National Institute on Aging > Research > Scientific Resources > Aged Rodent Colonies Handbook
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Ordering Instructions

  • All orders for NIA rodents must be placed through the NIA ONLY and all inquiries about the status of orders must be directed to the NIA. Orders must be submitted through the online rodent ordering system (ROS) (http://arc.niapublications.org/acb/stores/1/). Complete orders received by NIA no later than Noon Tuesday ET can usually expect next week delivery, dependent on availability.
  • Due to limited availability, we currently cannot fill orders from customers who do not hold active NIH funding regardless of whether they have ordered from the NIA colonies in the past. Click here for the new policy on eligibility to use the NIA aged rodent colonies.
  • Payment can be by Purchase Order, an institutional blanket Purchase Order to the contractor, Mastercard or VISA. Invoices are sent after the animals are shipped – there is no pre-payment of orders.
  • The purchase order (P.O.) should be made out to the contract facility. Invoices are sent by the contractor providing the animals and payment is to be made to the contractor’s standard billing address:
    • Harlan Sprague Dawley, 3565 Paysphere Circle, Chicago IL 60674
    • Taconic Farms, Inc., Accounting Department, 273 Hover Ave., Germantown NY 12526
    • Charles River Laboratories, Inc., GPO Box 27812, New York, NY 10087-7812
  • By accepting delivery of the animals, you are accepting these terms. NIA can refuse to take orders from customers with outstanding invoices. Payment is in United States Dollars only.
  •  Due to the volume of business handled by the Order Desk, it is imperative that submitted order forms be completely and correctly filled out (all fields completed). Incomplete order forms will be returned. We can only offer following week delivery for those orders for which completed order forms are received by the deadline of Tuesday noon, Eastern time. Project title, funding source and grant number are required. Failure to provide all required information may result in delays in the filling of orders.
  • No changes to orders will be allowed after the order has been processed. If a customer wants to change an order, the order must be cancelled by 10 AM the Thursday before the delivery date, and a new order can be resubmitted for the next deadline.
  • Animals are sold by age, not weight, and ages are stated in 1 month intervals only; all animals born within a calendar month are considered to be the same age, so date of birth (DOB) is given as month/year. Unless retired breeders are expressly stated when ordering F344 males, virgin animals will be shipped.
  • Acknowledgements of orders are automatically emailed to the contact person for review. If you do not receive an acknowledgement when you submit an order through the ROS, contact the order desk as your order may not have been received. The investigator/purchaser will be responsible for incorrectly placed orders that are not corrected. We will email or phone the contact person if there is any difficulty filling the order.
  • After the order has been submitted to the contractor, the contractor's customer service representative will correspond if necessary on issues of availability, mortality or changes to shipping routes.
  • Cancellation of orders must be made no later than 10 AM Eastern Time the Thursday before the delivery date.
  • Veterans Affairs customers that bill to a VA must be approved every fiscal year by the Office of the Veterans Affairs, Chief, Veterinary Medical Branch, before animals can be purchased. These approvals must be renewed each year.
  • Orders for mid December/early January delivery should be placed early in December. The OBRRD is closed from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day. No deliveries will be scheduled the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s Day.
  • Please note that some of the barriers housing NIA colonies are positive for Helicobacter. If your facility requires animals be from a Helicobacter-free barrier, you must make that request when you submit your order. Health reports are now available on the web from the link below. If your institution has specific health status requirements, download the health reports before placing the order and indicate acceptable barriers/rooms in the special instructions section of the order form.
  • Note that since the fall of 2003, DBA/2 males at Harlan are provided with Shepherd Shacks® in their cages, which has significantly reduced aggression against cage mates.

NOTICE: If there are any problems regarding the status of animals upon arrival, you must contact the NIA OBRRD office within 48 hours of their arrival.


  • Contact Information
  • Available Strains
  • Ordering Instructions
  • Eligibility Criteria for Use of the NIA Aged Rodent Colonies
  • Price Schedule - Aging Colonies - NIA Grantees
  • Price Schedule - Aging Colonies - Non-NIA Funded Grantees
  • Caloric Restricted Colony
  • Location of Colonies
  • Shipment of Animals
  • Animal Replacement Policy
  • Optional Services
  • Colony Monitoring and History
  • Barrier Environmental Information
  • References On The Use Of Rodents In Aging Research
  • Strain Survival Information
  • Downloadable Forms
  • Oldest Ages Available in NIA Aged Rodent Colonies
  • NIA Rodent Colony Health Summaries

  • Page last updated Sep 26, 2008