Just curious...what did you get to do in your lab animal position? I have been working at my college's lab animal facility for a few weeks, and so far it has been pretty uneventful (I've only seen actual animals twice). I've mainly been sterilizing packs, cleaning up after surgeries, and other assorted cleaning duties. Though I suppose this counts as vet experience since my supervisor is a vet, if I'm not learning anything about lab animal medicine it seems like a waste of my time. Did you starting out doing "dishwashing" and then move up to other duties? It's just a little frustrating, because I already have about 900 vet hours, 4500 animal hours, and about 500 research hours (I'm old), so I was expecting to do more than someone coming in with no experience.😕 Anyway...I would love to hear what you were able to do at your lab animal job.
What you do in the lab depends on a lot of factors. First of all, it has a lot to do with who your PI (Principal Investigator) is. Second, if you are a "lab technician" you'll usually be doing work for someone else in the lab; if you get your own grant to do your own independent research, you'll be able to work on your own project. It also depends on who else works in your lab, what kind of work your lab does, and how much training is needed to work in your lab. It depends on a lot.
Most of the time, working in a sterile animal facility or even a traditional lab has nothing to do with how much other animal experience you have, since the lab setting is so much different from every other setting. You really have to learn the ropes of the lab before doing other stuff, because labs are so sensitive to incorrect procedures (fragile equipment, easily contaminated samples, risk of spreading disease).
This is just from my personal experience, since a good chunk of my animal experience is from a lab. There were two PIs that interviewed me that I turned down mostly because they seemed like they thought I was a child because I am an undergraduate. Instead, I work for a PI that believes that undergraduates can do as much work as post-docs, and she pushed me to write my own grant and work independently. It also turned out that this particular PI had projects that were far more up my alley than the other two did. I don't really know much about the lab you're working in, but if you're not satisfied with the lab you're working in, I would strongly encourage you to look elsewhere. Finding the right lab is tough, but it's worth it. You have to be persistent, because most of them will tell you the first time that they don't have room for you. Don't just work where they'll take you - work where you want to work. You may think you're being annoying, but they really value people who are excited and motivated about their particular research field.
Anyway, sorry for rambling. I think too many people at my school don't take advantage of research opportunities here because they feel intimidated by it. I hope things work out for you in the lab you're in now, though!
