As required by the Animal Research Act, the Schools Animal Care and Ethics Committee have prepared a list of approved activities. These activities are those that may need to be carried out in the school setting and have been deemed appropriate, when carried out by a person with the appropriate skill and experience and educationally justified.

The activities have been organised into categories 1-5. The category reflects the potential impact on the animal and requires a greater justification and expertise of those carrying out the activity. Visit Categories of activities for further explanation.

Students should have prior training and experience in the capture, restraint and handling of mice. Students can observe mice, noting details of their growth, for example weighing and measuring body proportions. Students should be encouraged to design methods of measuring mice, while minimizing the level of restraint used. To meet the educational objectives, mice should be restrained for the shortest possible period.

Palatability

For small animals such as mice and rats, the only dietary effect that should be investigated is the palatability of different foods. As mice are small in size, it is unacceptable to vary or restrict the quantity or quality of the feed provided.

Teachers who use animals must keep clear and accurate records of:

• The number of mice owned or kept at the school
• Identification of individual animals (by description of markings or photos)
• The dates and sources of acquisition of each mouse
• Disposal details and dates for each animal
• Dietary details for mice
• Complete breeding records
• The dates and types of husbandry practices carried out
• The dose, chemical name, batch number, expiry date, withholding period, identity of animal(s) administered to and date of administration.
• Any accident, illness or injury involving school animals and the veterinary treatment provided (if required).
• Any significant occurrences that adversely affect the welfare of school animals, such as vandalism, outbreak of disease etc.

The type and format of the records maintained will vary from school to school and be dependent on the number of animals kept, number of staff involved in maintaining the records and the layout and location of the rooms used for housing the animals.

The minimum requirement is a daily diary that is accessible to all staff that are involved in the care and use of the animals.

Where there are several staff members involved in the care of animals it is essential that there is a mechanism for each staff member to document notes about the general health status of school animals and that these notes are available to all other staff members who may be involved in animal care.

As required by the Animal Research Act, the Schools Animal Care and Ethics Committee have prepared a list of approved activities. These activities are those that may need to be carried out in the school setting and have been deemed appropriate, when carried out by a person with the appropriate skill and experience and educationally justified.

The activities have been organised into categories 1-5. The category reflects the potential impact on the animal and requires a greater justification and expertise of those carrying out the activity. Visit Categories of activities for further explanation.

In order to weigh pigs they will need to be walked onto scales. Piglets may be weighed using a supportive sling or container, depending on their size and age. Routine weighing is generally done to:

• Monitor growth rates
• Match nutrition required with nutrition supplied
• Provide data for analysis and planning.

Piglets can be held to allow measurements to be taken. This needs to be done quickly, as generally the piglets will squeal loudly, causing distress to the sow.

Larger animals can be held against a wall or corner for short periods of time. The use of measuring sticks and digital photography can increase the ease of measuring and recording.

As with the taking of measurements, piglets can be held and larger pigs can be held against a wall or in a corner, to collect samples.

When collecting faeces and urine samples, gloves should be worn and hands washed after completion of the activity.

All pigs 25 kg and over must be tattooed with your registered swine brand number issued by the local Livestock Health and Pest Authority (LHPA). Pigs should be branded on one or both shoulders. In NSW the crown brand may be applied by the LHPA by arrangement for people who don’t regularly trade pigs and do not have their own swine brand number.

PigPass

Do I have to tattoo or tag my pigs?

In most cases male pigs are marketed before they reach the age that management would require castration.

Tail docking is done to reduce tail biting that may occur when pigs are bored. Piglets raised in extensive conditions will not require tail docking.

When required, tails are docked leaving a stump of two to three centimetres in length. This activity should be carried out within the first week, preferably when the piglets are one day old.

Teeth trimming is done to reduce the chance of piglets injuring the sow or each other. It is most commonly carried out in intensive piggeries and is not generally required when piglets are raised under more extensive conditions.

If it is to be done, it should be carried out within the first week, preferably when the piglets are one day old. Holding the piglet behind the neck will cause it to automatically open its mouth. Care needs to be taken not to cut the gum as this can cause abscessation.

