Small animal incubator with a removable drawer

摘要

A small animal veterinary incubator is disclosed with an animal holding drawer that can be inserted into a temperature controlled enclosure and removed when not in use for cleaning and disinfecting. In various embodiments the incubator is portable, is at least partly transparent, controls interior oxygen and/or humidity, can use a hose to bring oxygen into close proximity with incubated animals, can introduce water-nebulized air or oxygen into the drawer through a hole, and can include a holder for a humidity bottle that humidifies air or oxygen supplied to the incubator. Some embodiments use an adjustable or regulated lamp to warm the incubator using an infrared bulb of 50 or 75 Watts. Temperature, humidity, and/or oxygen gages or sensors can be included, and the temperature, oxygen, and/or humidity can be automatically regulated. Preferred embodiment include closable vents that can be opened to allow for ventilation when only temperature is controlled.

主权项

1. An incubator for small animals, comprising:
an enclosure having a first opening therein; a drawer capable of being received by the first opening, the drawer having four sidewalls coupled to a bottom member, and having an open top and a depth suitable for containing at least one small animal, the drawer and the first opening cooperatively configured so that the drawer can be slideably inserted into the first opening of the enclosure until a front wall of the drawer becomes integrated with the enclosure, thereby closing the drawer to permit a controlled environment to be established inside of the drawer and enclosure having at least an oxygen level that is substantially different from that of the ambient air outside of the enclosure; a temperature-controlling apparatus coupled with the enclosure to control temperature of the controlled environment within the enclosure, whereby when an at least one small animal contained in the closed drawer is exposed to the controlled environment, it is inaccessible from outside of the enclosure while the drawer remains closed, and whereby access from outside of the enclosure to an at least one small animal, when contained in the closed drawer, can be restored by slideably withdrawing the drawer from the first opening of the enclosure to open the drawer and thereby expose the at least one animal to the oxygen level conditions of the ambient air outside of the enclosure.