Animal Orders

How to order animals

All animals are purchased through the SAP system. Animal procurement order (ANPO) guidelines are found here. Orders with issues of any kind (lack of availability or space, incorrect billing information, etc.) will be scheduled for two weeks later. If delivery is delayed, the shopping cart initiator and the investigator will be informed by email as soon as possible. For inquiries regarding animal orders, contact 410-955-3713.

All animal research must be approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC). To assure this, investigators are asked to provide the approved ACUC protocol number any time they create ANPO shopping carts in the SAP system. The animal ordering team will validate all protocols for each animal shopping cart. Animal shopping carts with invalid, expired protocols and/or with unauthorized number of animals will not be processed, and the investigator will be contacted by the animal ordering team. Once the approved number of animals has been debited from the protocol, the protocol must be amended by the investigator to request additional animals.

Occasionally an investigator wishes to receive animals from private sources or purchased through another institution. These may only be received if the investigator notifies the rodent import coordinator to obtain health status, determine if quarantine or testing is required, and to confirm housing availability.

Animals are delivered to Johns Hopkins at a central receiving dock. After arriving, animals are checked for accuracy and condition and then delivered by RAR staff to the proper animal housing facility. Any animals arriving without an Animal Resources purchase order number will not be delivered, and the investigator will be contacted by the animal ordering team.

Sources of research animals

Most animals used in this institution are purchased from commercial suppliers and dealers. No animal may enter any Johns Hopkins animal facility except through Research Animal Resources.

Rodents

Rodents purchased from JHU-approved vendors may be brought directly into JHU rodent colonies, which are maintained free from a wide variety of rodent pathogens. Rodents acquired from non-approved vendors or other institutions must be brought in through rodent quarantine, where they are assessed for excluded pathogens.  Further information on rodent import and quarantine can be found here.   Current list of JHU-approved rodent vendors:

• Charles River Laboratories
• Envigo
• Hilltop
• Jackson Laboratories
• NIA
• Taconic
• MMRRC Missouri
• MMRRC UNC Chapel Hill

Non-Human Primates

A small number of rhesus macaques, pigtail macaques, and common marmosets are raised within this institution to sell to for research use. Many NHPs are also available from commercial importers and breeders. All primates from outside sources must undergo a quarantine period usually lasting a minimum of 6 weeks. Quarantine space is allocated on a first come, first served basis. For questions on bringing in primates from outside sources, or to purchase JHU-bred NHPs, please contact [email protected].

Other Research Animals

Other larger animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, and farm animals are available commercially from a small number of sources. Special request orders, such as pregnant sheep or goats, must be placed well in advance and may have seasonal availability. For procurement of non-traditional small animal species (e.g., birds, reptiles), please email [email protected].

Investigators must obtain an Animal Resources LABEL from the RAR Business Office, which authorizes RAR to automatically transfer funds from a university budget to cover the cost of animal care and services.  Investigators will be asked to supply RAR with an account number (IO).  Current ACUC protocols must be on file before an account can be opened. 

LABELS are set up based on the investigators’ current and valid JHU Internal Order (IO).   

Please see attached charge authorization form when requesting a new LABEL or changing an account (IO).   

Please contact the RAR Business Office at 410-955-3713 for additional information.

Importing rodents from other institutions

All animals, except those from the production colonies of several large RAR-approved US vendors, must go through import and quarantine procedures regardless of their final location at JHU. Colony health reports from the sending institution are reviewed by a veterinarian and must meet JHU health requirements. For further information on rodent quarantine, see below. 

Researchers require an approved ACUC protocol in order to import animals. Please refer to the ACUC for more information.  

To start the import process, please submit the animal import form to the RAR shipping coordinator, Steve Simpson [email protected]. 

Rodent quarantine

• All rodents from other institutions (other than from RAR-approved vendors) must be quarantined and tested to ensure that pathogens are not introduced to JHU rodent colonies. All quarantined animals are treated with topical selamectin for ectoparasites upon arrival and are fed a diet containing fenbendazole to eliminate pinworms. The quarantine process also involves a series of tests for JHU-excluded viral, bacterial, and parasitic organisms. If the animals are infected with excluded organisms, they will not be released from quarantine.  There may be options to eliminate the infection, depending on the organisms involved.  
• Depending on the risk of contamination of the quarantined animals to JHU colonies, animals are typically released from quarantine 4-10 weeks after arrival.  
• Access to quarantine is restricted to RAR staff only. Upon request, RAR can provide many services while animals are in quarantine, including tagging, collection of samples for genotyping and simple procedures per protocol.  All services are on a fee-for-service basis. 
• Fees for quarantine are based on administrative and technical time plus diagnostic tests. 

For further information on rodent imports, current fees, and quarantine, please contact Steve Simpson at [email protected] or 410-502-2537. 

To export rodents to another institution, please submit a request for export to the RAR shipping coordinator, Steve Simpson, at [email protected] or 410-502-2537.  We will then be in contact with the receiving institution regarding health certificates/reports. Once we have approval from the receiving institution, we will contact you with further instructions.  

The lab exporting the rodents is responsible for packing the animals and delivering them to the loading dock on the day of shipment. Detailed instructions on the export and packing process will be provided by the shipping coordinator.  

Please note that international rodent exports are complicated and time-sensitive. Please contact the shipping coordinator well in advance if you are planning an international rodent export.   

Charges for exporting research rodents are borne by the investigator. They consist of a small administrative fee plus actual costs incurred in the exportation process, which include preparation of shipping materials and veterinary review of the animals. In some cases, the receiving institution requires additional laboratory tests from the animals prior to shipment, and the costs for these are either borne by the exporting PI or the receiving institution.  If additional testing is required, the exporting PI will also be charged for technician time to collect the samples.