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  3. Animal Research
  4. Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
  5. IACUC Approved Policies
  6. Satellite Housing in Investigator Laboratories
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    Satellite Housing in Investigator Laboratories

    Purpose

    To ensure the safety of UConn Health personnel and laboratory animals, the IACUC has established a policy governing the satellite housing of animals outside the main CCM animal facility. This policy applies to protocols that have approval for the housing of animals in a principal investigator’s laboratory for more than 12 hours for USDA-regulated species, or more than 24 hours for non-USDA-regulated species.

    Policy

    1. Animals must be transported according to IACUC Policy on Animal Transport to and from PI Laboratories.
    2. Animals must be housed only in laboratory rooms approved under the Principal Investigator’s (PI’s) Animal Care and Use Protocol. If animals are kept unsupervised in the PI’s laboratory, all laboratory doors must remain closed and secure.

      When animals are housed in the laboratory for more than 12 hours (USDA-regulated species) or more than 24 hours (non–USDA-regulated species), a log documenting daily observations, temperature, and humidity must be maintained. The Center for Comparative Medicine (CCM) will provide a standardized template for required daily animal checks, which must be completed each day.

      • The housing of animals outside the above specified hours must be approved on a case-by-case basis, requiring scientific and/or medical justification and requires prior approval by the IACUC.
      • Light must be maintained on a 12:12 light-dark cycle;
      • An active cage card must be on the primary enclosure of animals at all times and must contain all the required information;
      • Feed, bedding, water bottle and cages can be obtained from the CCM animal facility and should be changed weekly. Husbandry practices should be followed as if they are housed in animal facility;
      • Soiled empty cages are to be brought back to the animal facility and placed on the appropriate rack;
      • The facility must be accessible for CCM animal care/IACUC staff at all times.
      • For guidance on returning animals to the CCM facility regular housing, please refer to the CCM guideline.
    3. Animals involved with experiments that use hazardous materials or organisms which are required to be housed in the PI laboratory are to be removed from CCM facilities, transported to, and held in the PI laboratory in accordance with additional specific instructions in the safety protocol governing the hazardous work approved by the Biosafety Program and the Environmental Health and Safety and the IACUC.
    4. Animal caging (with or without animals) must be placed only in dedicated approved spaces and may NOT be placed, unsupervised, in the hallways or on the floor.

    Effective Dates:            June 4, 2026 through June 30, 2029

    This policy has been approved by a majority vote of the IACUC members.