Donations, Use of Toilet Paper Rolls and Other Cardboard Tubes to Be Discontinued

A joint decision by both ULAM Faculty Veterinarians and the ULAM Husbandry Leadership Team was recently made to discontinue use of all donated toilet paper rolls and other cardboard tubes. This means that donations will no longer be accepted for use in animal facilities.

Although these enrichment items were popular with many groups on campus, their unknown origins pose logistical issues and potential risks that our animal care and use staff cannot continually manage.
 
The ULAM Husbandry Team will begin removing all donation collection boxes from our facilities later this week,
with the goal of having all boxes removed by mid-April.
 
If your lab is interested in continuing to use cardboard tubes, we have identified several commercial vendors that offer similar products available for purchase.

We also want to hear from you!

If you or your colleagues have suggestions for new and/or alternative approaches to animal enrichment, our Animal Enrichment Committee would love to partner with you to explore these ideas.

To learn more about our animal enrichment efforts, including how you and your lab can get involved, please visit the Refinement & Enrichment Advancements Laboratory (REAL) webpage, or contact REAL Director Tara Martin, DVM, at taramar@umich.edu.