BCU-2™ Mouse Sealed Negative Pressure Cage

BCU-2™ Mouse Sealed Negative Pressure Cage – Sealed, Negative-Pressure Biocontainment IVC Cage for Mice

The BCU-2™ Mouse is a sealed, negative-pressure individually ventilated cage for the biocontainment housing of mice. Allentown introduced the first BCU in 1997 as an alternative to glove-box isolators, and for more than 20 years, it has been regarded as the gold standard in biocontainment housing. The BCU-2 incorporates the innovations of the NexGen IVC system – lightweight construction and streamlined handling – while retaining the reliable performance of the original BCU. The gasketed cage maintains negative pressure when it is removed from the rack.

Watering is provided via a water bottle (Cat. no. 227422 is designed for bottle watering only).

Key Features

• Patented four-point seal (US Patent 6,308,660): when a cage is removed, both the cage and the rack remain sealed from the room
• Gasketed cage lid maintains negative pressure within the cage when it is removed from the rack
• Standard cage-level exhaust filtration; optional certified cage-level HEPA exhaust and supply filtration
• SmartDock™ prevents incorrect cage docking
• Ergonomic cage locks provide consistent pressure along the entire cage perimeter; the locks flip up for tunnel washing
• Clear polysulfone cage and flip-up cardholders for easy observation
• Animal welfare checks without fully removing the cage from the rack
• Compact nesting and stacking for efficient autoclaving
• At least 10 hours of rack battery backup, with blower redundancy, wireless monitoring, and alarms

How to Complete the BCU-2 Mouse Cage Set

The BCU-2™ Mouse Sealed Negative Pressure Cage is supplied as a complete cage with the following components:

1. BCU-2 Mouse cage assembly (cage bottom)

2. Top: Standard Filter Top Assembly with a gasket and ergonomic cage locks

3. Choose one of three wire bar lids and feeders: Dual Pocket Wire Bar Lid (food capacity: 907 g), Full Pocket Wire Bar Lid (food capacity: 426 g), or Hydropac®-compatible Plastic Feeder Tray (PFT) with stainless steel grate (food capacity: 426 g)

4. Choose a water bottle: 250 mL or 430 mL

5. Choose a cardholder: vertical or horizontal (each for 76 × 102 mm or 76 × 127 mm cage cards)

6. Filters: Intra-Cage Extract Filter with Extract Filter Housing – standard; Certified Intra-Cage HEPA Filter (Exhaust) – optional

Housing Capacity According to Directive 2010/63/EU

Maximum number of animals per cage, based on the minimum floor area per animal set out in Directive 2010/63/EU:

• Up to 8 mice weighing less than 20 g
• Up to 7 mice weighing 20–25 g
• Up to 6 mice weighing 25–30 g
• Up to 5 mice weighing 30 g or more

Applications of the BCU-2™ Mouse Cage

• Biocontainment housing of mice in infectious disease research
• Housing of mice exposed to hazardous agents as an alternative to glove-box isolators
• Biocontainment facilities (e.g., ABSL-2 and ABSL-3), as part of the facility's overall containment strategy
• Transport and temporary housing in the BCU-2 Animal Transfer Unit