Animal Orders and Transfers
Ordering Process
Animal Transfers (moving animals) within USC facilities
Animal Transfers to and from non–USC, non–commercial facilities (imports/exports)
Exports
Imports
Mouse Quarantine
Ordering Process
The Animal Resources Animal Purchase/ Per Diem Request form must be completed and delivered or faxed to the Animal Resources Business Office at (323) 442–3349 at least seven working days before the desired delivery date. Be sure to include your account and protocol, which must be established before any animal order.All forms not completely filled out will not be accepted by our office. Any form left without validation may be returned for missing information. Please keep your copy for reference when contacting the business office.
Every effort is made to accommodate your project but any special requests or orders requiring air shipment will be at an additional cost to you. Some freight shipments cannot be accommodated in the colder winter or warmer summer months. Plan ahead for assured delivery in time for your project.
The normal arrival dates for orders are Tuesday and Thursday. No animals are received on Monday or Friday and any animal order for Wednesday may contain an additional charge for freight and handling. Check with the Business Office if you have questions regarding the normal dates of shipments.
The husbandry staff will notify the designated office when the animals are housed and ready for inspection. Make sure the phone number specified on the order form is the number you wish to be used for notification. Always use your order number as the reference when contacting the Animal Resources offices for information and any amendments to your order must be in writing.
Please Note: Animals are subject to availability from vendors and no guarantees are written or implied regarding quantity or quality unless specified by the vendor. Animal Resources is not liable for the condition of any order. Special consideration should be given during holidays. Unforeseen circumstances that may arise could complicate ordering lead times and costs. Every effort will be made to accommodate special requirements and may be subject to additional costs or fees. Some vendors charge a minimum order fee or shipping fee for small purchases.
Animal Transfers (moving animals) within USC facilities
To request a transfer of an animal from a) one USC Principal Investigator (PI) to another; b) one facility to another within USC; or c) one USC IACUC approved protocol to another, please do the following:Step 1: Obtain from the DAR Business Office, complete, and submit an Animal Transfer Request Form A (signature required).
Requests for transfers must be submitted at least 48 hours in advance of the transfer date/time and may be subject to a service charge for animal transfers (e.g. for technician time for an animal transfer between campuses).
Step 2: Allow 48 hours for the transfer to be arranged.
An attending veterinarian must approve this request in order to initiate the transfer. DAR technical staff may contact the transfer requestor, if necessary, to collect information for animal transfers.
Animal Transfers to and from non–USC, non–commercial facilities (imports/exports)
In order to transfer animals (primarily rodents, but this process may be applied to all laboratory animals) to or from a non–USC, non–commercial facility, please do the following:Step 1: Obtain from the DAR Business Office, complete, and submit to the DAR shipping coordinator, an Animal Transfer Request Form C (signature required).
A member of the veterinary staff will then contact the receiving institution for an exchange of the necessary information.
Step 2: Wait to be contacted by the shipping coordinator for further instructions.
Upon receipt of written approval from an attending veterinarian, or shipping coordinator, from the receiving institution, a DAR veterinarian will approve the transfer. After approval has been received, the (USC) shipping coordinator will contact and make arrangements with the USC PI and receiving institution to transfer the animals.
Step 3: Prepare the animals for export.
For rodent exports, it is the responsibility of the PI to pack, clearly mark, and move animals to the DAR receiving area (currently ZNI B104) by 10 a.m. on the day of shipping. Questions regarding rodent packing procedures should be directed to the HSC animal husbandry Supervisor. All charges will be made to the USC PI unless prior arrangements have been made with the DAR Business Office. Allow at least 2 weeks for proper authorization of the export and arrangements for the transfer to be made.
ImportsStep 1: Obtain from the DAR Business Office, complete, and submit to the DAR shipping coordinator, an Animal Transfer Request Form B (signature required).
A member of the veterinary staff will then contact the sending institution for an exchange of the necessary information.
Step 2: Wait to be contacted with shipping information received upon arrival of the animals and placement into quarantine (see quarantine information below).If you have not been contacted in a reasonable amount of time (1-2 weeks), contact the DAR shipping coordinator to check on the status of your import request.
Mouse Quarantine
All mice transferred to USC are subject to a 6 week quarantine period. The quarantine room is open for a short time during the first 2 weeks of each month. A quarantine calendar with information regarding open dates, treatments, and testing and release dates is available and updated regularly.
Information on quarantine standard operating procedures, including treatments and diagnostic testing, is available for review.
During quarantine, the PI and PI's staff are not allowed into the quarantine room for any reason without permission from a DAR veterinarian. PIs are allowed to request a transfer of mice out of quarantine before the end of the quarantine period only for transport to the PI's laboratory to be used immediately for terminal procedures. Rodents are not allowed back into the quarantine room once they have been removed. Any pairing (breeding) requests from the PI should be worked out with the technician or veterinarian (the animal care technician or veterinarian will place together the breeding pairs designated by the PI). Colony animals can be transferred to the quarantine room for breeding with newly imported animals only during the open quarantine period for that group (requires an Animal Transfer Form A). PIs are responsible for all costs of the import which may include shipping costs, quarantine fees and any special services required. Please contact the DAR Business Office for a current estimate of rodent import and quarantine costs.