NexGen™ Mouse 900 Group Housing Cage with Automatic Watering

NexGen™ Mouse 900 Group Housing Cage with Automatic Watering – Large Reusable IVC Cage for Group Housing and Breeding of Mice

The NexGen™ Mouse 900 is a large, reusable individually ventilated cage (IVC) with 916 cm² of floor space, designed for group housing and breeding of mice. It combines the light weight, easy handling, and low vibration of the Allentown NexGen™ IVC system with almost twice the floor area of a standard mouse cage. The cage docks into NexGen Mouse 900 IVC racks, available in 45- and 90-cage configurations.

This version (Cat. no. 229743-2) 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). 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. 229743-1).

Key Features

• Prepared for rack-mounted automatic watering – no water bottles to fill, change, or wash
• 916 cm² of floor space for group housing and breeding
• Clear, high-temperature-resistant polysulfone cage for easy animal observation
• Gasketed cage lid protects animals and keeps the microenvironment secure
• Hinged filter retainer swings up for quick filter replacement
• Flip-up/stay-up cardholders that do not obstruct the view into the cage
• Smooth, single-finger docking and undocking in NexGen IVC racks with auto-locking runners
• Compact nesting and stacking for higher autoclave throughput
• Autoclavable up to 134 °C and chemically sterilizable
• Tops available with or without locks

How to Complete the NexGen 900 Cage Set

The NexGen™ Mouse 900 Group Housing Cage with Automatic Watering is supplied as a complete cage with the following components:

1. NexGen Mouse 900 cage base, with automatic watering

2. Choose one of three external tops: Micro Barrier Top, External Bottle Top, or External Hydropac® Top. All models are available with or without locks. With automatic watering, the Micro Barrier Top is recommended, as no water bottle is required.

3. Wire bar lid: Half Pocket Wire Bar Lid (food capacity: 998 g)

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

5. Choose one of three enrichment options: Mouse Mezzanine™, Safe Harbor Mouse Retreat™, or Cage Divider

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 15 mice weighing 20 g or less
• Up to 12 mice weighing over 20 g and up to 25 g
• Up to 11 mice weighing over 25 g and up to 30 g
• Up to 9 mice weighing over 30 g

Hamsters:

• Up to 6 hamsters weighing 60 g or less
• Up to 4 hamsters weighing over 60 g and up to 100 g
• Up to 3 hamsters weighing over 100 g

Applications of the NexGen™ Mouse 900 Group Housing Cage with Automatic Watering

The NexGen™ Mouse 900 Group Housing Cage 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, 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 mouse facilities with group housing and breeding colonies, where automatic watering replaces daily bottle filling, changing, and washing
• Group-housed and breeding mice requiring continuous access to fresh, consistently treated water
• Long-term and preclinical studies where a reliable water supply and reduced cage handling minimize disturbance to the animals
• Facilities aiming to reduce washroom workload, water bottle inventory, and labor costs

For facilities without a central watering installation, the bottle watering version of this cage (Cat. no. 229743-1) is recommended.