Choose from AnyCage, Mouse Matrix, and Critter Tracker. Match your system to the housing, cage size, and measurements your study needs.
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Traditional vivarium monitoring relies on daily manual cage checks — a human opening cages, lifting animals, logging observations. It's labor-intensive, introduces experimenter bias, stresses the animals, and only catches health events at the moment of the check.
Home cage monitoring replaces those checks with continuous, non-invasive instrumentation. Individual animal IDs, body temperatures, and activity patterns stream automatically from inside the cage, 24/7, with time-stamped objectivity. The outcome: earlier detection of welfare events, cleaner data, and dramatically less tech labor.
Different research questions call for different data streams. Here's how to decide.
Comparing AnyCage and Mouse Matrix? Use the ROI calculator below to explore those systems for your study design.
Explore AnyCage and Mouse Matrix for your study. Adjust the inputs to estimate labor savings from automating data collection.
Estimates only. Actual savings depend on study design, facility protocols, and labor structure. Contact UID for a deployment-specific assessment.
Single-cage temperature monitoring for small-scale studies. USB-connected, magnetic or clip mount, up to 8 readers per PC. Temperature ✓ · Activity ✗
Rack-scale continuous temperature monitoring for cohorts of 96+ animals. Controller-based, local or cloud via VivoTraq. Temperature ✓ · Activity ✗
Full activity + physiological platform. Temperature, locomotor activity, and zone tracking per individual animal at 100–250 ms resolution. Temperature ✓ · Activity ✓
| Feature | AnyCage Lite Temperature · single cage | AnyCage+ Temperature · rack-scale | Mouse Matrix Temperature + activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitors | Temperature | Temperature | Temperature + Activity + Location |
| Ideal for | Single cages, small studies | Rack-scale, large cohorts | Detailed activity and physiological data |
| Scalability | Up to 8 cages | Up to 96 cages per system | Up to 48 plates per system |
| Animals tracked | Individual or group-housed up to 6/cage | Individual or group-housed up to 6/cage | Individual or group-housed up to 6/cage |
| Monitoring rate | Continuous (if connected to PC) | Continuous | Continuous w/ ea. zone scanned every 100–250 ms |
| Mount | Magnetic or clip mount | Magnetic or clip mount | Plate under cage |
| Connectivity | USB + PC | Controller, Hubs, Readers | Controller, PoE switch, PC |
| Temp accuracy | ±0.1°C (30–46°C) | ±0.1°C (30–46°C) | ±0.1°C (30–46°C) |
| Activity tracking |  | |  |
| Zone / spatial tracking | | | |
| Microchip | UID UCT-2112 | UID UCT-2112 | UID UCT-2112 |
When every animal in your study is housed alone, the Critter Tracker (USX-1600) records ID and temperature with one antenna covering 100% of the cage, for 24/7 high-resolution monitoring.
Automated measurement of animals inside the cage they live in. AnyCage and Mouse Matrix read an implanted UCT-2112 microchip to record each animal's ID and body temperature, and Mouse Matrix adds locomotor activity and zone location. Critter Tracker records animal ID and temperature for singly housed animals.
It can support refinement by reducing repeated handling for data collection and keeping measurements tied to individual animals. It complements direct observation and veterinary assessment within the study protocol. Read more about animal welfare and the 3Rs.
Pick by scale and data stream. AnyCage Lite covers up to 8 cages over USB for temperature only. AnyCage+ covers up to 96 cages per system for temperature at rack scale. Mouse Matrix adds activity and zone location for detailed behavioral and physiological data.
AnyCage Lite, AnyCage+, and Mouse Matrix support group housing, tracking individuals by microchip ID in cages of up to six animals. Critter Tracker (USX-1600) is designed for singly housed animals.
Choose Critter Tracker (USX-1600) for animal ID and temperature monitoring in singly housed mice, rats, squirrels, and other animals. It supports up to 16 individual antennas, with custom sizes up to 30" x 30", and requires DataCollector. One antenna covers the cage; it does not track location within it.
AnyCage Lite, AnyCage+, and Mouse Matrix read the UID UCT-2112 temperature-sensing microchip, accurate to ±0.1 °C across 30–46 °C. One implant serves handheld scans and in-cage monitoring, so animals do not need a new chip to move between these systems.
Yes. RFID reads do not need a light source, so data collection continues through lights-off, when rodents are most active.
It depends on the study. Use the ROI calculator on this page, which estimates labor savings from your own cage count, check frequency, and hourly rate.
Compare scheduled readings, RFID spot checks, and continuous monitoring before selecting the system.
Compare scheduled readings, RFID spot checks, and continuous home-cage monitoring. Plan the chip, reader, software, and record together.
Learn more →Tell us about your study and we'll help you scope the right configuration.
