FAQS

The University of Rochester's Animal Resource consists of the Vivarium and the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine. The Vivarium is a service department of the School of Medicine and Dentistry. The staff of the department includes full time administrative, supervisory and clerical personnel, as well as laboratory animal care technicians and support persons. The Vivarium provides for the procurement, housing and care of the laboratory animals. The animal care programs provided by the Vivarium complement the professional programs and services provided by DLAM.

What is a per diem rate?

A per diem rate is the cost to maintain one animal for one day. It is generated from expenses such as animal feed, bedding, room labor, cage wash supplies, uniform cleaning and facility administrative salary and benefits. Per diem rates are distributed to investigators by means of an annual per diem memo which includes projected rates for three years.

Click on Per Diems for a list of the current rates.

How are my animal care expenses generated?

We use a census method for billing and program management. There is a perpetual inventory sheet for each account number. Each month, a new inventory sheet for each investigator is placed in binders posted adjacent to each animal room door. Ending animal totals for the previous month are carried forward as beginning totals for the current month. Both animal care staff and investigators note animal additions and subtractions. The recording must be performed faithfully and timely for an accurate census. Monthly, the vivarium staff verifies the census by physically counting the animals for each investigator and tracking account numbers.

A computerized billing program calculates daily totals for each month's inventory sheet to give "Total Animal Care Days". Monthly charges are calculated by multiplying "Total Animal Care Days" by the appropriate per diem rate. Investigators receive a monthly statement for each account separated by species and room.

How do I order animals?

Animals can be ordered in one of three ways:
· Call the Animal Ordering and Receiving Clerk at ext. 5-2654
· E-mail your order by downloading this form
· Submit your order on-line by clicking here
All these options are described on the Animal Procurement web page of the Animal Resource website.

You will be requested to provide:
· Your name
· Investigator name
· Department
· Species, strain, sex, age or weight, and quantity needed
· Animal vendor
· UCAR and account numbers
· Contact phone number and box number
· Animal housing room
· Husbandry strategy e.g. MicroIsolator or Standard Isolation
· Number of animals per cage
· 1-way or 2-way room
· Arrival date desired

Typically, animal ordering is a very smooth process. You may encounter problems if your protocol is no longer active or does not include the kind of animal you intend to order, or the number of animals requested exceeds the UCAR approved number. Any of these situations will require you to contact the UCAR office (ext. 5-1693) for assistance.

The deadline for ordering is 4:00 p.m. on Friday one full week prior to the week in which delivery will occur, except for rat, mice and hamster orders of fifty or less. The deadline for these orders is 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday the week prior to delivery, except for NIH rodent orders which need to be placed with the Ordering and Receiving Clerk on Monday the week prior to delivery. Delivery also depends on the availability of animals from the vendor and weather conditions.

For more information, click on Animal Procurement.

How do I request additional supplies for my animal room?

Contact the Animal Resource Office at ext. 5-2651 to order additional room supplies like gloves, shoe covers, cages, cage tags, water bottles, etc. The office staff will notify an animal care technician to deliver the supplies to the room as soon as possible.

What is DLAM and what services does it offer?

The University of Rochester's Animal Resource consists of the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine and the Vivarium. The Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM) is an academic Division of the Medical School. DLAM provides programs of veterinary care, which include training, preventive medicine, clinical and diagnostic professional services. The professional programs and services provided by DLAM complement the animal care programs provided by the Vivarium.

For a list of DLAM services and charges see DLAM Services.

If I have an animal emergency, how do I contact a veterinarian?

During normal business hours (Monday through Friday 7:30 AM - 4:30 AM), contact the Animal Resource Office at ext. 5-2651 and immediately report the emergency, location of the animal and your contact phone number (if available). The secretary will notify the veterinarian to respond to the emergency.

For all after-hours veterinary emergencies, call the pager number 220-5596. If you receive no response within fifteen minutes, redial the number. An emergency veterinarian is on-call at all times. If you still do not receive a response, page the Vivarium supervisor at 1-800-425-3619 or 220-2510. He will return your call and contact a veterinarian.

How do I obtain forms?

All commonly used Animal Resource forms may be obtained from our website at Forms or the Animal Resource Office.

How do I acquire animals from another university or non-approved vendor?

You need to submit a "Nonroutine Vendor Form" to the Animal Resource Office. The form must be filled out completely to facilitate the ordering process. You may obtain this form by clicking on Forms or from the Animal Resource Office. The sending institution must wait for our department's approval before they may ship the animals. The average approval time for acquiring rodents is 3 - 6 weeks. For more information go the Nonroutine section of the Animal Procurement page or contact the Animal Ordering and Receiving Clerk at ext. 5-2654.

