Software guide

Mouse colony management software for labs leaving spreadsheets.

A useful colony system should do more than store animal IDs. It should keep cage records current, connect breeding to genotypes, make IACUC reporting easier, and let the lab start without a months-long rollout.

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What mouse colony software should include

Cage-level records with current animal count, location, strain, status, and notes.

Animal registry with IDs, sex, DOB, strain, genotype, sire, dam, and status.

Breeding pair and litter tracking with expected dates, weaning, productivity, and retirements.

Protocol and IACUC fields tied to the animals actually being used.

CSV import for spreadsheet migration and exports for local review.

Audit history so the lab can answer who changed what and when.

QR cage cards that connect the vivarium shelf back to live records.

A practical migration workflow

Start with the current spreadsheet or colony database export.

Normalize column names before import: Animal ID, Cage, Sex, DOB, Strain, Genotype, Status, Sire, Dam.

Import a small sample and verify cages, pedigrees, and protocol assignments.

Print QR cage cards for active cages.

Run the first compliance export before retiring the old spreadsheet.

When ConductColony is a fit

ConductColony is best for academic and biotech labs that need shared cage records, breeding management, genotype and pedigree tracking, import from spreadsheets, QR cage cards, and IACUC-ready protocol records. It is not a full institutional LIMS; it is a focused colony management app that a lab can start using quickly.

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Replace the spreadsheet without a procurement project.

Start free, import your first colony file, and print cage cards from live records.

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