Download Housing of Social Species

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
Housing of Social Species
The Guide (8th, edition, 2011) states that social animals should be housed in groups or at least in
pairs of compatible individuals unless they have to be housed alone for experimental reasons or
because of social incompatibility. It is understood that research objectives, the health condition of
the individual animals, and/or the challenges associated with the social behavior of some species,
strains, and/or sex of the animals may preclude social housing, In general, however, pair or group
housing is recommended for social species (see AAALAC International’s Position Statement on
Social Housing, http://www.aaalac.org/accreditation/positionstatements.cfm#social).
It is therefore the policy of the NUS IACUC that social species must be socially housed
except for the following reasons:
1
2
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5
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8
Temporarily after surgery. The length of stay in single housing will be determined by a
CM veterinarian, but could be up to 21 days.
Pregnant females
Breeder males between matings
Remaining animal due to attrition or their cage mates have already been used
Aggressor in a group causing injury to other animal(s)
Social incompatibility
Male rabbits
Veterinary concern as determined by a CM veterinarian
Animals that must be singly housed shall be offered appropriate environmental enrichment.
Other than for reasons above, requests for single housing of social species must be reviewed and
approved by the IACUC on a case by case basis. Such requests should be made by the Principal
Investigator and must include scientific justification, the duration of single housing, and plans for
visual, auditory, olfactory and, if appropriate, protected tactile contact with compatible conspecifics
or the reason that this is not possible.
References
Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (NRC, 8th Edition, 2011, p.64)
Guidelines on the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Research (NACLAR,
2004, P.12)
Last updated: 21 September 2016