Pellet Dispenser for Rats and Mice

Name: Pellet Dispenser for Rats and Mice
Brand: Ugo Basile
SKU: 49102/49103

Product Code:49102/49103

Category: Behaviour, Conditioning, Reward

The Ugo Basile Pellet Dispenser works with pellets between 10-20 mg for mice and 22-45 mg for rats. It has an extremely high delivery accuracy thanks to the redundant photobeam check.

An embedded electronic board manages the DC motor and the photodiodes. An ethernet cable connects the Pellet Dispensers to the 8 channel control unit to independently manage up to 8 pellet dispensers.

The delivery is ensured by TTL signals normally delivered by any Video-Tracking software. A button and an LED on the device ensure manual operation and check. The dispensers can be attached to any maze or operant chambers thanks to special mounts.

Detailed description +-

The pellet dispensers are optional for:

All mazes, especially those, like the Multi-maze or the Delta Maze which also automate door
All Operant Cages

The pellet dispensers can also be operated independently as a quality delivery system for any operant experiment thanks to their easy BNC triggering via TTL.

The high accuracy (virtually no error in pellet delivery) is ensured by the embedded electronics thanks to which the trigger does not only acts on the motor movement but it ensures that the delivery attempt continues until the IR photobeams detects an actual dispensing in the manger.

Features & Benefits +-

Features	Benefits
Photobeam-based delivery control	Very high pellet delivery accuracy
Special mounts for each maze	Adaptable to any type of maze or operant chambers.
Compatible with 10-45 mg pellets	Mouse and Rat version with broad range of pellets compatible
8-channel control unit, TTL-driven	Ideal for any maze up to 8-arm radial mazes and compatible with all video-tracking software capable of delivering TTLs

Specifications +-

GENERAL FEATURES
Target Rodent	Mice	Rats
Pellet Caliber	10-20 mg	22-45 mg
Pellet capacity	4000 pellet	1000-2000 pellet
Pellet feedback delivery	YES	YES

ELECTRICAL FEATURES
Voltage Supply	12 V
Current Supply	2 (MAX) A

I/O FEATURES
Manual Input	Push Button	One pellet at one
Digital Input	Optoisolated TTL	3.3÷5.0 V
Digital Output	Optoisolated OC	28 (MAX) V

Application +-

Learning and memory can be studied through punishments or positive reinforcements. The latter require the delivery of rewards in response to specific animal behaviors in applications like reward-enforced T-Maze or Y-maze, Radial Maze, Multi-maze, Delta-maze and Operant chambers like the Operant fear conditioning or traditional Operant cages.

1. Operant Conditioning

Skinner Boxes: Pellet dispensers are a key component in Skinner boxes, where rodents learn to perform tasks (e.g poking a nose into a hole, like in OPERON and Operant Fear Conditioning) to receive food rewards.
Reward-Based Learning: Used to study reinforcement schedules (fixed, variable, ratio, or interval) and the effect of reward on learning and behavior.

2. Cognitive and Memory Studies

Spatial Navigation Tasks: In mazes (e.g., Radial Arm Mazes or T-mazes), pellet dispensers are used to reward rodents for correct choices, aiding in studies of spatial learning and memory.
Delayed-Response Tasks: Dispensers provide rewards based on a subject's ability to recall and respond after a delay, helping assess working memory.

3. Motivation and Reward Sensitivity

Progressive Ratio Tasks: Pellet dispensers are used to assess how hard rodents are willing to work (e.g., number of lever presses) for a food reward, reflecting motivation levels.
Preference Testing: Evaluating reward preferences by delivering different types of pellets in choice paradigms.

4. Addiction and Reward Pathways

Studying the neurobiology of addiction and how natural rewards (food pellets) compare with drug rewards.
Assessing reward sensitivity changes after exposure to addictive substances.

5. Feeding Behavior Studies

Meal Pattern Analysis: Automated pellet dispensers help analyze meal size, feeding frequency, and inter-meal intervals.
Caloric Regulation: Used in experiments to control and monitor caloric intake for studies on metabolism, obesity, and energy homeostasis.

6. Stress and Anxiety Research

Evaluating how stress or anxiety affects reward-seeking behavior by observing changes in task performance or pellet consumption.

Ordering informations +-

Ordering informations
49102	Pellet dispenser for Rat. With wall-attachment bracket, for use with mazes.
49103	Pellet dispenser for Mouse. With wall-attachment bracket, for use with mazes, OPERON, Opernat Chambers