The WPI Mouse and Neonatal Rat Adaptor employs light, Delrin® ear bars with tapered points on one end and rubber pads on the other to facilitate surgery on mice and rat pups.

Ear bars may be independently adjusted in height to level the skull. Laser engraved scales show the vertical positions of the ear bars. A tooth bar and nose clamp secures the nose. A well in the thick aluminum body may be filled with dry ice and alcohol for hypothermic anesthesia of neonatal animals. The 502063 Adaptor clamps securely on the right side of the “U” frame of the stereotaxic instrument.

Model organisms with soft skulls, such as the mouse and the neonatal rat, are difficult to secure firmly in a traditional stereotaxic instrument. The stainless steel ear bars used for adult rats are too heavy to provide a secure hold without compressing the sides of the skull inward (which closes the airways and impedes blood flow.) Further, the neonatal rat pup has no external opening of the auditory canal into which to insert the ear bar points. The specialized jaw holder cuffs (502080) securely clamp the zygomatic processes of the skull. The jaw holder cuffs fit over the ends of the ear bars, replacing the rubber pads, providing an alternative non-invasive means of securing the animal’s head in the stereotaxic stage. These options for “triple point” securing of the animal’s head in this adaptor make it the most versatile mouse stereotaxic available. Set of two jaw holder cuffs included.

 Image shows the 502063 mounted on a standard stereotaxic frame (502600). 
 Gas mask 502053 is shown mounted on the mouse and neonatal rat adaptor 502063.