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IG018: Guideline on Animal Care Provided Within CAR Facilities by Investigator Staff

IACUC Guideline Number: IG018, Approved By: IACUC, Approval Date: 4/10/2025, Version: 5

For scientific reasons, a Principal Investigator (PI) may assume responsibility for some aspects of animal husbandry, referred to as ‘PI-Care’.  Requests for PI-Care should be included in animal protocols and require approval by the IACUC. 

Animal care plans must be developed in writing by research staff in cooperation with Campus Animal Resources (CAR) staff to ensure that animals receive appropriate and timely care.  These plans will be finalized in the “Campus Animal Resources Services Agreement for Investigator Animal Care.”

Plans should allow for research-related activities such as:

  • Restricted feeding or regulated watering;
  • Provision of special diets (e.g., powdered diet, agar diet);
  • Specialized environmental enrichment;
  • Use of hazardous agents; and/or
  • Cage cleaning variations.

Plans should include provisions for visits (scheduled or impromptu) by members of the CAR husbandry and veterinary staff.  Exceptions to this requirement are to be addressed in the written CAR services agreement and should include provisions for adequate veterinary care.

Husbandry and food/water checks must be provided daily by research staff, including weekends.  If needed research staff can arrange for CAR staff to assist.  Documentation of husbandry procedures provided by the PI and/or research staff are posted at the room level and are to include, at a minimum:

  • Check mark indicating the task performed;
  • Exact date performed;
  • Initials of individual performing task.

Plans must be approved by the Attending Veterinarian, or designee, prior to implementation.  A copy will be retained by CAR within the Operations team. Per diem rates will not be affected by the provision of some or all husbandry duties by investigator staff.

Research staff are to respond within 2 hours to CAR staff requests for PI-care actions; particularly including nights, weekends, and holidays. CAR staff members will document when they have attempted to contact research staff.  If there is no response from research staff, CAR husbandry staff will contact the veterinary staff and/or Operations Supervisor on-call for guidance about what husbandry procedures they should perform to maintain animal welfare.

Note: for rodents that may experience a flooded cage, CAR staff will immediately change these animals into a dry and warm environment due to prioritization of animal welfare; the research team will be alerted after change-out is completed.

Emergency contact information for research personnel, including contact information during non-business hours, are to be posted prominently in each room. Failure to provide adequate husbandry for animals as described in the written agreement may result in revocation of such privileges and care for the animals will become the responsibility of CAR.

Form: Services Agreement for Investigator Animal Care (PDF)