Minn. R. agency 158, ch. 6244, REHABILITATION STANDARDS, pt. 6244.1000
Dietary guidelines for various species shall be provided by the commissioner. The food shall be wholesome, palatable, and free from contamination and of sufficient quantity and nutritive value to maintain all animals in good health. The diet shall be prepared with consideration of the age, species, condition, size, and type of the animal. Animals shall be fed at least once a day except as dictated by hibernation, veterinary treatment, normal fasts, or other professionally accepted practices.
Food and food receptacles, if used, shall be sufficient in quantity, accessible to all animals in the enclosure, and placed to minimize contamination. Food receptacles shall be kept clean and sanitary at all times. If self-feeders are used, adequate measures shall be taken to prevent molding, contamination, and deterioration or caking of food.
If potable water is not accessible to the animals at all times, it must be provided as often as necessary for the health and comfort of the animal. Frequency of watering shall depend upon age, species condition, size, and type of the animal. Water receptacles shall be kept clean and sanitary.
Excreta shall be removed from primary enclosures as often as necessary to prevent contamination of the animals contained in the enclosures, to minimize disease hazards, and to reduce odors. When enclosures are cleaned by hosing or flushing, adequate measures shall be taken to protect the animals confined in the enclosures from being directly sprayed with the stream of water or wetted involuntarily.
Subsequent to the presence of an animal with an infectious or transmissible disease, cages, rooms, and hard-surfaced pens or runs shall be sanitized either by washing them with hot water, 180 degrees Fahrenheit at source, and soap or detergent, as in a mechanical washer, or by washing all soiled surfaces with a detergent solution followed by a safe and effective disinfectant, or by cleaning all soiled surfaces with saturated live steam under pressure. Pens or runs using gravel, sand, or dirt shall be sanitized when necessary as directed by the attending veterinarian.
Areas in which animals are kept shall be kept clean and in good repair to protect the animals from injury and to facilitate the prescribed husbandry practices in this subpart. Accumulations of trash shall be placed in designated areas and cleared as necessary to protect the health of the animals.
A safe and effective program for the control of insects; ectoparasites, such as flies, ticks, and fleas; and avian and mammalian pests shall be established and maintained.
Programs of disease prevention and parasite control, euthanasia, and adequate veterinary care shall be established and maintained under the supervision of the permittee's veterinarian consultant. The pest control program shall be reviewed by the veterinarian adviser for the safe use of materials and methods.
Animals shall be observed at least once every day by the person in charge of the care of the animals or by a designated in-shelter assistant working under the permittee's direct supervision. Sick, diseased, stressed, injured, or lame animals that are determined to be nonreleasable shall be dealt with according to part 6244.0800, subpart 4.
Handling of animals shall be kept to a minimum, but when necessary shall be done expeditiously and carefully in a way that does not cause unnecessary discomfort, behavioral stress, or physical harm to the animal or harm to the handler. Human contact with animals being rehabilitated shall be kept to an absolute minimum.
Minn. R. agency 158, ch. 6244, REHABILITATION STANDARDS, pt. 6244.1000
Statutory Authority: MS s 97A.401; 97A.418