GB2274572A - Animal cage - Google Patents

Abstract

A cage for a rabbit comprises a main compartment (10, 12) for the rabbit and a nest box (20). The nest box (20) is detachably mounted outside the main compartment and has an access tunnel (22) passing through a wall of the main compartment to allow a rabbit to move between the main compartment and the nest box. <IMAGE>

Description

ANIMAL CAGE Field of the invention The invention relates to a cage for use in animal laboratories and is particularly concerned with a cage for housing rabbits.

Background of the invention It is known to house rabbits in plastics cages that are supported on racks. The dimensions of the cages are a compromise between maximising the use of laboratory space and improving the comfort of the animal and as a result the size of cage used normally is not adequate for a rabbit while it is breeding.

For this reason, it is common to transfer a breeding rabbit to a larger cage that contains a nest box especially designed to house the litter and keep the young rabbits warm and safe. Rabbits, unlike some other animals, do not sit over their young during this period and a cage for a breeding rabbit needs to provide a compartment for the young rabbits separate from the mother's compartment which affords the young rabbit warmth and comfort.

Apart from the large size of known cages for breeding rabbits they have the disadvantage that the nest box can only be accessed by opening the cage and disturbing the mother.

This makes cleaning out of the cages and nest boxes more complex and time consuming than necessary.

Summary of the invention With a view to mitigating at least some of the foregoing disadvantages, the present invention provides a cage for a rabbit, comprising a main compartment for the rabbit and a nest box, wherein the nest box is detachably mounted outside the main compartment and has an access tunnel passing through a wall of the main compartment to allow a rabbit to move between the main compartment and the nest box.

The nest box preferably has a door located outside the main compartment to allow access to the interior of the nest box without opening the main compartment.

Advantageously, the floor of the nest box should not be perforated so as to avoid draughts inside the nest box.

Holes for ventilation may conveniently be formed in the side walls, or more preferably the door, of the nest box.

The nest box is preferably mounted on the exterior of the main compartment in such a manner as to be able to support the weight of the rabbit but it is alternatively possible to support the weight of the nest box on a separate frame.

Brief description of the drawings The invention will now be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the main compartment only of a rabbit cage of the invention, and Figure 2 is a front elevation showing a nest box mounted on the main compartment shown in Figure 1.

The rabbit cage shown in Figure 1 includes a base 10 and a cover 12, each of which is formed as a plastics moulding.

The individual cages are stacked in racks made of tubular metal that are designed to hold the two parts of each cage together and to support beneath each cage a tray. The front of the cage has an opening 14 covered by a grill.

The grill, which is not shown in the drawing, may be supported either between the two halves of the cage or it may be secured to the rack.

As so far described, the cage is known and commercially available. It has many advantages over more conventional metal cages in that it can be cleaned more easily, and is more comfortable for the rabbit as it is warm and smooth to the touch. Plastics cages also do not make as much noise as metal cages if they should rattle in their racks through movement of the rabbits.

The only significant difference between the cage shown in Figure 1 and known plastics cages resides in a hole 16 cut into one side of the cage, the hole being big enough for the rabbit to pass through it. This is to allow the rabbit to move into a nest box 20 mounted outside the main compartment of the cage as shown in Figure 2.

The nest box 20, like the main body of the cage, is formed of two moulded parts 20a and 20b that may be kept together in any desired manner. The two parts define an interior nesting compartment and a tunnel 22 that fits in the hole 16 in the side of the main compartment of the cage. At one end, the nest box is fitted with a door that is to one of the two parts 20a and 20b and that may be opened by an attendant to allow access to the interior of the nest box 20 without having to open the main compartment.

The floor of the main compartment is perforated to allow excrement to fall onto the underlying tray but for the comfort of the young rabbits in the nest box 20, the floor has no holes in it and is instead covered with hay. To provide ventilation without draughts, holes 26 are provided in the door 24. Ventilation holes may also be provided in the side walls of the nest box or its ceiling.

The method by which the nest box 20 is secured to the main compartment is not shown in the drawing. It is possible for nest box 20 to be firmly attached to the side of the main compartment so that the weight of the nest box and its contents is born by the wall of the main compartment.

It is alternatively possible to mount the nest box firmly on the support rack so that its weight is born by the rack, the rack also serving to hold the main compartment in such a position that the tunnel 22 aligns with the hole 16.

The proposed construction of a cage for a breeding rabbit allows the required increased floor area to be achieved by making only minor alterations to an existing cage. The main compartment only requires the hole 16 to be formed in its side wall. The rack system also requires little alteration to accommodate the next boxes as lateral extensions of the main compartments. Maintenance is also simplified in that the nest box may be easily accessed or removed for cleaning and inspection.

It is possible to provide a blanking plate to close off the hole 16 so that the cage may be restored to a conventional cage when the rabbit is not breeding but it is envisaged that an animal laboratory, instead of converting cages from one type to the other, would keep a supply of both types of cages. Because the same rack system can be used for both types of cage, the change over can be carried out simply by sliding out one cage and sliding in the other.

Though the cage of the invention is intended for a breeding rabbit, it can be used even when a rabbit is not breeding to provide the rabbit with more interest and improve its quality of life.

Claims (7)

Claims

1. A cage for a rabbit, comprising a main compartment for the rabbit and a nest box, wherein the nest box is detachably mounted outside the main compartment and has an access tunnel passing through a wall of the main compartment to allow a rabbit to move between the main compartment and the nest box.

2. A cage as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nest box has a door located outside the main compartment to allow access to the interior of the nest box without opening the main compartment.

3. A cage as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the floor of the nest box is not perforated.

4. A cage as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein holes for ventilation are formed in the side walls, or the door, of the nest box.

5. A cage as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the nest box is secured to the exterior of the main compartment in such a manner as to be able to support the weight of the rabbit.

5. A cage as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the weight of the nest box is support by a metal rack serving to the support the main compartment of the cage.

6. A cage as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the main compartment and the nest box are each formed of two separable plastics mouldings.

7. A cage for a rabbit constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.