Iron acquisition by the transferrin binding (Tbp) complexes of both N. gonorrhoeae (Ngo) and N. meningitidis have been well characterized. Both TbpA and TbpB help pathogenic Neisseria species circumvent nutritional immunity by stealing iron from human transferrin (Tf). TbpA is a TonB-dependent outer membrane protein that contains the channel iron passes through to enter the periplasm, while TbpB is a lipoprotein that increases the efficiency of obtaining iron by binding preferentially to iron-bound transferrin. These proteins have been identified as potential vaccine candidates for Ngo. Studying these proteins in murine models of disease has been challenging, in part because of the specificity of Ngo Tbps for human Tf. To help avoid this tropism barrier, some research teams have developed disease models using transgenic mice that express human transferrin. As an alternative approach, our group has isolated Neisseria species from wild-caught house mice, Mus musculus subsp. domesticus. We report the culturing of three new isolates of N. animaloris (Nani) from the oral cavity of mice. Nani represents the second Neisseria species isolated from house mice, the first being Neisseria musculi. Nani isolates’ genomes encode genes for both tbpA and tbpB. We will present both in vitro and in vivo characterization of Nani. Our preliminary work has confirmed that Nani can colonize and persist in the murine pharynx and gut for at least ten weeks. The tbpA gene has been successfully replaced with a kanamycin resistance cassette in all three of the Nani isolates. Preliminary growth curves in media supplemented with iron detected no growth defects associated with tbpA deletions. We will present our preliminary characterizations of the wild-type Nani and ΔtbpA strains. Our work testing if Tbps have iron acquisition preferences for human Tf or murine Tf will be presented. Nani could prove to be a good surrogate organism for modeling Ngo infections in mice. Nani may also help inform knowledge of Tbp biology in the context of long-term persistence at extragenital sites of infection and provide opportunities to inform vaccine development for the gonococcus.