Shipping Policy
The shipping company (courier) is selected by the receiving institution. Upon transfer from the RRRC, animals become the responsibility of the shipper and any issues that arise during the shipping process are between the receiving institution and their chosen courier. Should shipping delays occur, it is the responsibility of the receiving institution to work with the courier to ensure successful shipment. The RRRC cannot be held responsible for loss of animals or health problems that occur once custody of the animals is assumed by the shipper.
If delays occur in shipping, the RRRC can work with the client and shipper to assist in determining an optimal solution. This may include, but is not limited to, having the shipper identify a local source to maintain animals in a temperature controlled environment, checking animal health and supplementing food and water. In cases where extended delay is inevitable, euthanasia may be required. In these situations, the RRRC will determine accessibility of replacement animals, but additional costs to the client (or shipper) will be incurred. Return of animals to the RRRC is not a viable option.
List of Courier Services



Weather and Shipping
The welfare of the animals is of utmost importance and as we head into the summer months, inclement weather and excessive heat will delay/prevent shipments of live animals. Be aware that hot temperatures between June and mid-September may negatively impact the ability of couriers to safely ship animals so please plan your live animal orders accordingly.
In Need of a New Rat Model?
Need a new rat model? The RRRC in conjunction with the MU Animal Modeling Core (AMC) can assist with the generation of transgenic rats, create knock-out and knock-in rats using CRISPR/Cas9 technology and genetically manipulate rat embryonic stem cells to make chimeric animals. Contact us to discuss your rat model needs and how we can help.
Laboratory Animal Genetic Reporting (LAG-R) Guidelines Published
The LAG-R framework (Laboratory Animal Genetic Reporting) is a set of guidelines to support more complete documentation of the genetic make-up of animals of all species that are used in research, with the aim of bolstering reproducibility, reliability, and overall scientific rigor. See Nature Communications (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49439-y).
GRCr8: A new rat reference assembly is now available.
GRCr8 (GenBank NCBI # GCA_036323735.1) is the latest version of the rat reference genome assembly. See the Genome Reference Consortium (GRC) blog for more details.