Feeding cabinet capable of automatically feeding and weighing mice

Abstract

The utility model relates to a feeding cabinet for automatically feeding and weighing mice. The feeding cabinet comprises a feeding cage and a cabinet body, the cabinet body comprises a plurality of compartments; the bottoms of the compartments incline downwards along the interior of the cabinet body; a blow-off pipe is arranged on the outer side of the cabinet body back plate, a blow-off through hole is formed in the junction of the cabinet body back plate and the bottom of the compartment, and the blow-off through hole is connected with the blow-off pipe; the lower end of the blow-off pipe is provided with a blow-off port; a collecting drawer is arranged at the bottom of the cabinet body, and the drain outlet is connected into the collecting drawer; the feeding cage bottom plate is in a grid shape. The rearing cages are placed in the cabinet body for collecting and treating excrement of mice in a centralized mode, the rearing cages can be managed and cleaned in a unified mode, flushed dirt can be collected and treated at a time, operation is easy, and cleaning is convenient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of laboratory animal husbandry technology, and in particular to a feeding cabinet for mice that automatically feeds and weighs them. Background Technology

[0002] This invention is a convenient laboratory mouse rearing device. In biomedical research, mice are commonly used experimental animal models, and the precision required for their rearing and management is increasing.

[0003] Currently, laboratory mice are typically housed in individual cages. These cages are simple in structure, consisting of a cage body, lid, food bowl, and water bottle, and are suitable for general mouse housing and basic experiments. They provide a safe, clean, and cross-contamination-free environment for mice, maintaining stable temperature, humidity, cleanliness, and pressure, thus reducing the risk of infection. They are commonly used for SPF-grade mouse housing. However, due to the large number of experimental control groups, a large number of mice need to be housed, and each mouse requires its own cage. Cleaning and managing these individual cages is very inconvenient. Even when using existing mouse cage racks, it's simply a matter of placing the cages on the rack; management and cleaning still require removing and washing each cage individually. There is no convenient centralized management solution, making the operation cumbersome.

[0004] Meanwhile, in the process of raising laboratory mice, we rely heavily on manual, timed feeding, which makes it difficult to accurately grasp the actual food needs of each cage of mice. This leads to inconsistencies in the daily food intake of the mice, thus affecting the accuracy of experimental results. Furthermore, frequent manual measurement and adjustment of mouse feeding amounts are inefficient and increase the workload of staff. Measuring mouse weight is also cumbersome and error-prone. Traditional weighing methods require manually handling the mice, which is not only tedious but can also harm the mice, causing stress and affecting their physiological state during experiments and the reliability of experimental data. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the shortcomings of the existing technology, this invention provides an automatic feeding and weighing cage for mice. By designing a cage that collects mouse cages, allows for unified collection of excrement and cage cleaning, and then disposes of the waste, reducing tedious cleaning operations. Specifically, the technical solution of this invention to achieve the above objectives is as follows:

[0006] A feeding and weighing cage for mice includes a feeding cage and a cabinet body; the cabinet body includes several compartments; the bottom of each compartment slopes downwards along the interior of the cabinet body; a drain pipe is provided on the outer side of the cabinet body back panel, and a drain hole is provided at the junction of the cabinet body back panel and the bottom of the compartment, the drain hole being connected to the drain pipe; a drain outlet is provided at the lower end of the drain pipe; a collection drawer is provided at the bottom of the cabinet body, and the drain outlet is connected to the collection drawer; the bottom plate of the feeding cage is mesh-like.

[0007] Furthermore, the rearing cage has outwardly extending lugs on both sides; the side walls of the compartment are provided with support structures, and the rearing cage can be suspended on the support platforms through the lugs.

[0008] Furthermore, the feeding cage includes a cage body and a top cover, one end of which is hinged to one side of the cage body; the top cover is mesh-shaped and has a downwardly sloping V-shaped groove, with a partition in the middle of the V-shaped groove dividing it into two parts, so that the V-shaped groove can be used to place a water bottle and food respectively; a feeder is provided on the top of the top cover.

[0009] Furthermore, a feeding trough is provided at the bottom of the cage, and the feeding trough is installed below the feeder outlet; an electronic scale is also provided at the bottom of the cage.

[0010] Furthermore, slots are provided on both sides of the bottom of the feeding cage; the slots are located below the bottom plate; a waste collection tray is provided that can be inserted into the slot; a handle is provided on one end of the waste collection tray.

[0011] Furthermore, the compartments are arranged neatly, with the two sides of the compartments in the same row aligned vertically, and the drain holes in the compartments in the same row are located on the same vertical line; the drain pipe includes a connecting part and a collecting part, the connecting part includes several vertically downward-arranged pipes, and each pipe of the connecting part connects to a row of drain holes; the lower ends of the connecting parts are connected together through the pipes of the collecting part, the collecting part is inclined, and the drain outlet is installed at the lowest point of the pipes of the collecting part.

[0012] Furthermore, the collection drawer is located at the very center of the bottom of the cabinet; it can be pulled out from the bottom of the cabinet.

