Objective To evaluate the value of skin transplantation and DNA microsatellites techniques in genetic monitoring of cultivated inbred mice and rats and to prove if the cultivated animals are of the same inbred strain. Methods Skin autotransplatation and allotransplantation were performed on the back and tail of the mice and rats. Results The allotransplanation of skin on the back of 12 rats was succedded without rejection response. The allotransplanted skin on the back of 12 mice survived in 11 and died in one mouse because of technical failure. The allotransplanted skin on the tail of 12 rats was alive in 11 and failed in one rat because of technical reasons. The allotransplanted skin on the tail of mice was alive in 10 mice, surgical failure in one mouse and one mouse died for undefined reason at 3 weeks after operation. No rejection response was observed in any rat or mouse with allotransplantion of back or tail skin at 100 days after operation. Conclusion The genetic monitoring by skin transplantation proved that those groups of cultivated rats and mice were of inbred strains.