TABLE 4.

Animal Housing and Handling at NIAID-supported Institutions

Sub-topics	Rodents (IU)	Minipig (AFRRI)	NHP (SRI/CRL)
Social housing/interaction, enrichment strategies	Housing: group housing.Enrichment: nesting materials	Housing: single housing. Enrichment: food, species/strain, age, gender, animal-specific. Toys, challenging, time-consuming; no sharp objects
Biological variables	Macro environment (Air, humidity, temperature, lighting, noise, vibration, etc.) Facility design, Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals Interaction with staff
	Good knowledge of animal behavior (recognize and report abnormal behaviors) Acclimation to procedures
	Bedding: estrogen-free, paper, non-scented, low-dust	Bedding: towels, blankets, heating pads for inactive, sick animals
Sex and age	Housing, temperature, feeding depend on age, gender, weight Separation by sex
Animal transport	Sensitive to transport and temperature changes	Sedated at the time of transport	Acclimation necessary