[0013] Furthermore, the edge of the upper cover is inclinedly connected to the upper surface of the upper cover, and the plane of the upper surface of the upper cover is lower than the plane of the edge of the upper cover; a handle is provided on the edge of the upper cover relative to the hinge side.

[0014] To use, open the top cover 11 of the feeding cage 1, place the mouse inside, and then place the feeding cage 1 into the compartment of the cabinet 2. Suspend the feeding cage 1 on the support 22 within the compartment using the lugs 18. Feed the mouse into the feeding cage 1 using the feeder 13, and insert the water bottle 14 into the V-shaped groove 12 of the top cover 11 of the feeding cage 1. If the food in the feeder 13 runs out, mouse food can be added to the V-shaped groove 12. The mouse's weight can be read when it climbs onto the electronic scale 16, and the mouse can also be guided or driven onto the electronic scale 16. For cleaning, simply rinse the feeding cage 1 and the bottom of the compartment with water. Waste enters the drain pipe 3 through the drain hole 21, then flows down through the drain outlet 33 into the collection drawer 23. Finally, empty and rinse the collection drawer 23 to remove all waste. If the mice need to be kept separately or the rearing cage 1 needs to be moved, the waste collection tray 17 can be inserted into the slot at the bottom of the rearing cage 1 located below the bottom plate to use the rearing cage 1 alone.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0016] This invention uses a cabinet with centralized collection and treatment of mouse excrement to house the breeding cages, enabling unified management and cleaning of multiple breeding cages, and collecting and treating the washed-off waste in one go. It is simple to operate and easy to clean. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the usage state of Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional view of the back of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a front view of Embodiment 1 of the present utility model;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the feeding cage described in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the feeding cage described in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding device in use according to Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the feeding cage according to Embodiment 2 of this utility model;

[0025] In the picture:

[0026] 1—Rearing cage, 11—Top cover, 12—V-shaped trough, 13—Feeder, 14—Water bottle, 15—Feeding trough

[0027] 16—Electronic scale, 17—Dirty tray, 18—Leg, 19—Mesh base plate;

[0028] 2—Cabinet body, 21—Drain hole, 22—Support, 23—Collection drawer;

[0029] 3—sewage pipe, 31—connection part, 32—collection part, 33—sewage outlet. Detailed Implementation

[0030] like Figure 1-8 As shown, the embodiments of this utility model are as follows:

[0031] Example 1:

[0032] A feeding cage for mice with automatic feeding and weighing, comprising a feeding cage 1 and a cabinet 2;

[0033] The cabinet 2 includes several compartments; the bottom of each compartment slopes downwards along the interior of the cabinet 2; the rearing cage 1 has outwardly extending lugs 18 on both sides; the side walls of each compartment have a support platform 22 structure, and the rearing cage 1 can be suspended on the support platform 22 through the lugs 18. A drain pipe 3 is provided on the outer side of the back panel of the cabinet 2, and a drain hole 21 is provided at the junction of the back panel of the cabinet 2 and the bottom of the compartment, which is connected to the drain pipe 3; a drain outlet 33 is provided at the lower end of the drain pipe 3; a collection drawer 23 is provided at the bottom of the cabinet 2, and the drain outlet 33 is connected to the collection drawer 23. The compartments are neatly arranged, with both sides of each compartment aligned vertically, and the drain holes 21 within each compartment are located on the same vertical line. The drain pipe 3 includes a connecting part 31 and a collecting part 32. The connecting part 31 includes several vertically downward-facing pipes, each pipe of the connecting part 31 connecting to a row of drain holes 21. The lower ends of the connecting parts 31 are connected together through pipes in the collecting part 32, which is inclined. The drain outlet 33 is installed at the lowest point of the pipes in the collecting part 32. The collection drawer 23 is located at the center of the bottom of the cabinet 2 and can be pulled out from the bottom of the cabinet 2.

[0034] The rearing cage 1 includes a cage body and a top cover 11, one end of which is hinged to one side of the cage body. The top cover 11 is mesh-like and has downward-sloping V-shaped grooves 12. A partition is provided in the middle of the V-shaped grooves 12, dividing them into two parts, so that the V-shaped grooves 12 are used to place water bottles 14 and food respectively. A feeder 13 is provided on the top of the top cover 11. The bottom plate of the rearing cage 1 is mesh-like. A feeding trough 15 is provided at the bottom of the cage body, and the feeding trough 15 is installed below the outlet of the feeder 13. An electronic scale 16 is also provided at the bottom of the cage body. Slots are also provided on both sides of the bottom of the rearing cage 1; the slots are located below the bottom plate; a waste tray 17 is provided that can be inserted into the slot; a handle is provided on one end of the waste tray 17. The edge of the top cover 11 is inclined to the upper surface of the top cover 11, and the plane of the upper surface of the top cover 11 is lower than the plane of the edge of the top cover 11; a handle is provided on the edge of the top cover 11 opposite to the hinged side.

