Basic Documentation

Laboratory Ventilation Codes and Standards
Siemens Industry, Inc. 108
Topic Requirement(s) Commentary
Animal
Rooms Room
Temperature
and Humidity
Institute of Laboratory Animal Research, Commission on Life Sciences, National
Research Council, Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, Eight
Edition, 2011:
Page 43: The ambient temperature range in which thermoregulation occurs without
the need to increase metabolic heat production or activate evaporative heat loss
mechanisms is called the thermoneutral zone (TNZ) and is bounded by the lower and
upper critical temperatures (UCT & LCT). To maintain body temperature under a
given environmental temperature animals adjust physiologically (including their
metabolism) and behaviorally (including their activity level and resource use). For
example, the TNZ of mice ranges between 26°C and 34°C. At lower temperatures,
building nests and huddling for resting and sleeping allow them to thermoregulate by
behaviorally controlling their microclimate. Although mice choose temperatures below
their LCT of 26°C during activity periods, they strongly prefer temperatures above
their LCT for maintenance and resting behaviors. Similar LCT values are found in the
literature for other rodents, varying between 26-30°C for rats and 28-32°C for gerbils.
The LCT’s of rabbits and cats and dogs (20-25°C) are slightly lower, while those of
nonhuman primates and farm animals vary depending on the species. In general, dry-
bulb temperatures in animal rooms should be set below the animals’ LCT to avoid
heat stress. This, in turn, means that animals should be provided with adequate
resources for thermoregulation (nesting material, shelter) to avoid cold stress.
Adequate resources for thermoregulation are particularly important for newborn
animals whose LCT is normally considerably higher than that of their adult
conspecifics.
TABLE 3.1: Recommended Dry-Bulb Macroenvironmental Temperatures for
Common Laboratory Animals
Mouse, rat, hamster, gerbil, guinea pig 20-26
0
C 68-79ºF
Rabbit 16-22
0
C 61-72ºF
Cat, dog, nonhuman primate 18-29
0
C 64-84ºF
Farm animals and poultry 16-27
0
C 61-81ºF
Relative humidity should also be controlled, but not nearly as narrowly as
temperature for many mammals; the acceptable range of relative humidity is
considered to be 30% to 70% for most mammalian species. Micro
environmental
relative humidity may
be of greater importance for animals housed in a primary
enclosure in which the environmental conditions differ greatly from those of the
macroenvironment (e.g., in static filter-top [isolator] cages).
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