Colony management

Managing rodent colonies

....effectively

Good colony management is the seemingly simple task of obtaining the animals you need for your experiments.

However, to succeed you have to consider the number of animals you need at any given time, their age, sex and genetic makeup.And then you need to plan the breeding such that you meet these needs without unnecessary delay or production of surplus animals.

                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                               

Historically, colony management was done through handwritten lists and an archive of old cage cards kept in a box.


This can no longer be justified.


Any modern research animal facility should keep an electronic record of the animal colony. The idea behind any good colony management system is to optimize breeding such that you get the animals you need for your experiments. At the same time you want traceability, predictability and ease of use.


Many such systems are available. kGen keeps an updated list. If your system is missing, drop us a line and let us know.


These three criteria kGen consider to be paramount when choosing a system


  • Data should be accessible off site and must be available in real time.
  • The system should save time for the organisation
  • The system should simplify project completion for all parties involved.


...and when there is a challenge


(more to come)