Nose ringing

Nose ringing should be avoided. However, this procedure may need to be performed as a last resort, to prevent adverse effects to the environment, if pigs are kept on pasture. Nose rings should be placed through the cartilage of the top of the snout or the tissues separating the nostrils.

Provision of adequate substrate or pasture for chewing can provide for exploratory or foraging behaviour and deter pigs from rooting up ground excessively.

Identification

Where it is necessary to mark pigs for permanent identification, the ear may be tattooed, tagged, punched, or the body may be tattooed or a micro-chip implanted.

Tusk trimming

Tusk trimming of boars is necessary where injury to humans or animals is likely to occur. Tusk trimming should be conducted using embryotomy wire. The boar should be appropriately restrained and, if necessary, sedated for restraint. Analgesia is not required as the tusk lacks sensory nerves. Tusks should be severed cleanly above the level of the gums without causing damage to other tissues.

Assistance from a veterinarian is advisable unless the operator is very experienced in tusk trimming.

The use of farrowing crates in piggeries is the traditional method of keeping the sow from laying on or trampling her piglets. As a result of the revision of the Model Code of practice for the welfare of animals: Pigs, this method is now not considered acceptable for schools. Any school that wishes to use farrowing crates must first seek written approval from SACEC.

This approval is sought by completion of Application form 5, Application for SACEC approval to house production animals intensively.

Schools are encouraged to develop management systems for farrowing that provide the following:

• Space for the sow to move around
• Nesting material for the sow and piglets
• Safe (creep) area for the piglets, reducing the chance of injury or death due to squashing.

Where an animal has become so sick, diseased or injured that recovery is unlikely or undesirable on humane grounds, euthanasia must be arranged with a local veterinarian.

Students are permitted to watch a post-mortem of an animal provided there is no disease risk posed.

Disposal

Pigs may be sold privately, at auction or consigned to an abattoir.

Carcases must be disposed of in accordance with local council regulations.

It is illegal to kill any animal and sell the meat for human consumption unless it has been slaughtered and prepared in a licenced processing facility.

Teachers who use animals must keep clear and accurate records of:

• The number of pigs owned or kept at the school
• Identification of individual animals (ear tag number or name)
• The dates and sources of acquisition of each pig
• Disposal details and dates for each animal
• Diet details for pigs kept in intensive conditions with no access to foraging
• Complete breeding records
• The dates and types of husbandry practices carried out
• The name, dosage, batch number, expiry date, withholding period and dates of any chemicals administered
• Any accident, illness or injury involving school animals and the veterinary treatment provided (if required).
• Any significant occurrences that adversely affect the welfare of school animals, such as vandalism, dog attack, outbreak of disease etc.

The type and format of the records maintained will vary from school to school and be dependent on the number of animals kept, number of staff involved in maintaining the records and the layout and location of the school farm.

The minimum requirement is a daily diary that is accessible to all staff that are involved in the care and use of the animals.

Where there are several staff members involved in the care of animals it is essential that there is a mechanism for each staff member to document notes about the general health status of school animals and that these notes are available to all other staff members who may be involved in animal care.

As required by the Animal Research Act, the Schools Animal Care and Ethics Committee have prepared a list of approved activities. These activities are those that may need to be carried out in the school setting and have been deemed appropriate, when carried out by a person with the appropriate skill and experience and educationally justified.

The activities have been organised into categories 1-5. The category reflects the potential impact on the animal and requires a greater justification and expertise of those carrying out the activity. Visit Categories of activities for further explanation.

Measuring body weight

Only birds accustomed to being handled should be used for measurement of body weight.

Young birds can be weighed directly on a triple beam balance. Older birds may need to be restrained in a cardboard box. (Weight of box can be subtracted from final weight).

For growers and adult birds a spring balance with a suitable scale is required for weighing. A small loop of rope can be attached to the shank of both legs and connected to the balance. Ensure the bird’s head is kept down to avoid flapping. Readings should be taken as quickly as possible and the bird returned to its normal position to avoid prolonged stress.

Poultry – weighing and recording

Watch Poultry – weighing and recording. (1:34)

Measuring growth

Growth is measured by body weight changes. Recording regular measurements of weight can give an accurate measure of a bird’s growth. Growth can also be shown by photographing or drawing a bird against an appropriate background scale.

