks. At that time, the behavior of each naive rat was observed for two 3-minute periods separated by an interval of 24 h (Day). The OFT scores varied depending on the day and the age. Comparatively higher activity was observed in the extent of ambulation and rearing at 5 weeks old, rearing and preening at 7 weeks old, and preening and defecation at 11 weeks old in the Sprague-Dawley rats compared with the Wistar rats.