Take Special Precautions When Transporting Animals in Extreme Temperatures

Ensuring the overall integrity and well-being of animals in transport is essential to maintaining animal welfare and minimizing the effects of environmental variables on your research. In addition to avoiding exposure to potential pathogens and preventing injury, it is especially important to maintain the animal’s health status by reducing external stressors such as temperature extremes, odors, and excessive noise. While caging will insulate animals, exposure to extreme ambient temperatures can have many adverse effects.

As such, the following special precautions should be taken when
temperatures fall below 40°F (4.4°C) or rise above 85°F (29.4°C): 

• All USDA-regulated species must be transported via ULAM Truck Services
• Non-USDA-regulated species should utilize ULAM Truck Services whenever possible
• If your laboratory must transport animals due to special circumstances, you must:
  • Conduct transport between nearby buildings only;
  • Place all cages in a secondary container; and
  • Provide an appropriate form of insulation, either through the use of insulated containers or materials
    such as hot packs, boot warmers, or sleeping bags

ULAM Truck Services can be used for transferring animals between buildings, delivering animals received at the ULAM Dock to other locations across campus, and pickup of animals shipped to Detroit Metro Airport.
 
Additional information about transporting animals, including species-specific transport instructions and ways to minimize environmental stressors to maintain animal health status are available in the Procedures for Animal Transportation.
 
Questions or concerns pertaining to proper animal transport should be directed to your ULAM Faculty Veterinarian.