Measuring body proportions

Two handlers are required for the measurement of body proportions. One handler is required to restrain the bird while the other measures. Do not distort a bird excessively to take measurements of body parts. A soft plastic tape measure can be used to measure different body parts of the animal.

Measuring pulse/blood flow

Due to birds very high pulse rate, pulse rate is difficult to measure and a stethoscope is required. One handler should restrain the bird while a second handler measures the pulse.

Respiration

This can be measured by observing birds in warmer weather conditions as indications of respiration become more obvious. Observe and record a bird with its beak naturally open and tongue moving, recording the number of tongue movements.

Temperature

Restrain a bird by the hand and arm method and insert a clinical thermometer into the vent or cloaca. Slide the thermometer in carefully and wash after each bird. Warm the thermometer in cold weather.

Measurement of mild dietary effects

A variation in diet can be achieved by using commercially prepared foods which use a different formula than the usual one provided. Any variation in the diet should be an enhancement to, rather than deprivation of, the diet. The minimum level of protein, energy or fat selected for the trial must be the minimum acceptable for the life stage of the particular bird type. The trial period should not be longer than is necessary to achieve a clearly observable result. Ten to fourteen days is sufficient for young birds, after which the birds should be returned to their normal diet.

Where comparative food trials are being undertaken, no less than the minimum protein levels should be fed to birds. The maximum amount of protein permitted is 20% above the minimum levels.

Schools should not keep broilers for more than 10 weeks. After this period, the likelihood of stress fractures and broken legs increases.

Palatability

For adult birds, use a variety of commercially prepared layer pellets and mash, ensuring a plentiful supply of clean fresh water. Observe two adult birds in separate pens and record the food selection of the birds.

For collection of faeces, place the bird in wire-floored pen, elevated off the ground, so that faeces can be collected. Do not force faeces from a bird.

Beak trimming

Beak trimming is a practice carried out when birds are kept in intensive conditions to reduce the chance of injury when birds peck at other birds. As schools are no longer permitted to keep hens in battery cages, without SACEC written permission, the need for beak trimming is reduced. The incidences of pecking should be managed by appropriate penning in more extensive systems.

Dubbing

Dubbing is carried out most commonly to male birds of Old English Game, Modern Game and Australian Pit Game breeds, where the birds are shown. The SACEC has decided that the practice is outdated, unnecessary and inhumane and has prohibited it from being carried out in schools. Schools are encouraged to keep and show other breeds of poultry.

Wing clipping

Wing clipping involves trimming the primary feathers of adult birds’ wings to prevent them from flying. Sharp shears can be used to trim off ONLY the first ten flight feathers of ONE wing. This causes the bird to lack adequate balance to be able to fly. A very experienced person should only carry out this procedure and inexperienced students should never do it unassisted as incorrect wing clipping can result in pain and severe injury to the bird. Wing clipping will allow birds to be kept in a pen or run without a roof, as they will not be able to fly out.

Leg banding

Leg bands can be used for identification of birds. The school farm may use different coloured leg bands to identify birds born each year. Leg bands must be check regularly and loosened appropriately or removed if they begin to become too tight. Legs bands that become too tight can cause pain and severe injury to birds.

Spur trimming

The spurs on roosters may need to be trimmed if they become long and begin to affect the rooster's gait or are long enough to cause injury in the event of an attack. The rooster needs to be restrained by one person with another using sharp shears or clippers to take the point and desired length from the spur. Care should be taken to only remove the end section that does not have a blood supply.

Semen collection and artificial insemination in poultry requires skill and experience. If the teacher or farm assistant wishes to demonstrate the collection of semen and/or artificial insemination to students, they must first seek approval from the SACEC to demonstrate these category five activities. This approval is conditional upon the operator being able to demonstrate appropriate qualifications and experience. Application is made by completion of Application form 4 and submission to the Schools Animal Welfare Officer.

Raising chickens

Although hens have the natural ability to become broody, hatch their eggs and raise their chickens, it is common practice to take the fertilised eggs away and hatch them using an incubator, raising the chickens by hand. This method ensures much higher success rates and an increased production level.

While this is done for production purposes, many schools also choose to hatch and raise chickens by hand to provide students with an opportunity to observe the process and learn to raise and care for a baby animal.

