Optirat Plus Cage Divider for Mezzanine without Social Holes

Social Enrichment with Vertical Complexity for Singly Housed Rats

Laboratory rats are often housed individually for experimental reasons, but social isolation can cause welfare issues. A non-gasketed divider with mezzanine allows the rats to interact in terms of sight, smell, and sound while preventing interactions that could include excessive worrying or overgrooming at permanent installations such as head caps. Providing appropriate conspecific contact for singly-housed rodents represents best practices and is looked upon favorably as a means to improve welfare for animals who must be housed by themselves; in addition accessing a shelf has been identified as valuable to many rodents.

Recommendations: This divider is for use specifically with the mezzanine made for the divider. This divider isn’t compatible with auto-water or with the Optirat Plus Cage Mezzanine CP79A102M

Typical products purchased with this divider are:

• Split feeder for Optirat GenII/Plus Dividers: M40022OR
• Optirat Plus Mezzanine for Divider Only : CP79A102MD