Most animals used in experimentation are small mammals. In the EU, Directive 2010/63/EU regulates the use of laboratory animals for experimental purposes. However, there are few guidelines for the use of wild-sourced animals, which cover permits, experimentation, transport, maintenance, and setting free after experiments. To evaluate the effect of the Directive on the study of wild-sourced animals, we conducted a systematised literature review focusing on three widespread rodents of the genus