Hen eggs take from 19 to 21 days to hatch depending on the breed of the bird. Eggs are placed in an incubator, which keeps the eggs warm, at a suitable level of humidity and rotates them as the mother hen would turn her eggs to ensure warmth all over. The period from hatching until the chickens no longer require supplementary heat is called the ‘brooding period’ and usually lasts for 3–6 weeks. Chickens need supplementary heat when they first hatch, because they are unable to maintain their body temperatures. The heat can be supplied by a broody hen or when being hand raised, with a heat lamp.

Chick hatching programs

There are commercial companies that provide a clutch of fertile eggs, the necessary equipment to hatch and brood the eggs and information to support the activity within a school, in return for a fee.

Before engaging with a such a program, teachers need to consider the purpose, planning and management of these programs. Below are some questions to assist with this consideration:

• What is the purpose of the chick hatching program for your students. Consider the curriculum links and where it will be used in your teaching and learning programs. You may wish to visit Educational justification.
• What knowledge do you have about the care and management of chicks for their early days of life? You may find the information at Small scale poultry keeping – brooding and rearing chickens and Fowls – environment helpful.
• Do you feel comfortable handling poultry and young chicks? Further information can be found at Fowls – handling.
• How will the chicks be monitored over the weekend? Animal welfare legislation states that animals used for teaching must be monitored on a day to day basis.
• What have you done to prepare your students for participation in the chick hatching program? You may need to consider that some students may be fearful of birds.
• Have you considered alternatives to using live animals to meet the educational outcomes?
• Have you considered the fate of the chicks hatched in this program, including the rooster chicks?
• What biosecurity measures do you have in place around the chick hatching program? You may need to consider alternative activities for any student that lives on a poultry farm or has a parent working on a poultry farm.
• If a chick dies during the time the time the program is running, what procedures do you have in place to manage the occurrence? This may include disposal and discussions with the students.

Where an animal has become so sick, diseased or injured that recovery is unlikely or undesirable on humane grounds, euthanasia must be arranged with a local veterinarian.

Students are permitted to watch a post-mortem of an animal provided there is no disease risk posed. They may also watch a dissection of an individual bird that has been euthanased by the teacher or farm assistant, not in the presence of students.

Humane killing of animals must not be demonstrated to, or carried out by, students unless it is required:

• To achieve a curriculum outcome or competency, or
• As part of veterinary clinical management of an animal, under the direction of a veterinarian.

In the case that the demonstration of euthanasia is justified, on the above grounds, the teacher or farm assistant must seek written approval from the SACEC prior to the demonstration. Application is made by completion of Application form 4 and submission to the Schools Animal Welfare Officer.

Disposal

Fowls may be sold privately, at auction or consigned to an abattoir.

Carcases must be disposed of in accordance with local council regulations.

It is illegal to kill any animal and sell the meat for human consumption unless it has been slaughtered and prepared in a licensed processing facility.

Teachers who use animals must keep clear and accurate records of:

• The number of birds owned or kept at the school
• Identification of individual show animals
• The dates and sources of acquisition of each show animal or group of birds
• Disposal details and dates for each show animal or group of birds
• Complete breeding records
• The dates and types of husbandry practices carried out
• The name, dosage, batch number, expiry date, withholding period and dates of any chemicals administered
• Any accident, illness or injury involving school poultry and the veterinary treatment provided (if required)
  
• Any significant occurrences that adversely affect the welfare of school animals, such as vandalism, dog attack, outbreak of disease etc.

The type and format of the records maintained will vary from school to school and be dependent on the number of animals kept, number of staff involved in maintaining the records and the layout and location of the school farm.

The minimum requirement is a daily diary that is accessible to all staff involved in the care and use of the animals.

Where there are several staff members involved in the care of animals it is essential that there is a mechanism for each staff member to document notes about the general health status of school animals and that these notes are available to all other staff members who may be involved in animal care.

As required by the Animal Research Act, the Schools Animal Care and Ethics Committee have prepared a list of approved activities. These activities are those that may need to be carried out in the school setting and have been deemed appropriate, when carried out by a person with the appropriate skill and experience and educationally justified.

The activities have been organised into categories 1-5. The category reflects the potential impact on the animal and requires a greater justification and expertise of those carrying out the activity. Visit Categories of activities for further explanation.

