Delirium is an acute brain dysfunction syndrome characterized by confusion and difficulty concentrating, which mainly affects intensive care unit patients and elderly inpatients. Treatment is expensive and may also lead to increased risks of serious complications and death. The complex etiology and unknown pathological mechanisms of delirium mean that clinical drug treatment is largely ineffective. Animal models therefore provide a powerful tool to help understand the mechanism of delirium, screen new drugs, and study potential intervention measures. We review experimental research related to delirium animal models worldwide, and summarize the latest progress in the construction and evaluation of these models from the aspects of animal selection, model construction method , and model evaluation, to provide a reference for further experimental research based on delirium animal models.