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# Managing your Genetic Inventory

Your genetic inventory keeps track of breeding material you own. Add each item once, link its source animals, then use its actions to record sales, uses, and moves.

## 1. Add the item

Open [Genetics](https://creatures.com/genetics) and select **Add material**. Choose the owner carefully because you cannot change the owner in the edit form later.

![Owner, material type, preservation, and quantity on the add form](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/ec6/4ab/eae/aadae.png?width=1760)

Choose the visible labels that match the material:

- **Type**: Straws, Embryos, Oocytes, Hatching eggs, Roe, Live juveniles, or Other.
- **Preservation**: Frozen, Chilled, Fresh, Live, or Ambient. The choices narrow to methods that fit the selected type.
- **Status**: choose the material's current state. This is required, and the choices depend on its type.
- **Sex sort**: Conventional, Female sorted, Male sorted, Mixed, or Not applicable.
- **Quantity**: the number of units you hold now.
- **Collection date**: the date collected, flushed, laid, hatched, or born. The label changes with the type.
- **Location**: an optional place such as a facility, tank, canister, cane, incubator, or pen.

The material type locks while the item has a listing that has not been canceled, or after units have been sold or used.

## 2. Link the source animals

Linking real animal profiles makes lineage and later outcomes traceable. Straws and oocytes use one donor. Embryos, hatching eggs, and roe use a sire and dam. Live juvenile groups can use known parents or a short parent-group note.

![Sire, dam, recipient, Implant date, and Pregnancy confirmed date for an embryo](https://cdn-test.creatures.com/0a5/1f2/8b1/0f363.png?width=1760)

An embryo can also link its recipient animal, implant date, and pregnancy-confirmed date. If a source animal is not in Creatures, add it as a **reference animal**, which is a record for an animal you do not manage.

Optional batch, facility, quality, and label details should match the vial, container, or paperwork. Notes stay private. **Show this item publicly on animal profiles** shows it on its linked animals' profiles; an active marketplace listing is public while it is for sale. Select **Save genetic material** when the details are ready.

## 3. Keep the counts honest

The detail page shows what is available and what has already been sold or used.

Use **Record sale** for an off-platform sale and **Record use** for breeding, transfer, incubation, or disposal. Under **Move**, choose the locations and quantity, then select **Move units**. This changes the location, not ownership or total quantity.

**Combine items** offers compatible records with the same owner, type, source animals, and collection date. Select the duplicates, then **Combine into this item** to keep their history together.

You can correct the total quantity later, but must leave enough for sold, used, and checkout-held units. Before archiving a location, move its material and archive its child locations. A newly purchased item stays view-only until receipt is confirmed.

### Related information

- [Recording genetic sales and use](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/recording-genetic-sales-and-use-1b68uz3/)
- [Listing genetics on the marketplace](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/listing-genetics-on-the-marketplace-12u4opp/)
- [Genetics reference: material types, statuses, and shipping](https://help.creatures.com/en/article/genetics-reference-material-types-statuses-and-shipping-naf1ap/)