In order to weigh sheep they will need to be walked through the race and onto the scales. Routine weighing is generally done to:

• Monitor growth rates
• Match nutrition required with nutrition supplied
• Provide data for analysis and planning.

Measurements can be taken while sheep are standing in a race, or if individual animals have small flight zones and are regularly handled, they may be held in a small pen or yard.

*All citizens in NSW must comply with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (POCTAA)

**All sheep must be tagged in accordance with the NLIS

Watch Husbandry activities for sheep. (2:07)

Routine husbandry activities for sheep include:

• Internal parasite control
• External parasite control
• Vaccination
• Identification (ear tagging)
• Castration
• Tail docking
• Shearing
• Crutching
• Hoof paring
• Mulesing (for Merinos).

Castration, tail docking and mulesing all have the potential to cause pain and distress. It is recommended that pain relief be used for all animals undergoing these procedures.

Pain management recommended for husbandry procedures privides advice about the type and use of pain relief suitable for livestock undergoing routine husbandry procedures.

Recently the product, Numnuts® has been released onto the market for use by sheep producers to reduce the pain caused by castration and tail docking. Numnuts® applies elastrator rings over the tail and scrotum while simultaneously injecting an optimal dose of the local anaesthetic, NumOcaine®.

Numnuts is the result of an international collaboration involving vets and design engineers from Scotland and the CSIRO, Meat and Livestock Australia and Australian Wool Innovation. Further information about Numnuts can be found at Numnuts store.

It is estimated that a majority of producers that mules their sheep are now using the the product Tri-Solfen. Tri Solfen is a gel that is sprayed onto the wound immediately after mulesing. It contains two local anaesthetics, lignocaine that is fast acting to provide immediate pain relief and bupivacaine that is long acting to provide more prolonged pain relief. Tri-Solfen also contains adrenaline to help reduce blood loss and the antiseptic, Centrimide.

The facilities required to safely and competently carry out these husbandry activities will vary with numbers of sheep held, flight zones of individuals and activity to be completed. Equipment appropriate for the activity and in good working order must be used, e.g. an elastrator for tail docking or castration.

Castration, tail docking and ear marking or tagging are usually carried out together and are collectively known as lamb marking. Vaccination is typically carried out at this time. When carrying out several operations on the one animal at the one time, such as lamb marking, plan the operations so that the operation causing most stress is performed last.

These operations should be carried out by a skilled person only and preferably using a lamb marking cradle to adequately restrain the lamb. Marking is best carried out before the lambs are 4-6 weeks of age. All lambs should be marked to assist in flystrike control. All male lambs, other than those kept for breeding purposes, must be castrated as part of normal husbandry practice. Entire ram lambs will cause management problems and will tend to fight as they reach puberty.

Tail docking must be carried out in accordance with Animal welfare standards and guidelines for sheep. The docked tail should be long enough to cover the vulva in female lambs and be of similar length in males.

Lamb marking should not be undertaken during extreme weather and should be planned when fly activity is minimal. Good hygiene practices should be practiced in relation to facilities, hands, handling and instruments. Disinfectant should be used and changed frequently when numbers of lambs are being marked.

The incidence of tetanus, as a result of infection at lamb marking, can be limited by ensuring ewes have been routinely vaccinated and that lambs are vaccinated at lamb marking.

Lambs should be separated from their mothers for the shortest possible period of time and monitored after the lamb marking. It is advisable that operations such as lamb marking, and other operations with a potential for complications, not be carried out just prior to school holidays when monitoring may be less constant.

Adequate shelter, feed and water must be provided for sheep off-shears. Particular care needs to be taken if cold, wet and windy weather is experienced soon after shearing.

Sheep must not be moved within NSW unless they have an approved ear tag in their ear. Approved ear tags are printed with the property identification code (PIC). They can be either breeder tags (coloured according to the year of birth) or post-breeder tags (pink).

All sheep must be tagged before they leave the property on which they were born. This tag should ideally be the breeder tag in the correct year colour. A sheep can only have one breeder tag. If a sheep bred at your school has lost its tag, it must be re-tagged with either your school breeder tag or your pink post-breeder tag before it leaves your school.

