EasyCage® Rat Single-Use Cage Base with Automatic Watering

EasyCage® Rat Single-Use Cage Base with Automatic Watering – Single-Use, Recyclable IVC Cage for Rats

EasyCage® Rat is a single-use, recyclable, and retrofittable individually ventilated cage (IVC) for rats that is compatible with Allentown NexGen Rat 900 IVC racks. Because it is single-use, EasyCage eliminates the need for cage washing and autoclaving, streamlining vivarium operations while improving biosecurity and ergonomics and reducing energy consumption. All plastic components are delivered decontaminated and ready to use. Once assembled, the cage is placed directly into the rack, and after use, the bedding is discarded and the cage is recycled or disposed of.

This version (Cat. no. 229801-R) is designed for automatic watering: when the cage is docked, it connects to the drinking valve of an IVC rack equipped with an automatic watering system (a stainless steel watering manifold with removable valves). The automatic watering base requires a reusable grommet (Cat. no. 126146), which is transferred from cage to cage. Animals have continuous access to fresh water, and staff no longer need to fill, change, or wash water bottles. A version for bottle watering is also available (Cat. no. 229799-R).

Key Features

• Prepared for rack-mounted automatic watering – no water bottles to fill, change, or wash
• Single-use, recyclable, BPA-free PET cage – no cage washing or autoclaving required
• All plastic components delivered decontaminated and ready to use
• Snap-fit base and lid with sealed filters that maintain the microenvironment
• Pre-bedded NestPak® option: bedding, nesting material, and enrichment in one
• Lightweight components for easy, ergonomic handling
• Retrofittable – docks directly into Allentown NexGen IVC racks alongside reusable NexGen cages

How to Complete the EasyCage Rat Cage Set

The EasyCage® Rat Single-Use Cage Base with Automatic Watering is supplied as a complete cage with the following components:

1. EasyCage Rat base, with automatic watering – floor space: 903 cm², available empty or pre-bedded with NestPak®

2. Choose a lid: No Bottle Hole Lid – recommended with automatic watering, as no water bottle is required – or Bottle Lid with Hole. Both lids are made of recyclable, BPA-free PET with sealed filters.

3. Wire bar lid: Stainless Steel Wire Bar Lid (food capacity: 798 g), reusable for more than one cage change

4. Automatic watering – the cage base connects to the rack's drinking valve when the cage is docked; a reusable grommet (Cat. no. 126146) is required. The cage requires a NexGen Rat IVC rack with automatic watering, connected to the facility's central automatic watering system.

5. EasyCage Cardholder – made of recyclable PVC, slides onto the lid, and accommodates 76 × 102 mm or 76 × 127 mm cage cards

6. NestPak® bedding – 2 × 100 g of ALPHA-dri®, corn cob, or Performance BioFresh™: a 3-in-1 solution for bedding, nesting, and enrichment that reduces airborne particulates and allergens; suitable for autoclaving and irradiation

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 4 rats weighing 200 g or less
• Up to 3 rats weighing over 200 g and up to 300 g
• Up to 2 rats weighing over 300 g and up to 400 g
• Up to 2 rats weighing over 400 g and up to 600 g

Applications of the EasyCage® Rat Single-Use Cage Base with Automatic Watering

The EasyCage® Rat Single-Use Cage Base with Automatic Watering is a component of the Allentown NexGen™ IVC systems. The cage is therefore used together with a complete NexGen IVC rack and a watering installation prepared in the animal facility.

A central automatic watering system is part of the building infrastructure and typically includes water treatment and filtration, pressure-reducing stations, stainless steel room distribution piping, flexible rack connection hoses, rack manifolds with drinking valves, automated flushing and sanitization, and pressure and flow monitoring with alarms. The complete system – IVC racks, single-use cages, and watering installation – is best suited to:

• New vivaria and facility modernizations where automatic watering is designed into the building infrastructure together with the IVC racks
• Large rat facilities and barrier (SPF) units combining single-use caging with automatic watering, eliminating both cage washing and daily bottle handling
• Biosecure facilities, quarantine, and animal import units requiring a fresh, decontaminated cage at every cage change and continuous access to treated water
• Facilities aiming to reduce washroom workload, water and energy consumption, and labor costs

For facilities without a central watering installation, the bottle watering version of this cage (Cat. no. 229799-R) is recommended.