Relative Labor Factors (RLF) Official List

As of 9/1/2023

Relative Labor Factor (RLF) is the number of units of an animal cage type that a technician can provide comprehensive care including husbandry, custodial, laboratory interactions, etc. relative to each other. (Example: A technician can care for 950 cages of mouse autowater and only 750 cages of mouse microisolator. Mice in autowater cages and bottled water cages are of the same unit size but have different RLFs because autowater cages are changed at fewer intervals.)

Cage TypeRLF
Agnatha-Lamprey Adult PI managed130
Agnatha-Lamprey colony bin49
Agnatha-Hagfish78
Amphibian200
Ferret45
Ferret Biocontainment40
Fish per Aquaria200 (A)
Fish/System100 (B)
Gerbil725
Guinea Pig220
Guinea Pig Biocontainment125
Hamster725
Hamster Biocontainment558
Mouse: Biocontainment600
Mouse-Autowater950
Mouse-Microisolator750
Mouse-Quarantine510
Mouse-Sterile Housing550
Pen Housed Livestock, Pigs32
Rabbit67
Rabbit-Sterile Housing33
Rat845
Rat-Quarantine450
Rat-Sterile or Biohazard Housing590
Song Birds-Flight Cage20
Song Birds-Group/Breeder Cage < 998
Song Birds-Group/Breeder Cage > 965
Song Birds-Isolation/Single Bird Cage120
Spiny Mouse225
Squamates (Full Care)33
Voles250
A - Includes production and maintenance of rotifers, pre-robots; reflective of startup procedures
B - System maintenance and health care only, no animal care
C - WMRB (small rooms) and HSRB (biosecurity) are held to 85% of the full RLF.


Updated: 10/31/2023