The free-exploratory paradigm as a model of trait anxiety in female rats: test-retest reliability.

•The free-exploratory paradigm (FEP) has been proposed as a model of trait anxiety.•FEP has been proven stable over time, but only for male rats.•There are sex influences at all levels of the nervous system.•This study assessed the stability over time of FEP for female rats.•Stability over time was found for three of the four evaluated parameters.