Microchipping snakes?

This probably sound rediculous... but after deciding to microchip my birds and rabbits, I wondered about the snakes.. Does anybody do this? I can understand doing it for very valuable snakes, but what about your common pet? Would you want to get your snake back if it went slithering out your front door one day? Highly unlikely that would happen, but still... I once lost a box turtle this way when I was in high school. She just walked off and I never saw her again...

so?

It is possible, but the way I see it is it's cheaper to double check the security of enclosures than it is to microchip all 17 of my snakes lol.

17?!! jesus... I'd have to agree with you there!

I only have 2 and will likely only have 2 for a very long time. (Altho I have to admit to looking around at other morphs. It's addicting, whatever this is.. snakekeeping. But I would never get another unless and until I get a firm handle on how to care for a snake properly).

Anyways... for me, it might make sense... dunno. I'd never do it while they're so little tho (or ill).

Better identification would be a couple good pictures, their paterns are like a fingerprint.;)

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

Better identification would be a couple good pictures, their paterns are like a fingerprint.;)

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Yes, but you'd have to know where your snake was first. Before you could present pictures and claim it as your own. ;)

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Originally Posted by Manasha-Bogo

Yes, but you'd have to know where your snake was first. Before you could present pictures and claim it as your own. ;)

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Maybe I'm reading this wrong but how is the microchip going to help you find the snake, bird or rabbit?

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Originally Posted by Manasha-Bogo

Yes, but you'd have to know where your snake was first. Before you could present pictures and claim it as your own. ;)

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That would be IF it got out and IF someone found it. They usually dont get too far from their racks muchless the house their owners life in. On top of that, they are not like a bonded animal that may seek out humans on its own.

And as stated, large collection owners would go bankrupt :rofl::rofl: I'm on 29 live and 14 currently in the incubator.:gj:

I think micro chipping snakes is actually becoming more common...still not the norm by any means, but I know of a few people who do it, and more that are considering it. As far as costs go, I'm pretty sure it's not all that expensive, and if I remember correctly, if you are doing them in quantity, you can buy the syringes/chips and do it at home. For 2 pet snakes I wouldn't bother, but if you're buying/selling/breeding a decent number of animals, may be worth it.

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

Maybe I'm reading this wrong but how is the microchip going to help you find the snake, bird or rabbit?

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Well, where a tame parrot or house rabbit is concerned, those animals are often found by neighbors and taken to a shelter. The shelter scans all animals that come in and this is how they would find your contact info. One of my old friends once found an African Grey that just flew up to him and landed on his car. He decided to just keep it and not look. Under those circumstances, you really just won't find your bird. But if he had taken it to a vet or a shelter, the owner would have been found immediately (provided it had a microchip, of course).

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

That would be IF it got out and IF someone found it. They usually dont get too far from their racks muchless the house their owners life in. On top of that, they are not like a bonded animal that may seek out humans on its own.

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You make a good point.

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Originally Posted by Manasha-Bogo

Well, where a tame parrot or house rabbit is concerned, those animals are often found by neighbors and taken to a shelter. The shelter scans all animals that come in and this is how they would find your contact info. One of my old friends once found an African Grey that just flew up to him and landed on his car. He decided to just keep it and not look. Under those circumstances, you really just won't find your bird. But if he had taken it to a vet or a shelter, the owner would have been found immediately (provided it had a microchip, of course).

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That's funny because I found an african grey also. It took me several days but I found the owner on Craigslist advertising a cash reward which I never received.

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

That's funny because I found an african grey also. It took me several days but I found the owner on Craigslist advertising a cash reward which I never received.

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And kudos to you for making that effort.

I highly doubt that the majority of people would go try to catch a loose snake and take it in anywhere. And that would be after they found the snake who would be hiding. I microchip my cats and dog, but doubt it would ever be necessary on my snakes.

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I tossed around the idea briefly of doing it with hets, so that they could be traced back to me even if all pictures were lost. My vet was supposed to show me how to do it, so that I could then do it at home, but she was never able to find time to get around to it.

Are microchips safe?

I'm not convinced that they are. So I have no plans to place foreign objects that are made of metals,silicon,and glass into my animals.

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Originally Posted by AGoldReptiles

Are microchips safe?

I'm not convinced that they are. So I have no plans to place foreign objects that are made of metals,silicon,and glass into my animals.

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Yes they are. Think about the amount of metal parts in people whom have a much more developed immune system.

Do you need them? I don't know it certainly allows tracking of animal that has changed hands a few times. That is more a breeder issue than an individual issue. I would not expect an escaped snake to be found but perhaps it might be worth using the coding to track medical records. In my case I keep meticulous records anyway, and I know all mine at a glance.

I feel like a side of this hasn't been explored, what about micro chipping against fraud? I mean over at fauna it seems pretty common with scammers to try and sell snakes that they claim as "theirs" or something it's not, and it would go a long way if the snake bought was micro chipped and the original owner could trap the scammer in their own lie with physical non disputable proof. (yes I know that patterns are like finger prints, but I feel like people outside the hobby would feel that "Every snake looks the same" )

It might also be a good idea if you bring your snakes to expos. There have been thefts, and it would be nice to be able to recover the snake.