Animal Welfare
The INF adheres to the Australian code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes to ensure the humane care of animals used for scientific purposes.
All phenotyping tests undertaken at the INF require the prior approval of a recognised Animal Ethics Committee before the commencement of testing.
Contact us to discuss the animal ethics position of your project.
Preliminary Observations : Health and well-being of rodents
Habituation
When rodents are received into the INF for testing, they are allowed a habituation period of a minimum of 5 days. During this period, general observations are made as to their health and appearance. Any abnormal observations may be indicative of problems during transportation, disease or may be related to the phenotype. Such problems or abnormalities may require a modification of the testing protocol, and will be discussed with the client.
Weight
Rodents are weighed daily, initially to determine they are within the weight range for their age, and subsequently to monitor them for weight loss/gain. This continues throughout the testing process.
General observations
A trained observer monitors the rodents daily for coat condition, pilorection, food and water consumption, and any overt signs of clinical disease.
Number of Animals
For behavioural testing, a minimum of 8 control and 8 test animals is required. Unless gender and behaviour is specifically being studied, male animals are preferred.
General Guidelines
Animals can be moved into the INF only after AEC approval has been granted. Movement of mice, rats and personnel into the INF is subject to animal health regulations at HFI, including requirements for recent health records before animals are transferred to the facility. The INF can accept rodents from within the HFI without quarantine. Rodents from all other organisations must go through quarantine before being housed in the INF. No rodent will enter the facility before all of the animal health requirements are met.
The INF Manager maintains a schedule of experiment times which determine accessibility to the INF. However, access is granted only after AEC approval of an investigator's protocol.
|
