NestLab

New at Brogaarden LAS · In partnership withNestLab

A warm nest in every cage. Monitored without handling.

NestLab brings precise, battery-powered heating and continuous, non-invasive monitoring into the home cage of mice and rats. Now available through Brogaarden LAS — with local advice, ordering and service.

Explore the starter kits Ask us about NestLab
NestLab Advanced Node fitted in a Standard shelter NC3RsCRACK IT Challenge Winner 2025Selected and funded by the UK NC3Rs
Our new partnership

Brogaarden LAS and NestLab — better conditions in the home cage

For more than 40 years, Brogaarden has supported research institutions with diets, bedding and environmental enrichment. With NestLab, we add something new to our range: controlled heating and continuous monitoring, built into a shelter the animals already use as their nest.

NestLab is developed in Norway and the UK and designed for regulated environments, with animal welfare at the core. Brogaarden LAS handles sales, advice, ordering and customer service in our market, with technical backing from NestLab.

One house in every cage. Heating where it is needed. Monitoring where it matters.

Why NestLab

Designed for animal welfare and everyday lab work

A modular system that slots into existing facility workflows — from individually ventilated cages to centralised monitoring.

Precise, controlled heating

A closed-loop controller holds the set temperature. The Advanced Node can even regulate on the animal’s surface temperature.

Non-invasive monitoring

A 32 × 32 IR thermal camera reports the rodent’s surface temperature from inside the nest — without handling the animals.

Supports the 3Rs

Refined procedures and richer data from the home cage, in line with Replace, Reduce and Refine.

Fits your routines

About 48 hours per charge, 1.5 hours to recharge. Houses are autoclavable and cage-washer safe.

One system, four levels

Start simple. Add heat and monitoring where it matters.

Every NestLab house takes the same node or the same cap, so you can move heating to the cages that need it — without changing the cage setup.

NestLab Angled shelter with the Housing Cap fitted
01
Every cage

House + cap — basic enrichment

With a cap instead of a node, the NestLab house is a shelter with the same footprint and entrances as a heated house. Fit every cage with one.

  • Mouse, angled or rat size
  • Autoclavable and cage-washer safe
  • Add heating later without changing the cage

Standard shelter →   Angled shelter →   Housing Cap →

NestLab Essential Node fitted in an Angled shelter
02
Where heat is needed

House + Essential Node — heating

Drop an Essential Node into the house and the nest is heated. Set the temperature on the node and place it — no software, no dongle.

Use it where warmth makes the difference: single-housed males, cold-sensitive strains, or any cage that needs a warm nest to retreat to.

  • Closed-loop temperature control
  • About 48 hours per charge
  • 1.5 hours on the Smart Charger

Shop the Essential Node →   Smart Charger →

NestLab Advanced Node fitted in a Standard shelter
03
Heating + monitoring

House + Advanced Node — controlled heating and monitoring

The Advanced Node adds an IR thermal camera. The target temperature is set on the rodent’s skin surface rather than on the heater, and the node reports surface temperature from inside the nest.

Ideal for post-operative recovery and for animals that need additional control and monitoring.

  • Target temperature on the animal, not the heater
  • 32 × 32 IR thermal camera
  • Read data on a lab PC or online

Shop the Advanced Node →

Live monitoring from the NestLab dashboard
04
Remote control & documentation

Every nest recorded

Connect Advanced Nodes to a monitor for remote control of the set temperature, documentation of the study, and analysis across cages and over time.

  • On premise with NestLab Monitor — no internet needed
  • Or in the cloud with NestLab Professional
  • One USB-C dongle reaches up to 200 nodes over Bluetooth mesh

NestLab Monitor →   NestLab Professional →

Get started

Two starter kits — everything included

Complete, ready-to-use packages, so you receive the right combination of nodes, houses, chargers and cables from day one.

NestLab Essential Starter Kit
Controlled heating

Essential Starter Kit

  • Two Essential Nodes with a Smart Charger
  • Ten houses — five standard, five angled
  • Five caps for the cages without a node
  • No software, no dongle: set the temperature on the node and place it
Shop the Essential Kit
NestLab Advanced Starter Kit
Heating with full sensors

Advanced Starter Kit

  • Two Advanced Nodes with 32 × 32 IR thermal camera
  • NestLab Monitor with USB-C dongle — live data on a lab computer
  • Ten houses, five caps and a Smart Charger
  • Free 3-month NestLab Professional trial
Shop the Advanced Kit
Compatible accessories

Mix and match — all components work together

Expand your setup or order replacements. Every house takes the same Essential or Advanced Node and the same cap — choose by cage and by species.

