The Animal Lab Technician I is responsible for performing the routine and specialized duties related to the husbandry of the experimental animals. Observes animals for abnormalities, performs animal care, cage sanitation, room and general facility sanitation, room environmental monitoring and documentation. Assists clinical staff with animal handling and restraint.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

•Assists in routine and special feeding, watering, handling (safely transferring from one enclosure to another) and primary enclosure exchanging for all species housed in the vivarium facilities.

•Monitors animal room environments (temperature, photoperiods, and humidity), records environmental data and reports abnormalities to appropriate individual(s).

•Follows various written and verbal (in English) instructions for providing unique and varying diets and medicated water to varying populations of animals.

•Operates cage-washers, autoclave, and automatic water bottle filler and bedding dispenser.  Uses pressure washer and floor scrubber for secondary enclosure sanitation.

•Provides care for animals that are immuno-compromised, which have known/unknown pathogens, and/or are designated as biohazardous.

•Responsible for reading, comprehending, and following a large number of varying standard operating procedures (SOP’s) related to the numerous biohazardous agents used in the Vivarium.

•Observes and recognizes obvious symptoms of abnormalities in laboratory animals and promptly reports abnormalities to the appropriate individual(s).

•Responsible for daily barcoding of animal cage cards for billing and census purposes.

•Assists in receipt of delivered animals and inspection for obvious health abnormalities as well as observing for deviations from the ordered quantity or sex.

•Assists with conditioning (animal restraint) and treatments (restraint) of all species under direct supervision of clinical staff.

•Assists with rodent breeding programs (noting birth dates, projecting weaning dates.

•Operates department vehicles as required.

•Responsible for reading, understanding and following SOP’s specific to the husbandry of animals used in Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) regulated studies.

Education:

High School Diploma/GED Required Minimum

Work Experience:

1 Year Experience - Preferred

License/Certification:

Assistant Laboratory Animal Tech (ALAT) - Preferred