For questions on ordering mice, contact Heidi Brogdon, Program Specialist in charge of the order desk:

Phone: 301-496-0181
FAX: 301-402-5997
Email: rodents@nia.nih.gov [2]

For questions on the biology of the models, contact Nancy L. Nadon, Ph.D., Chief of the Biological Resources Branch (nadonn@nia.nih.gov [3]).

BRB staff can also be reached through the email address rodents@nia.nih.gov [2].

• All orders for NIA rodents are placed through the NIA ONLY. Orders must be submitted by e-mail (rodents@nia.nih.gov [2]), and all inquiries about the status of orders must be directed to the NIA. Complete orders received by NIA no later than Noon Tuesday ET can usually expect next week delivery, dependent on availability. Orders must be submitted on the NIA Order Form by email. All information requested on the order form must be provided. Incomplete orders will be returned. For first-time orders, the Material Transfer Agreement, signed by the principal investigator and the institutional official, must accompany the order. Orders will not be processed if they are illegible, or information or the MTA is missing.

• 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: Taconic Farms, Inc., Accounting Department, 273 Hover Ave., Germantown NY 12526.

• 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.

• 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. All mice are virgins.

• A five digit identification number is assigned to each mouse and a data sheet for that mouse will accompany the shipment and will include date of birth and the results of any genotyping assays.

• Acknowledgements of orders will be emailed to the contact person for review. If you do not receive an acknowledgement within 2 working days, contact the order desk as your order may not have been received. Contact our office immediately if you notice any discrepancies between the order you place and the order acknowledgement. The investigator/purchaser will be responsible for incorrectly placed orders that are not corrected through this process. We will email or phone the contact person if there is any difficulty filling the order.

• Cancellations of orders must be made no later than the Thursday before the delivery date, 10 AM ET. No changes to orders are allowed once they are processed. If an order must be changed, the order must be cancelled and a new order submitted.

• The NIA will provide no-cost replacement or credit for animals that are dead on arrival or die within 48 hours of arrival. Replacements will be of the same date of birth as originally shipped, dependent on availability. All animals are maintained in barrier conditions under a health monitoring program and are assumed to be in good health when leaving the NIA colonies. The development of tumors is normal in aged mice, therefore the presence of tumors is not an acceptable criterion for replacement. Likewise, a scruffy or unkempt appearance is often normal for aged animals and is not reason for replacement or credit. Since we have no control over the conditions in the facilities into which these animals are shipped, we will not accept responsibility for their health after 48 hours of receipt. Therefore if you have any problems regarding the status of your animals upon their arrival, it is required that you contact the NIA BRB within 48 hours of receipt.

Orders for mid-December/early-January delivery should be placed early in December. The BRB is closed from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day. No deliveries will be scheduled the weeks of Christmas and New Year's Day.