{"id":2177,"date":"2018-12-20T23:44:29","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T15:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apcf-infosite-dev.hkust.edu.hk\/?page_id=2177"},"modified":"2026-04-17T10:12:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T02:12:22","slug":"animal-husbandry-and-caring","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/apcf-infosite.hkust.edu.hk\/?page_id=2177","title":{"rendered":"Animal Husbandry and Care"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\na {<br \/>\n    text-decoration: none;<br \/>\n    color: #464feb;<br \/>\n}<br \/>\ntr th, tr td {<br \/>\n    border: 1px solid #e6e6e6;<br \/>\n}<br \/>\ntr th {<br \/>\n    background-color: #f5f5f5;<br \/>\n}<br \/>\n<\/style>\n<div>\n<h2>Animal Husbandry and Care<\/h2>\n<p>The Laboratory Animal Facility (LAF) maintains dedicated animal holding facilities for <strong>mice, rats, and rabbits<\/strong>. For mice, both <strong>individually ventilated cages (IVCs)<\/strong> and <strong>static micro\u2011isolator cages<\/strong> are available. When choosing a cage type, users should consider factors such as <strong>biosecurity requirements<\/strong> and <strong>allergen control<\/strong>. LAF is available to provide guidance on cage selection, and requests for animal holding space should be initiated through submission of the <a href=\"https:\/\/apcf-infosite.hkust.edu.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/LAF-Cage-Space-Application-Form-2025-04-08.pdf\">LAF Cage Space Application Form<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Animal Holding Environment<\/h2>\n<p>All animal holding rooms are programmed with appropriate <strong>light\u2013dark cycles<\/strong> to support normal circadian rhythms. <strong>Light intensity and room temperature<\/strong> are carefully regulated to meet the animals\u2019 physiological needs while also ensuring the comfort and occupational safety of animal care staff.<\/p>\n<p>IVC systems are routinely monitored and maintained to ensure <strong>adequate ventilation for animal well\u2011being<\/strong> and <strong>appropriate pressure differentials<\/strong> for effective biosecurity control.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Husbandry Practices<\/h2>\n<p>Cages are cleaned on a scheduled basis and as needed to maintain hygienic housing conditions. Animals are provided with <strong>clean drinking water<\/strong>, <strong>species\u2011appropriate diets<\/strong>, and a range of <strong>environmental enrichment items<\/strong> to support natural behaviours and overall welfare.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Animal Care and Health Monitoring<\/h2>\n<p>All animals are <strong>checked daily<\/strong> to ensure timely replenishment of food and water and to facilitate early identification of any health concerns.<\/p>\n<p>Should unexpected health issues arise, users will be <strong>promptly notified<\/strong>. LAF veterinary staff will assess the condition of the affected animals as necessary and work with users to determine appropriate follow\u2011up actions. <strong>Treatment and specialized care<\/strong> may be provided upon request, where appropriate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Animal Husbandry and Care The Laboratory Animal Facility (LAF) maintains dedicated animal holding facilities for mice, rats, and rabbits. For mice, both individually ventilated cages (IVCs) and static micro\u2011isolator cages are available. When choosing a cage type, users should consider factors such as biosecurity requirements and allergen control. LAF is available to provide guidance on &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/apcf-infosite.hkust.edu.hk\/?page_id=2177\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Animal Husbandry and Care&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apcf-infosite.hkust.edu.hk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2177"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apcf-infosite.hkust.edu.hk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apcf-infosite.hkust.edu.hk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apcf-infosite.hkust.edu.hk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apcf-infosite.hkust.edu.hk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2177"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/apcf-infosite.hkust.edu.hk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3890,"href":"https:\/\/apcf-infosite.hkust.edu.hk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2177\/revisions\/3890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apcf-infosite.hkust.edu.hk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}