DEVICE FOR FIXING LABORATORY RATS
The device securely suspends laboratory rats by the tail using clamping half-blocks and chamfered clamps, addressing the challenge of soft tissue ischemia and ground contact while providing food and water access, crucial for sarcopenia modeling.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- RU · RU
- Patent Type
- Utility models
- Current Assignee / Owner
- GOSUDARSTVENNOE BIUDZHETNOE UCHREZHDENIE ZDRAVOOKHRANENIIA REPUBLIC OF CRYM NAUCHNO-ISSLEDOVATELSKII INST OF HEALTH PHYSIOTHERAPY & MEDICAL REHABILITATION (GBUZRK NII DKF I MR)
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-08
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-30
AI Technical Summary
Existing devices fail to securely suspend laboratory rats by the tail without causing soft tissue ischemia, while ensuring they do not touch the ground with their hind legs and maintain access to food and water for two weeks, which is necessary for creating a sarcopenia model.
A device with clamping half-blocks shaped like a segment of a truncated elliptical cone and chamfered clamps securely fixes the rat's tail, preventing ischemia and allowing suspension without ground contact.
The device effectively suspends rats by the tail, preventing ischemia and maintaining access to food and water for two weeks, ensuring the rats do not touch the ground with their hind paws.
Smart Images

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Abstract
Description
[0001] The utility model relates to medical equipment and can be used for testing on laboratory animals.
[0002] A device for restraining laboratory rats is known, comprising a semi-cylindrical body with a front, middle, and rear section. The head section is cone-shaped with a semicircular opening at the top for ventilation. The semi-cylindrical body is 120 mm long and 40 mm high and is made of durable plastic without a base. Elastic straps (5 mm wide) with locks are located vertically in the front and middle sections of the device, while a strap (tie) is located horizontally in the rear section for restraining the animal (RU 2790671).
[0003] The closest in technical essence is a clothespin containing two identical parts, on each of which a through window and a projection are made, with the possibility of fixing the projection of one part in the corresponding window of the other part, characterized in that the through window and the projection are additionally made at the place where the force is applied to open the levers of the clothespin and are located on opposite parts relative to each other, a fixing element in the form of a hook is made on the projection (RU 192048, prototype).
[0004] The technical problem that the utility model is aimed at solving is that rats, in order to form a sarcopenia model - antigravity unloading of the pelvic limbs - must be suspended by the tail so that they do not touch the ground with their hind legs for two weeks in a row with free access to food and water, so that this does not cause ischemia of the soft tissues of the tail in laboratory rats.
[0005] The technical result that solves the above problem consists of securely suspending laboratory rats by the tail, preventing soft tissue ischemia in the rats' tails. Furthermore, the rats do not touch the ground with their hind paws for two consecutive weeks, with free access to food.
[0006] The essence of the utility model is that in a device for fixing laboratory rats, containing two clamping half-blocks, each clamping half-block is made as in Fig. 1 and is provided with an axial recess in the form of a segment of a truncated elliptical cone, two clamps are introduced, and on the outer surface of the clamping half-blocks, chamfers are formed for the clamps, which are made with the possibility of installation on two clamping half-blocks, while a fastening clamp is installed on the end of one clamping half-block.
[0007] The design of the device for fixing laboratory rats is explained with drawings.
[0008] Fig. 1 shows a photo of a device for fixing laboratory rats; Fig. 2 shows a general view of a device for fixing laboratory rats; Fig. 3 shows a general view of the bracket; Fig. 4 shows views of the device from the left, front and top.
[0009] The device for fixing laboratory rats contains two clamping half-blocks 2-1 and 2-2, made as in Fig. 1, a fastening clamp 3 is installed on the end of one clamping half-block 2-1, two brackets 4 serve to fasten the clamping half-blocks 2-1 and 2-2, wherein the two brackets 4 are located in chamfers 5. Each clamping half-block, made as in Fig. 1, is provided with an axial recess 6 in the form of a segment of a truncated elliptical cone.
[0010] The laboratory rat restraint device is used as follows.
[0011] In order to form a model of sarcopenia - antigravity unloading of the pelvic limbs - it is necessary to suspend laboratory rats by the tail so that they do not touch the ground with their hind legs, with free access to food and water.
[0012] The tail of a laboratory rat is placed in axial recess 6 between two clamping half-blocks 2-1 and 2-2, which are secured with clamps 4 located in chamfers 5. Due to the fact that axial recess 6 is shaped like a segment of a truncated elliptical cone, it closely matches the anatomical features of the rat's tail, preventing soft tissue ischemia. At the same time, the tail is securely fixed, and the device, along with the laboratory rat, is suspended by fastening clamp 3 so that the rat's hind paws do not touch the ground, while maintaining free access to food and water.
[0013] All parts of the laboratory rat fixation device 1, including two clamping half blocks 2-1 and 2-2 and two staples 4, are 3D printed with an error of no more than 0.1 mm, so they do not require manual finishing.
[0014] Thus, laboratory rats are securely suspended without soft tissue ischemia in the tail. Furthermore, the rats do not touch the ground with their hind paws for two consecutive weeks with free access to food.
Claims
A device for fixing laboratory rats, comprising two clamping half-blocks, characterized in that each clamping half-block is designed as in Fig. 1 and is provided with an axial recess in the form of a segment of a truncated elliptical cone, two clamps are inserted, and chamfers for the clamps are formed on the outer surface of the clamping half-blocks, which are designed with the possibility of installation on two clamping half-blocks, while a fastening clamp is installed on the end of one clamping half-block.