RODENT CAGE SYSTEM

• US 3,765,374 A
• Filed: 09/28/1971
• Issued: 10/16/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John J. Kolste
• Original Assignee: John J. Kolste
• Inventors: Kolste, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chamblee, Hugh R.
• Application Number:
  US05/184,449
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 119/18,17
• US Class Current: 119/457
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/031 Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals

Abstract

A rodent cage system having a plurality of cage-supporting cantilever beams journalled one above the other to a vertical supporting column. Each of the cantilever beams is hollow and supports a plurality of water containers within the beam and a plurality of rodent cages on the exterior of the beam, there being a removable droppings-tray at the bottom of each cage. Each of the water containers has a water outlet opening near its bottom. A row of water access openings is formed in the hollow beam to provide access from the cages to the water outlet openings. The water access openings are large enough to allow access to the water outlet openings but are too small to permit rodents within the cages to gnaw on the water containers. Feed hoppers having sloping sides are attached along each of the cantilever beams between the beam and the adjacent rodent cages.

Claims

1. A rodent cage system comprising an elongated beam having a bottom rail provided with longitudinally spaced slots and having tongue portions between slots, a row of cages, each cage having spaced lower end slots at the front thereof for receiving said tongues of the rail, and each cage having means cooperating with one of the slots in a rail for locating the cage, and cooperating means on said beam and on the upper portions of the cages for removably supporting the upper portions of the cages.

2. A rodent cage system as claimed in claim 1 in which the cooperating means at the upper portions of the cages comprises a hook on each cage and an elongated rail supported on the beam with which the hooks are removably engaged.

3. A rodent cage system as claimed in claim 2 in which there is cooperating means on the beam and on the cages including a swingable retainer bar for maintaining the hooks in engagement.

4. A rodent cage system as claimed in claim 1 in which there is an end plate connected with the beam and in which there is a cylindrical bearing sleeve for journalling the beam to an upright pole, there being means for removably connecting said bearing sleeve to said end plate.

5. A rodent cage system comprising a hollow elongated rigid beam open at one end, cage holding means associated externally with said beam and extending longitudinally therealOng, a plurality of cages supported on said cage holding means, two rows of water holding containers positioned adjacent one another, a frame removably holding said two rows of containers in the form of an elongated assembly, said assembly being of a size and shape to be slidably received through the opening at the end of said beam, and there being cooperating openings in said water containers, beam and cages affording access to said water from the cages.

6. A rodent cage system comprising a hollow, elongated rigid beam;

cage-holding means associated externally with said beam and extending longitudinally therealong;

a plurality of cages supported on said cage-holding means;

water-holding means mounted within said hollow beam, there being longitudinally spaced water outlet openings near the bottom of said water holding means, and there being a row of registering water access openings in said beam, each cage having an opening adjacent one of said water access openings, the water outlet openings of the water holding means being small enough in diameter that water within said water holding means is normally held by surface tension, and the water access openings in the beam being large enough to permit rodents to lick said water outlet openings but too small to permit the rodents to chew upon the water holding means.

7. A rodent cage system as defined in claim 6 wherein said water holding means comprises a plurality of individual water containers each having a water outlet opening near the bottom thereof.

8. A rodent cage system as defined in claim 7 and also comprising a continuous elongated feed hopper removably positioned along the side of said beam between said beam and said plurality of cages.

9. A rodent cage system as defined in claim 8 wherein said plurality of cages is positioned in two parallel lines on opposite sides of said beam, and further comprising a second continuous elongated feed hopper positioned along the opposite side of said beam from the first-mentioned feed hopper, said second feed hopper being positioned between a side of said beam and one of said lines of cages, and the first-mentioned feed hopper being positioned between the other side of the beam and the other of said lines of cages.

10. A rodent cage system as defined in claim 9 and further comprising a rodent dropping pan removably connected to the bottom of each cage.

11. A rodent cage system comprising a hollow elongated rigid beam, end plates attached to opposing ends of said beam and having portions projecting laterally therebeyond, a rail supported by said projecting portions of said end plates on each side of the beam, each rail having an upwardly projecting flange, a plurality of cages each having a hook on an upper portion thereof removably connected with one of said rail flanges, water holding means mounted within said hollow beam, said water holding means, beam and cages having registering openings affording access to water from the cages through said beam.

12. A rodent cage system comprising a housing having a bottom, a rodent cage, means supporting said cage adjacent to and externally of said housing, a water container removably mounted within said housing and having a water outlet opening near the bottom thereof, a water access opening in said housing below said water outlet opening, said cage having an opening adjacent said water access opening of said housing, said water outlet opening being small enough in diameter that water within the water container is normally held by surface tension, and said water access opening in the housing being large enough to permit rodents to lick the water outlet opening of the water container but too small to permit the rodents to chew upon the water container.

13. A rodent cage system comprising an elongated rigid beam, a row of cages, cooperating means on said beam and cages for removably supporting the cages along said beam, said cooperating means including a hook on each cage, and an elongated rail supported on the beam with which The hooks are removably engaged, and also including a swingable retainer bar for releasably maintaining the hooks in engagement.