Very nice work and close to what we are doing.

1) For circling/holding the tail, we need to allow its front paws to touch the surface so it can walk using the front legs. Then we can judge left and right turns or walk straightly.

2) For the vertical screen climbing, we place the animals on the flat screen with its head toward the center and then turn the screen around 80 degrees so the rat will be at the bottom of the screen and can climb up. 

3) For sensory testing, we do the left side first and then the right side.  There are two steps. Step one is to compare if there is a response difference between left and right. Step two is to determine if it is decreased or lost. We gently touch or scratch these areas with a curved 30 G needle connected to a 1 ml plastic syringe. It is not a direct hit on the area.