How to Customize Cage Card Templates
Cage card templates control what gets printed on the physical labels attached to each cage, including animal tag numbers, strain, IACUC protocol, owner, and dates. Moustra ships sensible defaults, but most labs customize a template to match their institution's required fields and the physical cage card size used by their vendor (Tecniplast, Allentown, or a custom dimension). Setting a default template per lab keeps cage cards consistent across every rack.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Open Cage Card Templates settings
Click Settings in the navigation menu, then select Cage Card Templates under the Printing section. This page lists every template available to your lab.
Create or duplicate a template
Click New Template to start from blank, or click the Duplicate icon next to an existing template to copy its layout. Give the new template a clear name like "Tecniplast GM500 - IACUC".
Pro Tip
Duplicating an existing template is faster than starting from blank if you only need to tweak one or two fields.
Pick a cage card size and format
In the Card Size dropdown, choose a preset (Tecniplast, Allentown, Innovive) or select Custom to enter exact width and height in millimeters. Set Orientation to landscape or portrait to match how the card slots into your cage.
Configure which fields appear
Drag fields from the Available Fields panel onto the card preview. Common fields include Animal Tag, Strain, IACUC Protocol, Owner, DOB, Genotype, and Cage ID. Drag fields around the preview to position them and resize each field box to fit your card.
Pro Tip
Match field choices to whatever your IACUC committee or accreditation inspector requires - missing fields are the most common cage card audit finding.
Add a QR code or barcode
Click Add QR Code or Add Barcode in the toolbar, then choose what data the code encodes - typically the Cage ID or Animal Tag. Position the code on the card and set its size so a phone scanner or handheld reader can read it cleanly.
Save and set as the lab default
Click Save Template to store your changes, then toggle Set as Default so every new cage prints with this template. Existing cages keep their previously assigned template until you reprint them.