Metabolism cage for laboratory mice

Abstract

The utility model discloses a laboratory mouse metabolism cage which comprises an upper cage body, a lower cage body, a cage cover, a feeding device, a water inlet device and an excrement and urine separating device, a bottom net is arranged between the upper cage body and the lower cage body, the feeding device and the water inlet device are installed on the side wall of the upper cage body, and a residue collecting box capable of recycling feed scraps is arranged on the feeding device. A recycling bottle capable of recycling overflowed drinking water is arranged on the water fountain, the excrement and urine separating device comprises a funnel, a conical block, an excrement and urine separator, an excrement collecting bottle and a urine collecting bottle, the excrement and urine separator is installed at the lower end of the funnel and comprises an excrement collecting pipe and a urine collecting ring fixedly connected to the outer wall of the excrement collecting pipe, and the conical block is suspended in the funnel and is coaxial with the funnel. The urine collector is used for guiding urine to flow downwards into the urine collecting ring along the funnel wall and then flows along the urine guide opening, and excrement falls into the excrement collecting bottle from the middle along the excrement collecting pipe under the gravity action of the excrement. According to the utility model, falling feed debris and overflow water during feeding and water feeding of the laboratory mouse can be collected, and urine and excrement can be better separated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of animal experiments, in particular to a metabolic cage for experimental mice. Background Art

[0002] Nowadays, the biopharmaceutical industry is developing rapidly, among which animal experiments are the most scientific and systematic. In addition, mice are low in cost and have clear genetic and biological backgrounds, so most drug metabolism studies use them as research objects. The mouse metabolic cage is a very critical and important instrument for collecting feces and urine of experimental animals.

[0003] The existing laboratory mouse metabolic cage has a feeder and a waterer installed on the side wall of the cage. The laboratory mice can eat and drink water independently. A filter net and a funnel are set in the cage to collect urine and feces. There are the following problems: 1. The laboratory mice are prone to produce feed crumbs when eating, and are prone to drop overflowing drinking water when drinking water. If the feed crumbs and excess drinking water fall down into the collected excrement, it will affect the collection accuracy of the excrement; 2. The filter net and the funnel cannot separate urine and feces well, and it is not convenient to take them out. Utility Model Content

[0004] The experimental mouse metabolism cage provided by the utility model can collect feed crumbs and overflowing water dropped when the experimental mice eat and drink water, and can better separate urine and feces.

[0005] In order to achieve the above technical purpose, the technical solution adopted by the utility model is:

[0006] The experimental mouse metabolic cage comprises an upper cage body, a lower cage body, a cage cover, a feeder, a water inlet, and a feces and urine separation device. A bottom net is arranged between the upper cage body and the lower cage body, a feeding port and a drinking port are arranged on the side wall of the upper cage body, the feeder is installed at the feeding port, and the water inlet is installed at the drinking port. The feeder comprises a food box, a food bin, and a residue collection box arranged from top to bottom, a grid is arranged between the food box and the food bin, and between the food bin and the residue collection box, a feeding port is arranged above the food box, the front end of the food bin is connected with the feeding port, a push plate which can slide along the food bin is arranged inside, and a push rod is arranged at the rear end of the push plate, the water inlet comprises a drinking water bin, a drinking water bottle, and a recovery bottle, the front end of the drinking water bin is connected with the drinking port, a drinking water bottle fixing frame is arranged at the rear end, the drinking water bottle is obliquely installed on the drinking water bottle fixing frame, and the bottle mouth extends downward into the drinking water bin, a diversion port is arranged at the bottom of the drinking water bin, and a recovery bottle is arranged below the diversion port A fixing frame, a recovery bottle is vertically installed on the recovery bottle fixing frame, and the bottle mouth is upwardly aligned with the diversion port. The feces and urine separation device is arranged in the lower cage body, including a funnel, a conical grid, a feces and urine separator, a feces collecting bottle, and a urine collecting bottle. The upper end of the funnel is connected to the upper cage body, and a diversion pipe is arranged at the lower end. The conical grid is small at the top and large at the bottom, and is arranged inside the funnel and coaxial with the funnel. The diameter of the lower end of the conical grid is smaller than the diameter of the funnel with the same cross-section, and larger than the diameter of the upper end of the diversion pipe. The feces and urine separator includes a feces collecting pipe and a urine collecting ring fixedly connected to the outer wall of the feces collecting pipe. The feces and urine separator is installed below the funnel, and the upper end of the feces collecting pipe is inserted into the diversion pipe and matched with the gap of the inner wall of the diversion pipe. An annular groove is arranged on the urine collecting ring, and the lower end of the diversion pipe is located in the annular groove. The urine collecting ring is inclined, and a urine diversion port is arranged at the lowest end. The urine collecting bottle is arranged below the urine diversion port, and the feces collecting bottle is arranged below the feces collecting pipe.

