How do scientists get animals for experiments?

Scientists buy animals from companies that specialize in breeding specific animal lines. Suppliers have well kept lines (such as Long Evans and Sprague Dawley Rats) so that scientist can compare their data in the same type of rats across experiments. read more

Most scientists use animals that are specially bred for research. The animals most commonly used in research are rats, mice, and other rodents. These animals are bred for research, and scientists purchase them from animal breeders. Small numbers of other animals are used in research including pigs, sheep, other farm animals, dogs, cats, and primates. read more