Sustainability reporting is now central to vivarium operations—alongside animal welfare, research integrity, compliance and budget oversight. Among the most critical decisions is your facility’s caging infrastructure:

Here’s a number that should make every facility director uncomfortable: your vivarium is consuming energy at a rate 7 to 9 times higher than a standard office building—473 kBtu per square foot annually¹. And it gets worse. That vivarium occupying just 13% of your building’s floor space? It’s eating up roughly 35% of your total energy budget¹.

When Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, research facilities faced catastrophic losses as backup systems failed and decades of irreplaceable data disappeared. This harsh reality underscores a fundamental truth: even the most sophisticated research operations remain vulnerable to unexpected disruptions that can destroy years of scientific progress in a matter of hours. Contingency planning in animal care facilities extends far beyond regulatory compliance—it's abou

In the controlled environment of modern vivariums, contamination represents far more than a housekeeping concern. Undetected microbial invaders can transform months of meticulous research into unreliable data, forcing study repetition and delaying critical discoveries. Yet many facilities approach contamination control reactively, addressing problems after they emerge rather than engineering prevention into their operational foundation. The most sophisticated research operati

Research facility directors face a persistent challenge: maintaining exceptional animal care standards while managing operational costs and staffing complexities. With laboratory animal technician salaries varying significantly based on certification level and industry turnover presenting ongoing retention challenges, staffing decisions carry substantial financial and operational implications. The question is no longer whether to optimize vivarium staffing, but how. Three dis

The use of cage-washing systems can be costly, burdensome and labor-intensive. Animal care facilities face significant operational...