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Check out our Section for a look at what it takes to get into a vivarium. One must complete , enroll in the Occupational Health Program, and be listed as . Once those three trainings are complete, the final step is a Facility Orientation Training with the Facility Manager or designee. The Facility Manager or designee will notify the appropriate OAR personnel to grant access within 48 hours.

Before a visitor (anyone who is not on an approved protocol) can enter a vivarium, permission must be granted by the Facility Manager and Operations Manager. Once approved, the visitor must sign in on the Visitor Log posted in the entrance of each facility, and must be escorted at all times. All visitors must be over the age of 18 years old.

It is important that all persons that enter a vivarium read the potential hazards of working with animals. Some of that information can be found here.

, is a professional organization that advances responsible laboratory animal care and use to benefit people and animals. Research institutes can request AALAS to examine their facilities and practices. After evaluation, the research institute can become AAALAC accredited.

. AAALAC is a bridge between research progression and animal well-being.

Yes! CU Boulder received AAALAC accreditation in June of 2018, and achieved Continued Full Accreditation in both 2021 and 2024.

Our Services and Rates page lists the current per diems. Per diems are charges for the basic care of animals. Per diems pay for: monitoring the health of every animal on campus 365 days a year, cage changes as required by the volume of the enclosure, the number of animals within, and the type of rack used, food and water which are monitored with health checks, and most basic supplies. OAR also offers special services, which are typically billed on a pro re nata basis.

All vivaria at CU Boulder have cage washers to clean supplies, and most autoclave supplies that come in contact with animals. OAR maintains a rigorous sanitiation schedule. 

Imports:

Whether ordering commercially (Vendor) or importing animals from another institution (External Organization), you can place your order request through Key Solutions. Any animals ordered will be automatically deducted from your protocol.

eAnimal Ordering / Investigator / Investigator Home:

• Select your protocol from the Available Protocols

Exports:

To initiate your animal transfer to another institution, submit an Animal Transfer in Key Solutions. You also may be required to complete a Material Transfer Agreement or get approval from the Office of Export Controls.

eAnimal Ordering / Investigator / Animal Transfer / External-Outgoing:

For further instructions, refer to the

Animal orders placed with routine vendors (Jackson Labs, Taconic, Charles River, & Harlan) arrive every Monday. OAR staff will receive and house the animals, then notify the appropriate personnel that their animals have arrived.

Animal orders from non-routine vendors (from other research institutes) can arrive on any weekday. The exact date and time is determined by the two institutes' import/export coordinators, with input and recommendations from both PI's.

Routine approved vendors: 

, , , & .

These animals are housed directly into all campus animal facilities upon arrival.  

 Conditionally approved vendors: 

, / and

These animals can be housed directly into conventional campus animal facilities after review and approval of their most recent health report by the veterinarians. They must pass through quarantine testing before they are permitted into any barrier animal facility.

To ensure animals arrive on Monday, orders should be placed by noon on Wednesday before they are scheduled to arrive. All animal orders from routine vendors and conditionally approved vendors should be placed in Topaz.

*Orders from NIA should be placed by noon the Monday before they are scheduled to arrive.

Typically, vivaria staff leave by 6 pm each day. Light cycles determine how late personnel may enter. Most vivaria have 7-7 light cycles, but check with your Facility Manager to see how late you can stay.

After hours access is limited to those with a scientific need in order to minimize stress to the animals.

A wide variety of trainings are offered through the Office of Animal Resources. Our Veterinary Technician(s) coordinates most training sessions. Fill out the Training Request Form to request specific trainings.

Our Veterinary Technician will order these for you*. Before they can order your drugs or supplies, they will need the following bits of information:

• A SpeedType to which the bill can be charged
• The name of the Principle Investigator
• Item name/quantity/concentration 

*Please note that a 30% handling/service fee will apply for such orders.

Animals ordered from a vendor, imported from another institution or weaned in Key Solutions are already deducted from protocols. Animals used for any other reason (i.e. animals euthanized prior to weaning or used for genotyping), please submit a Splitting/Weaning Request in Key Solutions and follow the instructions below:

eAnimal Ordering / Investigator / Splitting and Weaning:

• Select your protocol, then click on the Split Wean Request.
  • Complete the required questions (Submission Type should be Wean)
  • Fill in the # of Animals
  • # of cages = 1
  • Under the Special Request for Husbandry give an explanation such as ‘reporting animal usage, no cages needed’
  • For further instructions, refer to the

No, Per diem charges start when an animal order, weaned cage, or transfer is received in the system. The charges automatically calculate daily until the cage card is deactivated. The scanning process only reconciles the cages to what is in the system.

Per diem charges pay a portion of the operating budget for the animal facilities including food, bedding, and other supplies for animal care; animal health monitoring; maintenance & repair of equipment in the animal facilities and salaries for animal care staff. Some things per diems do NOT cover include upper management salaries for OAR, the administrative operating budget for OAR, IACUC Administrative and Operating Costs and the purchase and annual support of Key Solutions.