[0007] Furthermore, hanging rings are provided on both sides of the urine collecting ring, supporting rods are provided on both sides of the drainage pipe, and the feces and urine separator is detachably connected to the supporting rods on both sides of the drainage pipe through the hanging rings on both sides of the urine collecting ring.

[0008] Furthermore, the shape of the lower opening of the guide tube is adapted to the inclination of the urine collecting ring.

[0009] Furthermore, a support ring is provided above the outer periphery of the conical block, support bars are evenly connected circumferentially between the support ring and the conical block, and the support ring is connected to the upper end of the funnel.

[0010] Furthermore, the diameter of the flow guide pipe gradually increases from top to bottom.

[0011] Furthermore, the side wall of the lower cage body is provided with a sampling port and a sampling cover.

[0012] Furthermore, a positioning groove for placing a feces collection bottle and a urine collection bottle is provided at the bottom of the lower cage body.

[0013] Furthermore, the push rod is a screw rod, which passes through the rear wall of the feeding bin and is threadedly connected to a nut.

[0014] Furthermore, a socket is provided on the rear wall of the water storage bin, and a water drinking pipe which can pass through the socket is provided at the mouth of the water bottle.

[0015] Furthermore, handles are provided on both sides of the bottom net, and the handles are located on the outside of the upper cage body and the lower cage body.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] 1. A residue collection box for recyclable feed crumbs is set on the feeder to collect the feed crumbs dropped by the experimental mice when eating. A recovery bottle for recyclable overflow drinking water is set on the waterer to collect overflow water during water intake to prevent feed crumbs and overflow water from falling into the excrement;

[0018] 2. The feeder is equipped with a push plate to adjust the depth of the feeding chamber to accommodate experimental mice of different sizes;

[0019] 3. By setting a conical block, urine falls along the funnel wall into the urine collecting ring of the urine-feces separator close to the funnel wall, and feces falls into the feces collecting pipe in the middle. Urine and feces are cleverly separated and collected separately;

[0020] 4. A sampling port is provided on the side wall of the lower cage for easy sampling. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 It is a side sectional view of the utility model;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a top view of the conical block;

[0024] Figure 3 It is the front view of the feces and urine separator;

[0025] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the feeder structure at the middle section BB;

[0026] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the drinking fountain structure at the middle section CC;

[0027] In the figure: 1-upper cage body, 2-lower cage body, 3-cage cover, 4-feeding port, 5-drinking port, 6-food box, 7-feeding bin, 8-residue collection box, 9-grid, 10-push plate, 11-push rod, 12-drinking bin, 13-drinking bottle, 14-recovery bottle, 15-drinking bottle fixing frame, 16-diversion port, 17-recovery bottle fixing frame, 18-bottom net, 19-funnel, 20-conical grid, 21-feces collection bottle, 22-urine collection bottle, 23-diversion pipe, 24-feces collection pipe, 25-urine collection ring, 26-urine catheterization port, 27-hanging ring, 28-handle, 29-support ring, 30-support bar, 31-sampling cover, 32-nut, 33-socket, 34-plug plate, 35-slot, 36-U-shaped claw. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0029] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that the indicated orientation or position relationship is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or is the orientation or position relationship in which the product of the application is usually placed when in use, or is the orientation or position relationship commonly understood by technical personnel in this field. It is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0030] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it is also necessary to explain that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the experimental mouse metabolic cage includes an upper cage body 1, a lower cage body 2, a cage cover 3, a feeder, a water inlet, and a feces and urine separation device. A bottom net 18 is provided between the upper cage body 1 and the lower cage body 2. The aperture of the bottom net 18 can allow feces and urine to pass through. Handles 28 are provided on both sides of the bottom net 18. The handles 28 are located on the outside of the upper cage body 1 and the lower cage body 2. The upper cage body 1 and the lower cage body 2 can be connected by a rotating buckle, and the entire device can be moved by the handles 28.

[0032] The side wall of the upper cage body 1 is provided with a feeding port 4 and a drinking port 5, the feeder is installed at the feeding port 4, and the water inlet is installed at the drinking port 5. Preferably, Figure 4 As shown, a plug plate 34 is provided at the edge of the feeder, a slot 35 is provided at the edge of the feeding port 4, and the feeder is connected to the cage body 1 through the cooperation of the plug plate 34 and the slot 35, and the installation of the water inlet is similar. The feeder comprises a food box 6, a feeding bin 7 and a residue collection box 8 arranged from top to bottom. A grid 9 is provided between the food box 6 and the feeding bin 7, and between the feeding bin 7 and the residue collection box 8. The grid between the food box 6 and the feeding bin 7 can be used to insert columnar feed, and the grid between the feeding bin 7 and the residue collection box 8 can be used to allow feed debris generated during the eating process to fall into the residue collection box 8; a feeding port is provided above the food box 6, the front end of the feeding bin 7 is connected to the feeding port 4, a push plate 10 that can slide along the feeding bin 7 is provided inside, and a push rod 11 is provided at the rear end of the push plate 10. The depth of the feeding bin 7 can be adjusted by sliding the push plate 10 to adapt to experimental mice of different body sizes. It is best to allow the experimental mice to enter the feeding bin 7 with only their heads to eat smoothly. Preferably, the push rod 11 is a screw, which passes through the rear wall of the feeding bin 7 and is threadedly connected to the nut 32. The screw is made to move linearly by rotating the nut 32, thereby driving the push plate 10 to move.