If sheep that have been purchased have several different tags, you can choose to tag them all with your pink post-breeder tags. Each time a sheep moves to another property it may be given the post-breeder tag of that property. This means a sheep can have several post-breeder tags.

Sheep and Goat NLIS

All schools must comply with NLIS requirements.

Schools are encouraged to keep sheep that are plain-bodied and that do not require mulesing. If Merinos, that require mulesing, are kept then mulesing must be carried out by a suitably competent person and in accordance with Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines (Sheep).

The development and administration of an assisted breeding program requires the input of a veterinarian or suitably qualified and experienced technician. Laparoscopic insemination of sheep must be performed by a veterinarian or person under the supervision of a veterinarian. A high success rate is generally only achieved by an experienced and qualified operator.

If the teacher wishes to allow students to watch a veterinarian demonstrate the collection of semen and/or laparoscopic artificial insemination to students, they do not need to seek approval from the SACEC. The SACEC considers the veterinarian is suitably qualified and experienced to demonstrate best practice.

The timing of joining or insemination should be managed to align with feed availability for the ewes and lambs, and to reduce the weather risks for lambs. Management practices should minimise the stress on ewes to reduce pregnancy toxaemia and other metabolic diseases. Lambing ewes should be placed in sheltered paddocks, with quality feed and should be monitored but with minimal disturbance.

Sheep and lambs are often predated upon by dogs and foxes. The risk of predation must be reduced by using appropriate strategies that may include:

• Fencing with upgraded security such as increased height, foot netting dug into the ground or electrification
• Using a guard animal, e.g. alpaca(s), to live with the ewes and lambs
• Shedding ewes and young lamb
• Carrying out a baiting program in conjunction with the Livestock, Health and Pest Authority (LHPA)
• Moving ewes and lambs to more secure locations.

Where an animal has become so sick, diseased or injured that recovery is unlikely or undesirable on humane grounds, euthanasia must be arranged with a local veterinarian.

Humane killing of animals must not be demonstrated to, or carried out by, students unless it is required:

• To achieve a curriculum outcome or competency, or
• As part of veterinary clinical management of an animal, under the direction of a veterinarian.

Students are permitted to watch a post-mortem of a euthanased animal provided there is no disease risk posed.

Disposal

Sheep may be sold privately, at auction or consigned to an abattoir.

Carcases must be disposed of in accordance with local council regulations.

It is illegal to kill any animal and sell the meat for human consumption unless it has been slaughtered and prepared in a licenced processing facility.

Teachers who use animals must keep clear and accurate records of:

• The number of sheep owned or kept at the school
• Identification of individual animals (ear tag number or name)
• The dates and sources of acquisition of each animal
• Disposal details and dates for each animal
• Complete breeding records
• The dates and types of husbandry practices carried out
• The name, dosage, batch number, expiry date, withholding period and dates of any chemicals administered
• Any accident, illness or injury involving school sheep and the veterinary treatment provided (if required)
• Any significant occurrences that adversely affect the welfare of school animals, such as vandalism, dog attack, outbreak of disease etc.

Castration, tail docking and mulesing all have the potential to cause pain and distress and school staff should consider the use of pain relief for the animals undergoing these procedures. The use of suitable pain relief should be discussed with a veterinarian who is familiar with sheep and advice can be accessed at Flyboss – Pain relief – frequently asked questions.

The type and format of the records maintained will vary from school to school and be dependent on the number of animals kept, number of staff involved in maintaining the records and the layout and location of the school farm.

The minimum requirement is a daily diary that is accessible to all staff involved in the care and use of the animals.

Where there are several staff members involved in the care of animals it is essential that there is a mechanism for each staff member to document notes about the general health status of school animals and that these notes are available to all other staff members who may be involved in animal care.

As required by the Animal Research Act, the Schools Animal Care and Ethics Committee have prepared a list of approved activities. These activities are those that may need to be carried out in the school setting and have been deemed appropriate, when carried out by a person with the appropriate skill and experience and educationally justified.

The activities have been organised into categories 1-5. The category reflects the potential impact on the animal and requires a greater justification and expertise of those carrying out the activity. Visit Categories of activities for further explanation.

