Surgical procedures on non-mammalian aquatic species may be performed in animal rooms as long as the anesthesia and recovery tanks do not share or recirculate water to the housing tanks.
For most survival surgery performed on rodents and birds, an animal procedure laboratory is recommended; the space should be dedicated to surgery and related activities when used for this purpose and managed to minimize contamination from other activities conducted in the room at other times.
In general, rodent and bird surgeries should be performed outside of housing facilities; however, there are select situations in which it may be appropriate to conduct surgery in an area where animals are housed:
- Procedures performed on animals that have been exposed to hazards and are being maintained in safety containment areas (e.g. ABSL-2 housing areas and higher) in order to ensure containment of the hazard;
- Procedures performed on animals that have specific health statuses that require maintenance in dedicated facilities (e.g. nude mice);
- And certain locations that have incomplete enclosures but still provide proper separation of the animal housing area and the surgical activity (e.g. NCRC B26 363C); animals are additionally housed in ventilated rack systems to prevent exposure to pheromones.
Other situations may be reviewed and approved by the Attending Veterinarian or their designee and the IACUC on a case-by-case basis.
