In recent decades, people are paying increasing attention to the welfare of experimental animals, and these animals are being integrated, coordinated and monitored when used in global scientific research. The “3Rs Principle” is the widely recognized and accepted core standard. Pharmacokinetic studies include essential animal experiments. Methods for protecting the welfare of experimental animals must be considered when the research reaches a certain stage and level. Researchers have gradually established and optimized intubation techniques on rodents (rats and mice), which can enable sampling blood from experimental animals while the animals are awake and moving freely. In this review, we searched the relevant literature and summarized the intubation surgical techniques used on rodents in pharmacokinetic studies to help protect the welfare of laboratory animals in China.