Placement of Food on Cage Floor for Neonatal and Impaired Rodent
Number: IACUC-POL-039
Responsible Office: Office of Research and Creative Scholarship (ORCS)
Applies to: All IACUC-approved animal research and teaching protocols involving rodents
1. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to establish institutional standards for the placement of food on the cage floor for neonatal, impaired, or otherwise vulnerable rodents when standard feeder-based feeding methods do not adequately support animal welfare. This policy is based on an approved Exception to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (EX-G-001) and provides consistent guidance to Principal Investigators (PIs), and animal care staff.
2. Background
The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals recommends that food be provided in a manner that minimizes contamination by urine and feces while supporting animal health and well-being. Standard practice typically involves the use of elevated hoppers or feeders. However, the Guide also allows flexibility to accommodate species-specific, developmental, or health-related needs when standard practices are not appropriate.
Certain rodent populations—including neonates, post-operative animals, geriatric animals, and animals with illness or mobility impairments—may be unable to reliably access food from elevated feeders. Additionally, some housing systems, such as multi-animal housing playpens, do not accommodate hopper-based feeding systems. In these circumstances, placement of food on the cage floor is necessary to ensure adequate nutrition and animal welfare.
3. Policy Statement
The University permits placement of food directly on the cage floor for specific rodent populations when justified to support animal welfare and approved through institutional oversight mechanisms. This policy is implemented under the authority of IACUC-approved Exception to the Guide EX-G-001.
This policy applies to:
- Neonatal rodents and newly weaned animals
- Rodents that are ill, post-operative, geriatric, or otherwise impaired due to illness or experimental procedures
- Rodent species of appropriate size housed in multi-animal housing playpens that cannot accommodate feeder or hopper systems
4. Conditions for Floor Feeding
Floor placement of food is permitted under the following conditions:
- Food access via standard elevated feeders is impractical or insufficient to meet the animals’ nutritional needs.
- The practice is either: Described and justified in an IACUC-approved Animal Care and Use Protocol (ACUP), or implemented temporarily at the direction of the Laboratory Animal Resources Manager, Attending Veterinarian (AV), animal care staff or as a welfare-based intervention.
5. Animal Welfare and Husbandry Requirements
To minimize potential risks associated with floor feeding, the following requirements apply:
- Monitoring: Animals will be observed daily during routine husbandry and health checks to confirm adequate food intake and assess body condition and overall health.
- Food Quality: Food placed on the cage floor must be examined daily and refreshed as needed to prevent gross contamination with urine or feces.
- Sanitation: Food bowls used in multi-animal housing playpens must be replaced or sanitized on a bi-weekly basis.
- Veterinary Oversight: AV will provide oversight and must be consulted for animals that are ill, post-operative, geriatric, or otherwise impaired.
- Intervention: Animals exhibiting poor food intake, weight loss, delayed recovery, or signs of distress must be promptly evaluated, and corrective actions implemented as directed by AV.
6. References
- Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, 8th Edition. National Research Council. Chapter 3, Environment, Housing, and Management, pp. 56, 65.
- Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations, 9 CFR, Chapter 1, Subchapter A.
- Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
- Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Exception to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, EX-G-001 (Approved 8/14/2012; Revised 2/13/2024; Consolidated 1/26/2026).
- AAALAC International. Frequently Asked Questions and Reference Resources related to animal husbandry flexibility.
7. Review, Approval and Version History
|
Version |
Date |
Description of Changes |
Approved By |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1.0 |
February 10, 2026 |
Initial policy creation |
IACUC Committee |