How do I send my animals to another institution?

You need to submit an "Animal Shipment from U of R Form" to the Animal Resource Office. The form must be filled out completely to facilitate the ordering process. You may obtain this form from our website at Forms or from the Animal Resource Office. Our department must wait for the receiving institution's approval before we may ship the animals. For more information, click on Animal Procurement or contact the Animal Ordering and Receiving Clerk at ext. 5-2654.

A macaque scratched or bit me, what should I do?

A macaque scratch or bite, no matter how minor, is considered to be a potential exposure to Herpes simiae and should be taken seriously. Please refer to our Monkey/Bite Scratch SOP at Nonhuman Primate Exposure Protocol for other examples of nonhuman primate exposures, health risks and post-exposure instructions.

What is the process for activating my ID card for access to the Vivarium?

The following criteria must be met in order for the Animal Resource Office to activate an ID card:

· The employee must have attended an Animal Resource Orientation session (mandatory for all animal users).
· The employee must be listed on any of his/her investigator's protocol(s) that he/she will be working on.
· The employee must have attended MicroIsolator Technology Training class if working with rodents housed in MicroIsolator Technology rooms.
· The employee must have taken the KMRB tour if working with rodents housed in the KMRB Vivarium.
· The employee must be enrolled in UHS Occupational Health Program for animal users with substantial contact if working with nonhuman primates, bats and/or pregnant sheep.
· The employee must view the Nonhuman Primate Safety training videos and return the sign-off sheet if working with Nonhuman Primates.

When ALL criteria have been met, visit the Animal Resource Office to activate your card. Please bring your ID along with your Social Security Number or student number. Please note that if a student is requesting access, his/her student number is required to activate the badge, as it is the only number associated with the student.

If you would like to sign up for any of the department's training programs, click on Training Programs.

What do I need to do if I have an approved hazardous substance protocol and I am ready to administer it to my animals?

· Submit a "Notification of Intent to Use Hazardous Substance(s) in the Vivarium Form" to the Animal Resource Office at least two weeks prior to administering the agent. You may obtain this form from the Animal Resource Office or by clicking on Forms. You must complete all relevant information on the form. If you wish, you may supply the office with any other information relating to the agent being used that you may find helpful.
· The office staff will process the form and give you your Hazardous Substance Cage Cards to place on the cages of animals being treated.
· If this is the first time the PI is using the agent, schedule a brief meeting between the person administering the agent and the Vivarium Supervisor to discuss the protocol and any special needs you may require.

How do I transfer some of my animals to a colleague at this institution?

· The original PI submits a completed "Animal Transfer Form" to the Animal Resource Office. This form is available online at Forms or from the Animal Resource Office.
· The Ordering and Receiving Clerk will create new cage cards to place on the cages.
· Once the transfer has been completed and approved, the Animal Resource staff will notify the original investigator. A lab representative must pick up the new cage cards from the Animal Resource Office and place them on the cages being transferred.

How do I move my animals to another room?

· Submit a completed "Animal Movement Proposal Form" to the Animal Resource Office. This form is available at Forms. The cages that are to be moved must be marked with a flag labeled "Move" or "Move to."
· Once approved by the Animal Resource Management, you can either move the cages yourself or the Vivarium will provide this service for you.

Please note: If you are planning on moving the animals yourself, you must submit a move form. However, the cages do not have to be marked. Once the move form has been approved, the Animal Resource Office will call you to inform you that the move may take place. Once the move has been completed, please call the office at ext. 5-2651 to inform the staff that the move has been completed.

What do I need to do to change the account or UCAR number on my animals?

Submit a completed "Animal Transfer Form" available on the Forms page to the Animal Resource Office. The transfer usually takes 2 - 3 business days to process. Once approved the Ordering and Receiving Clerk will print out new cage cards or new cage labels for you to place on your cages.

How do I get a necropsy performed on one of my animals?

Place the animal carcass in the SMD necropsy cooler (basement corridor). Submit a completed "Necropsy Request Form" to the Animal Resource Office. To obtain one, click on Forms or go to the Animal Resource Office. DLAM will perform a necropsy and inform you of the results. Diagnostic necropsies evaluating colony health are performed at no charge.

How do I know which rodent room to enter first?

The Vivarium maintains a list of which rooms are to be entered in which order. In general, Microisolator Technology rooms are entered prior to Standard Isolation rooms each day. One-way rooms are entered prior to two-way rooms. If you have questions about the order in which to enter our rooms, contact one of the Vivarium supervisors or DLAM veterinarians at ext. 5-2651.