All SAS rodents are raised under the strictest sanitary conditions. Rodents are routinely checked for all endo/ecto parasites. All animals are Murine Pathogen Free. Animals undergo regular health monitoring. Animal rooms are environmentally controlled. This includes 24-hour computerized control of room temperature, air pressure, air flow and relative humidity. Deviations from established parameters trigger an alarm and the problem is corrected immediately. Steam sterilized hardwood chip bedding is used in all cages. To ensure nutritional stability animals are fed a vitamin rich NIH specified rodent diet.

The NIH #31M diet is manufactured with only the following ingredients: Fish meal, soybean meal, alfalfa meal, corn gluten meal, ground whole wheat, ground #2 yellow corn, ground whole oats, wheat middlings, Brewer's dried yeast, soybean oil, salt, dicalcium phosphate, ground limestone, and premixes.
Crude protein: minimum 18.0%
Crude fat: minimum 5.3%
Crude fiber: maximum 4.5%
Ash: maximum 8.0%

The finished product is made into oval shape pellets (5/8" - 3/4") wide; (3/8"-7/16") thick; and (1 - 1 3/8") long. Pelleting is accomplished by using conventional steam pelleting techniques routinely used in the feed manufacturing industry. The finished product is packaged in commercially acceptable three (3) ply laminated paper bags, 30 lbs. per bag. The bags are closed by sewing and they are of a quality that will withstand the temperatures associated with steam sterilization of the diet without bursting open.