[0035] Example 2:

[0036] The bottom plate of the breeding cage 1 is a mesh bottom plate 19, which is different from the traditional grid bottom plate. The mesh bottom plate 19 consists of a whole flat plate with small holes. The holes are evenly spaced and the spacing between the holes is smaller than that of the grid bottom plate. Therefore, there is no need to lay corn cob bedding or poplar wood chip bedding when using it. Combined with the easy washing and cleaning function of the cabinet 2, when cleaning, you only need to rinse water into the breeding cage 1 and the dirt will be flushed out along the small holes.

[0037] To use, open the top cover 11 of the feeding cage 1, place the mouse inside, and then place the feeding cage 1 into the compartment of the cabinet 2. Suspend the feeding cage 1 on the support 22 within the compartment using the lugs 18. Feed the mouse into the feeding cage 1 using the feeder 13, and insert the water bottle 14 into the V-shaped groove 12 of the top cover 11 of the feeding cage 1. If the food in the feeder 13 runs out, mouse food can be added to the V-shaped groove 12. The mouse's weight can be read when it climbs onto the electronic scale 16, and the mouse can also be guided or driven onto the electronic scale 16. For cleaning, simply rinse the feeding cage 1 and the bottom of the compartment with water. Waste enters the drain pipe 3 through the drain hole 21, then flows down through the drain outlet 33 into the collection drawer 23. Finally, empty and rinse the collection drawer 23 to remove all waste. If the mice need to be kept separately or the rearing cage 1 needs to be moved, the waste collection tray 17 can be inserted into the slot at the bottom of the rearing cage 1 located below the bottom plate to use the rearing cage 1 alone.

[0038] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative or explanatory of the principles of this utility model and do not constitute a limitation thereof. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made without departing from the spirit and scope of this utility model should be included within its protection scope. Furthermore, the appended claims are intended to cover all variations and modifications falling within the scope and boundaries of the appended claims, or equivalent forms of such scope and boundaries.

Claims

1. A feeding cage for mice with automatic feeding and weighing, comprising a feeding cage (1) and a cabinet (2); characterized in that: The cabinet (2) includes several compartments; the bottom of each compartment slopes downward along the interior of the cabinet (2); A drain pipe (3) is provided on the outside of the back panel of the cabinet (2). A drain hole (21) is provided at the junction of the back panel of the cabinet (2) and the bottom of the compartment. The drain hole (21) is connected to the drain pipe (3). A drain outlet (33) is provided at the lower end of the drain pipe (3). The cabinet (2) is provided with a collection drawer (23) at the bottom, and the drain outlet (33) is connected to the collection drawer (23); The bottom plate of the feeding cage (1) is mesh-shaped.

2. The mouse automatic feeding and weighing feeding cabinet according to claim 1, wherein: The rearing cage (1) has outwardly extending lugs (18) on both sides; the side walls of the compartment are provided with a support platform (22) structure, and the rearing cage (1) can be suspended on the support platform (22) through the lugs (18).

3. The mouse automatic feeding and weighing cage of claim 2, wherein: The feeding cage (1) includes a cage body and a top cover (11). One end of the top cover (11) is hinged to one side of the cage body. The top cover (11) is mesh-shaped and has a downward-sloping V-shaped groove (12). A partition is provided in the middle of the V-shaped groove (12) to divide the V-shaped groove (12) into two parts, so that the V-shaped groove (12) is used to place a water bottle (14) and food respectively. A feeder (13) is provided on the top of the top cover (11).

4. The mouse automatic feeding and weighing cage of claim 3, wherein: The bottom of the cage is provided with a feeding trough (15), which is installed below the outlet of the feeder (13); the bottom of the cage is also provided with an electronic scale (16).

5. The mouse automatic feeding and weighing cage of claim 4, wherein: The bottom of the feeding cage (1) is provided with slots on both sides; the slots are located below the bottom plate; a waste collection tray (17) is provided that can be inserted into the slots; a handle is provided on one end of the waste collection tray (17).

6. The mouse automatic feeding and weighing cage of claim 1, wherein: The compartments are arranged neatly, with the two sides of the compartments in the same row aligned vertically, and the drain holes (21) opened in the compartments in the same row are located on the same vertical line; the drain pipe (3) includes a connecting part (31) and a collecting part (32), the connecting part (31) includes several vertically downward pipes, and each pipe of the connecting part (31) is connected to a row of drain holes (21); the lower ends of the connecting part (31) are connected together through the pipes of the collecting part (32), the collecting part (32) is inclined, and the drain outlet (33) is installed at the lowest point of the pipe of the collecting part (32).

7. The mouse automatic feeding and weighing cage of claim 1, wherein: The collection drawer (23) is located at the center of the bottom of the cabinet (2); it can be pulled out from the bottom of the cabinet (2).

8. The mouse automatic feeding and weighing cage of claim 3, wherein: The edge of the upper cover (11) is inclinedly connected to the upper surface of the upper cover (11), and the plane of the upper surface of the upper cover (11) is lower than the plane of the edge of the upper cover (11); a handle is provided on the edge of the upper cover (11) relative to the hinge side.

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