> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.creatures.com/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# Genetics overview

Creatures keeps straws, embryos, eggs, and other breeding material connected to the animals they came from. You can see what is available, record what was sold or used, list material for sale, and follow stored or shipped purchases without maintaining a separate spreadsheet.

## Start from your genetics dashboard

Open [Genetics](https://creatures.com/genetics) from your dashboard. The summary shows **Inventory items**, **Total units**, **Listed items**, and whether any items are low on stock.

![The genetics dashboard with inventory totals and primary actions](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/49f/0ee/809/38b3a.png?width=1760)

Use the actions at the top for different jobs:

- **Add material** records an item you already own.
- **Import file** brings in several existing records from a file.
- **Locations** organizes the places where you keep material.
- **Storage accounts** opens the providers storing material for you.

An inventory item holds the material type, preservation method, quantity, source animals, collection date, and optional physical location. Open an item when you want to record activity or list its available units for sale. Keeping this record accurate connects later sales, breeding cycles, pregnancies, hatches, and offspring to the right material.

## Follow the available count

Open an item to see **Available**, **Sold**, and **Used** counts with its source animals and activity.

![A genetic item with available, sold, and used counts](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/436/42d/10a/5da25.png?width=1760)

**Available** is what you can list, sell, or use now. A checkout can briefly hold units for a buyer, so held units are not available to someone else. **Sold** increases when you record an off-platform sale or a marketplace purchase completes. **Used** increases when you record a breeding, transfer, incubation, or another use.

Do not change the total quantity to stand in for a sale or use. Use **Record sale** or **Record use** so the count and history change together.

## Choose the next guide for your task

- To add, organize, move, or combine material, use [Managing your Genetic Inventory](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/managing-your-genetic-inventory-1d7rs30/).
- To log an off-platform sale or breeding use, use [Recording genetic sales and use](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/recording-genetic-sales-and-use-1b68uz3/).
- To sell publicly, use [Listing genetics on the marketplace](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/listing-genetics-on-the-marketplace-12u4opp/).
- To purchase material, use [Buying genetics on the marketplace](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/buying-genetics-on-the-marketplace-oy4ayo/).
- To arrange delivery or resolve a problem, use [Shipping and tracking genetic items](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/shipping-and-tracking-genetic-items-1x02ylw/).
- To compare providers or manage a storage account, use [Subscribing to genetic storage](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/subscribing-to-genetic-storage-16yrhwy/).

For a short explanation of unfamiliar material, preservation, status, or container labels, see the [genetics reference](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/genetics-reference-material-types-statuses-and-shipping-naf1ap/).