They use identically-specified mice. They don't use the same mice. The mice used by one lab could, theoretically, be off-spec mutants. Or the lab could have made mixed up which mice they used.

Saying you used a particular strain of mouse is like saying you used a particular algorithm on your data. Asking to use the exact individual mice used by another lab might not reveal an error such as mixed-up strains.

Sure. I wasn't posting those links to further this argument, I posted them simply because they are interesting.

Besides, they're only inbred strains, not clones.

They can also be pretty damned expensive. Like $400+ for a mouse.

Looks like I'm in the wrong business.

How does that come about? Patent shenanigans?

Probably. But really, if you're spending $50,000 on an experiment, you're probably more interested in getting mice that are really what it says on the label, than in saving a few bucks and possibly shooting your experiment and/or career in the nuts.

Pretty much anything 'lab grade' is going to be expensive. The lab I worked in ordered a lab grade laser for optogenetics experiments, and that cost something like $18k. Presumably that gets you a very precise, stable wavelength.