NestLab Essential NodeHeating node

Essential Node

Controlled heating. Battery operated, simple setup.

Shop →
NestLab Advanced NodeHeating + sensors

Advanced Node

IR thermal camera; regulates on the rodent’s surface temperature.

Shop →
NestLab MonitorSoftware

NestLab Monitor

Offline desktop software with USB-C dongle for up to 200 nodes.

Shop →
NestLab Smart ChargerAccessory

Smart Charger

Docking charger for NestLab nodes, power cord included.

Shop →
Accessory

Charger Rack

Holds up to five Smart Chargers in a row.

Available Q1 2027
NestLab 5-way charger cableAccessory

5-way charger cable

Powers up to five Smart Chargers from one power cord.

Shop →
NestLab Standard shelterShelter · 5-pack

Standard shelter

For recovery cages and larger mouse cages.

Shop →
NestLab Angled shelterShelter · 5-pack

Angled shelter

Low profile; fits nearly all standard mouse cages, such as the GM500.

Shop →
NestLab Rat houseShelter · 5-pack

Rat house

Large shelter sized for rats — same nodes and chargers.

Available Q1 2027
NestLab Housing Cap fitted on an Angled shelterShelter · 5-pack

Housing Cap

Closes a house when no node is fitted — the same shelter, unheated.

Shop →
In the lab

Built for real research environments

Researchers working with NestLab in standard rodent housingDeployed in standard rodent housing
Quick check of a NestLab node at the cage rackQuick checks at the cage rack
Live monitoring from the NestLab dashboardLive monitoring from the dashboard
NestLab Advanced Node
Technology

Inside the Advanced Node

A compact control module with heater, sensors and wireless communication — connected in a self-healing Bluetooth mesh network.

Carbon heaterPrecise temperature control with thermal feedback
Thermal imaging camera32 × 32 IR; heatmap image on request
Integrated batteryAbout 48 hours; full recharge in 1.5 hours
Bluetooth meshSelf-healing network with encrypted communication
Colour display & 3 buttonsStatus at a glance, direct control on the node
Safety accelerometerAutomatic shutdown if the device is turned over
Languages & units°C or °F; menu in English, French, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and German
Easy cleaningHouses are autoclavable and cage-washer safe
CE & UKCA markedGDPR compliantGAMP5 validated3Rs principles

Compliance information as stated by NestLab. Activity, occupancy and respiratory rate are available as experimental data — in development, not validated. Selected NestLab Professional cloud features are in development.

Ready when you are

Bring NestLab into your facility

Start with a starter kit, or tell us about your facility and we will help you find the right configuration.

Shop NestLab Contact us
Personal adviceConfiguration helpDemonstration on requestLocal service from Brogaarden LAS

At Brogaarden, we are proud to be the European partner of Research Diets, Inc. (RDI) — bringing world-leading research diets closer to scientists and institutions across the continent.

Through this partnership, we act as the central hub for distribution and logistics in Europe. Together with RDI, we ensure that researchers receive consistent, high-quality diets delivered efficiently and reliably, no matter where they are located. From order handling to cross-border logistics, we streamline the entire process so our customers can focus on what matters most: their research.

Contact our specialist team

Reliable Research Diet supply across Europe

By combining RDI’s expertise in diet formulation with Brogaarden’s strong logistical setup and local market understanding, we create a seamless supply chain across Europe. This means shorter lead times, simplified communication, and dependable delivery - all backed by a team that understands the specific needs of the research community.

 Our role goes beyond distribution. We work closely with both RDI and our customers to support projects, solve logistical challenges, and ensure that every delivery meets the highest standards.

Together with Research Diets, we are committed to supporting better research across Europe — making advanced nutrition solutions accessible, reliable, and easy to work with.

From visionary idea to global research partner

Research Diets Inc. was founded by Edward A. Ulman, Ph.D., who created his first purified laboratory diet in 1984.
Today, the company has grown into the world’s largest purified diet manufacturer, with more than 60 employees and over 30,000 custom formulations developed for research.

Research Diets is especially known for its custom purified diets for disease models, including the original high-fat DIO diets, widely regarded as the gold standard in obesity and diabetes research.

For more than 20 years, Brogaarden has supported Research Diets in Europe with specialized logistics, handling regulatory requirements, temperature-sensitive products and fast delivery.
Today, Brogaarden stocks selected frozen diets in Denmark, often ready to ship within 24 hours.

The Research Diets, Inc. campus is located in New Brunswick, NJ USA

Visit Research Diets