Nonstandard Vendor Export FAQ

NON-STANDARD VENDOR FORM

Where do I get a Non-Standard Vendor Export Form?

The NSV-E form may be found at Nonstandard Vendor Export, or may be picked up from the ARC Office, SOM, TB03A.

I would like to send animals to a collaborator at another institution. How do I begin the process?

Complete and submit the Nonstandard Vendor EXPORT form (NSV-E) to the ARC office or the veterinary technician assigned to Quality Assurance.

What do I need to know about international shipments?

You will need to satisfy the importation requirements of the country to which you are shipping animals. These can vary from country to country. Ask your collaborator to provide this information.

For international shipments an ARC Veterinarian must physically observe the animals to be shipped within 7 days of shipment and will provide a health certificate which should be affixed to the outside of the shipping container.

What information do I need to provide?

Complete the portions of the NSV-E form bordered with heavy black in the SOURCE INFORMATION and PACKING INFORMATION sections.

SOURCE INFORMATION PROTOCOL INFORMATION

PACKING INFORMATION

Indicate whether the mice to be sent are currently housed in microisolators or conventionally. Indicate the number of separate compartments needed. Adult males should not be combined from separate cages as fighting may occur during shipment. Males and females housed together may breed during shipment. Specify any special bedding, food and water sources if required during shipment. Indicate whether you (or a designee) wish to be present during the packing process.

What information should my collaborator provide?

Complete the portions of the NSV-E form bordered with heavy black in the RECIPIENT INFORMATION and SHIPPING BILLING INFORMATION sections.

RECIPIENT INFORMATION

SHIPPING ADDRESS

What information will the ARC provide?

The Animal Resource Center will establish contact with the receiving animal facility and send the most recent health status report for the room housing the mice you wish to send. The ARC also provides information about standard husbandry and barrier information pertaining to your mouse colony. The receiving animal facility may require additional information on colony husbandry and barrier practices, or may require additional testing prior to shipment approval. If additional diagnostic testing is required, incurred charges will be billed to your account.

What information should the sending animal facility provide?

SHIPPING ADDRESS
Address:
City: State: Zip:
Country (if not US):
ATTN:
Estimated Date of Shipping:

The correct shipping address is the Receiving Department of the Animal Facility, NOT your collaborator's laboratory or office address. The shipment may not proceed until confirmation of approval to receive animals is received from the recipient animal facility. The animal facility generally specifies the shipping address.

How will I know when the shipment is approved?

The receiving animal facility will notify the ARC when the shipment has been approved. The ARC will in turn notify you.

How do I ship my animals?

You may choose to ship your animals yourself or contract with the ARC to perform this service for you. The ARC Veterinary Technician assigned to Quality Assurance coordinates the shipping process.

What shipping company should I use?

The Animal Resource Center does not recommend a specific shipping provider. The following companies provide animal transportation services:

World Courier 1-800-221-6600
Burlington Express 1-800-225-5229
Emery Worldwide 1-800-443-6379

How do I prepare my shipping crate?

You may obtain a used Taconic shipping crate, if available, from the ARC, or purchase a shipping crate from Zivic Miller using an ARC Requisition. Please specify the number of compartments you require. The shipping crate should be assembled with bedding and autoclavable food (if used) and autoclaved at 125o C for 20 minutes. The ARC can be contracted to prepare your shipping crates.

What happens on the day of shipment?

You (or the ARC) will make arrangements with your shipping provider for a pick-up location and time.

You (or the ARC) will transfer your animals into the shipping crate (using proper microisolator technique if appropriate), add irradiated feed and a source of water (water transport pack--required for international shipments, or quartered raw potato). Seal the shipping container securely and attach the recipient's address, any pertinent identification information for the animals and a hard copy of the health status report. It is recommended that someone remain with the animals to confirm pickup.

NOTE: To prevent thermal injury to your animals, some shipping companies will refuse to transport animals when the temperature in Cleveland or the destination site is lower than 45oF or greater than 80oF. It is helpful to track weather reports in the summer and winter when selecting a date of shipment.

How much will this cost me?

For animals shipped out by the ARC the costs are as follows:

Administrative fee: $50.00
Technical time for assembly of shipment $30.00/hour
Shipping dividers (if used) 4.06@
Napa Nectar water source 2.50@
Transport Costs Billed directly to you or your collaborator's account

I want to transfer animals to another investigator at CWRU. What do I do?

The IACUC and ARC must be notified in advance of all animal transfers. As with any animal order, your collaborator must have an approved and activated IACUC protocol prior to receiving animals. Rodent housing rooms within the ARC have differing health statuses. Rodents may be transferred from a room with fewer pathogens to a room with equivalent or more pathogens, but not vice versa. Please contact the ARC prior to transferring animals to prevent unintentional disease transfer. Don't forget to change the PI Name, Protocol number and Contact Telephone number on the cage cards of all animals transferred. Mark the number of cages transferred off your own inventory sheet of your collaborator and onto your collaborator's inventory sheet. If your collaborator does not have an inventory sheet or an animal housing room, request that s/he contact the ARC with his/her account number for housing charges.