[0033] like Figure 5 As shown, the water inlet includes a drinking water bin 12, a drinking water bottle 13, and a recovery bottle 14. The front end of the drinking water bin 12 is connected to the drinking water port 5, and the rear end is provided with a drinking water bottle fixing frame 15. The drinking water bottle 13 is obliquely installed on the drinking water bottle fixing frame 15, and the bottle mouth extends downward into the drinking water bin 12. A socket 33 is provided on the rear wall of the drinking water bin 12, and a drinking water pipe that can pass through the socket 33 is provided at the bottle mouth of the drinking water bottle 13. A guide port 16 is provided at the bottom of the drinking water bin 12, and a recovery bottle fixing frame 17 is provided below the guide port 16. The recovery bottle 14 is vertically installed on the recovery bottle fixing frame 17, and the bottle mouth is upwardly aligned with the guide port 16. Preferably, the recovery bottle fixing frame 17 is provided with a U-shaped claw 36 for fixing the recovery bottle 14.

[0034] The feces and urine separation device is arranged in the lower cage body 2, including a funnel 19, a conical block 20, a feces and urine separator, a feces collection bottle 21, and a urine collection bottle 22. The upper end of the funnel 19 is connected to the upper cage body 1, and the lower end is provided with a guide pipe 23; Figure 1 , Figure 4 As shown, the conical block 20 is small at the top and large at the bottom, and a support ring 29 is provided on the outer upper part. Three support bars 30 are evenly connected between the support ring 29 and the conical block 20. The support ring 29 is connected to the upper end of the funnel 19, so that the conical block 20 is suspended inside the funnel 19 and is coaxial with the funnel 19. The diameter of the lower end of the conical block 20 is smaller than the diameter of the funnel 19 with the same cross-section, and larger than the diameter of the upper end of the guide tube 23. In this way, the urine and feces of the experimental mice will not fall directly into the bottom of the funnel 19 vertically downward, but will fall onto the wall of the funnel 19 through the conical block 20, and then roll or flow down along the wall of the funnel 19.

[0035] The feces and urine separator includes a feces collecting pipe 24 and a urine collecting ring 25 fixedly connected to the outer wall of the feces collecting pipe 24. The feces and urine separator is installed below the funnel 19. Preferably, hanging rings 27 are provided on both sides of the urine collecting ring 25, and support rods are provided on both sides of the diversion pipe 23. The feces and urine separator is detachably connected to the support rods on both sides of the diversion pipe 23 through the hanging rings 27 on both sides of the urine collecting ring 25. The upper end of the feces collecting pipe 24 is inserted into the diversion pipe 23 and cooperates with the gap of the inner wall of the diversion pipe 23. An annular groove is provided on the urine collecting ring 25, and the lower end of the diversion pipe 23 is located in the annular groove. Urine flows along the wall of the diversion pipe 23 through the gap between the urinary catheter 23 and the feces collecting pipe 24 into the urine collecting ring 25. Feces will fall into the feces collecting pipe 24 due to its own gravity. The urine collecting ring 25 is tilted and a urinary catheter port 26 is provided at the lowest end. The urine collecting bottle 22 is provided below the urinary catheter port 26. Urine falls into the urine collecting bottle 22 through the urinary catheter port 26. The shape of the lower end of the diversion pipe 23 is adapted to the inclination of the urine collecting ring 25 to ensure that urine can fall into the urine collecting ring 25 without splashing. The feces collecting bottle 21 is provided below the feces collecting pipe 24 to collect the fallen feces. Preferably, a positioning groove for placing the feces collection bottle 21 and the urine collection bottle 22 is provided at the bottom of the lower cage body 2, so that the feces collection bottle 21 and the urine collection bottle 22 are not easy to tip over. Preferably, in order to ensure that urine and feces are fully separated, the diameter of the guide tube 23 gradually increases from top to bottom.

[0036] Preferably, a sampling port and a sampling cover 31 are provided on the side wall of the lower cage body 2, so that the whole device does not need to be disassembled for sampling, and the feces collection bottle 21 and the urine collection bottle 22 can be taken out by opening the sampling cover 31.

