A drug dispenser to measure individual drinking in rat colonies

This article describes an automated device which substantially facilitates the measurement of oral drug consumption by individual rats housed in a colony with a common drinking source. To drink, each animal enters a Plexiglas runway, triggering a video system which records the rat's identifying dye mark, and its consumption of each of two liquids. Rats learn to operate the device easily and rapidly. Data for 24 hours can be collected on a one-hour videotape.