Teachers who use animals must keep clear and accurate records of:

• The number of rats owned or kept at the school
• Identification of individual animals (by description of markings or photos)
• The dates and sources of acquisition of each rat
• Disposal details and dates for each animal
• Dietary details for rats
• Complete breeding records
• The dates and types of husbandry practices carried out
• The name, dosage, batch number, expiry date, withholding period and dates of any chemicals administered
• Any accident, illness or injury involving school animals and the veterinary treatment provided (if required)
• Any significant occurrences that adversely affect the welfare of school animals, such as vandalism, outbreak of disease etc.

The type and format of the records maintained will vary from school to school and be dependent on the number of animals kept, number of staff involved in maintaining the records and the layout and location of the rooms used for housing the animals.

The minimum requirement is a daily diary that is accessible to all staff that are involved in the care and use of the animals.

Where there are several staff members involved in the care of animals it is essential that there is a mechanism for each staff member to document notes about the general health status of school animals and that these notes are available to all other staff members who may be involved in animal care.

As required by the Animal Research Act, the Schools Animal Care and Ethics Committee have prepared a list of approved activities. These activities are those that may need to be carried out in the school setting and have been deemed appropriate, when carried out by a person with the appropriate skill and experience and educationally justified.

The activities have been organised into categories 1-5. The category reflects the potential impact on the animal and requires a greater justification and expertise of those carrying out the activity. Visit Categories of activities for further explanation.

To measure and monitor guinea pigs’ growth and weight in relation to age, students can set up weight/age and size/age charts for a number of animals and operate them over a period of 10 weeks. Use a pre-weighed container of appropriate size and appropriate scales and measuring tapes to determine overall length, girth and size of skull.

Prior training and experience in capture, restraint and handling is required. Guinea pigs should be restrained for the shortest possible period to reduce stress to the animals. To maintain identification of individual animals, use color-dye marking. Care must be taken when picking up pregnant sows. The appropriate holding technique must be used.

Grooming

Guinea pigs require some level of coat care depending on the type of coat. Long coated guinea pigs must be groomed regularly.

Nail clipping

Guinea pigs have quite fast growing toenails and if they are kept on soft bedding material, their toenails will need to be clipped regularly as they will not get worn down. This should be done with a pair of very sharp animal nail clippers. Extreme care must be taken to only remove the end section of the nail, avoiding the blood vessel. Shining a bright light through the nail to locate the blood vessel is recommended before clipping. If the light cannot be kept on the nail while clipping, mark the vessel with a marker so that you know where to clip. If bleeding does occur, wipe the blood away and apply a quick-stop powder or, alternatively, flour. If there is only a small amount of bleeding, cotton wool can be held over the nail and pressure applied till bleeding stops.

If breeding is to take place in a school there must be sufficient care, facilities, housing and space available for the extra animals. There must be a need for extra animals, or an appropriate plan for the disposal of surplus animals in place, prior to beginning this activity. If killing is the only disposal option, then the breeding program is not allowed.

Female guinea pigs exhibit post-partum oestrus and can mate and become pregnant within 12-24 hours after giving birth. To ensure this doesn’t happen, the male must be removed from the cage prior to the female giving birth. Offspring should be separated into single sex groups at weaning (3-4 weeks of age).

Teachers who use animals must keep clear and accurate records of:

• The number of guinea pigs owned or kept at the school
• Identification of individual animals (by description of markings or photos)
• The dates and sources of acquisition of each guinea pig
• Disposal details and dates for each animal
• Dietary details for guinea pigs
• Complete breeding records
• The dates and types of husbandry practices carried out
• The name, dosage, batch number, expiry date, withholding period and dates of any chemicals administered
• Any accident, illness or injury involving school animals and the veterinary treatment provided (if required).
• Any significant occurrences that adversely affect the welfare of school animals, such as vandalism, outbreak of disease etc.

The type and format of the records maintained will vary from school to school and be dependent on the number of animals kept, number of staff involved in maintaining the records and the layout and location of the rooms used for housing the animals.

The minimum requirement is a daily diary that is accessible to all staff that is involved in the care and use of the animals.

Where there are several staff members involved in the care of animals it is essential that there is a mechanism for each staff member to document notes about the general health status of school animals and that these notes are available to all other staff members who may be involved in animal care.