[0037] Of course, the present invention may have many other embodiments. Without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, technicians familiar with the field may make various corresponding changes and deformations based on the present invention, but these corresponding changes and deformations should all fall within the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present invention.

Claims

1. Laboratory mouse metabolic cage, characterized by: The invention comprises an upper cage body (1), a lower cage body (2), a cage cover (3), a feeder, a water inlet, and a feces and urine separation device. A bottom net (18) is provided between the upper cage body (1) and the lower cage body (2). A feeding port (4) and a drinking port (5) are provided on the side wall of the upper cage body (1). The feeder is installed at the feeding port (4), and the water inlet is installed at the drinking port (5). The feeder comprises a food box (6), a food bin (7), and a residue collection box (8) arranged from top to bottom. A grid (9) is provided between the food box (6) and the food bin (7), and between the food bin (7) and the residue collection box (8). A mesh (9) is provided above the food box (6). The feeding port is provided, the front end of the feeding bin (7) is connected with the feeding port (4), a push plate (10) is provided inside the feeding bin (7) and can slide along the feeding bin (7), a push rod (11) is provided at the rear end of the push plate (10), the water inlet comprises a drinking water bin (12), a drinking water bottle (13), and a recovery bottle (14), the front end of the drinking water bin (12) is connected with the drinking water port (5), a drinking water bottle fixing frame (15) is provided at the rear end, the drinking water bottle (13) is obliquely installed on the drinking water bottle fixing frame (15), the bottle mouth extends downward into the drinking water bin (12), a guide port (16) is provided at the bottom of the drinking water bin (12), and a recovery bottle fixing frame (14) is provided below the guide port (16). 17), the recovery bottle (14) is vertically mounted on the recovery bottle fixing frame (17), the bottle mouth is upwardly aligned with the diversion port (16), the feces and urine separation device is arranged in the lower cage body (2), including a funnel (19), a conical block (20), a feces and urine separator, a feces collection bottle (21), and a urine collection bottle (22), the upper end of the funnel (19) is connected to the upper cage body (1), and the lower end is provided with a diversion pipe (23), the conical block (20) is small at the top and large at the bottom, is arranged inside the funnel (19) and is coaxial with the funnel (19), the lower end diameter of the conical block (20) is smaller than the diameter of the funnel (19) with the same cross section, and the larger diameter is smaller than the diameter of the funnel (19) with the same cross section. The urine-feces separator comprises a feces collecting pipe (24) and a urine collecting ring (25) fixedly connected to the outer wall of the feces collecting pipe (24). The urine-feces separator is installed below the funnel (19). The upper end of the feces collecting pipe (24) is inserted into the guide pipe (23) and is gap-matched with the inner wall of the guide pipe (23). An annular groove is provided on the urine collecting ring (25). The lower end of the guide pipe (23) is located in the annular groove. The urine collecting ring (25) is inclined and has a urine guiding port (26) at the lowest end. The urine collecting bottle (22) is arranged below the urine guiding port (26). The feces collecting bottle (21) is arranged below the feces collecting pipe (24).

2. The experimental mouse metabolic cage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The urine collecting ring (25) is provided with hanging rings (27) on both sides, and the drainage pipe (23) is provided with supporting rods on both sides. The feces and urine separator is detachably connected to the supporting rods on both sides of the drainage pipe (23) through the hanging rings (27) on both sides of the urine collecting ring (25).

3. The experimental mouse metabolic cage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shape of the lower opening of the flow guide pipe (23) is adapted to the inclination of the urine collecting ring (25).

4. The experimental mouse metabolic cage according to claim 1, characterized in that: A support ring (29) is provided above the outer periphery of the conical block (20), support bars (30) are evenly connected circumferentially between the support ring (29) and the conical block (20), and the support ring (29) is connected to the upper end of the funnel (19).

5. The experimental mouse metabolic cage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the flow guide tube (23) gradually increases from top to bottom.

6. The experimental mouse metabolic cage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side wall of the lower cage body (2) is provided with a sampling port and a sampling cover (31).

7. The laboratory mouse metabolic cage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the lower cage body (2) is provided with positioning grooves for placing a feces collection bottle (21) and a urine collection bottle (22).

8. The laboratory mouse metabolic cage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The push rod (11) is a screw rod, which passes through the rear wall of the feeding bin (7) and is threadedly connected to a nut (32).

9. The laboratory mouse metabolic cage according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rear wall of the drinking water bin (12) is provided with an insertion opening (33), and the mouth of the drinking water bottle (13) is provided with a drinking water pipe which can pass through the insertion opening (33).

10. The laboratory mouse metabolic cage according to claim 1, characterized in that: Handles (28) are provided on both sides of the bottom net (18), and the handles (28) are located outside the upper cage body (1) and the lower cage body (2).

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