Very little is known about sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) in meiotic cells--only that they occur (1) and reveal frequency and distribution patterns apparently unaffected by cross-over (CO) exchange conditions in those cells; (2) unfortunately, the number of studies from which to draw these general conclusions is small due to a variety of methodological difficulties. Only a few organisms have been analyzed for baseline SCEs in meiotic tissue. No information pertaining to the extent or significance of SCE induction by mutagens during meiosis is available. In the present work, an Armenian hamster (Cricetulus migratorius) spermatocyte system is described in terms of its methodological features and its applications for baseline SCE analyses. This system appears to have considerable promise for comparative studies of mechanisms involved in SCE and CO, and for development as an assay to detect and determine the significance of induced SCEs in meiotic cells.