Micro-chipping BP

[loonunit]

it could work very well and a single excel spreadsheet will keep track of everything, however the scanners are expensive. but, so is mixing up 10k worth of hets. i've used the scanners at a previous job tracking micro chipped fish stocked in a area lake.

Oh, neat. That's exactly what I'd like to do. Why kind of chips and scanners (ie. what brand), and where did you get them from, do you remember?

[PiedPeddler]

I would never do such a thing, but many liars have been exposed over the last 10 years for selling fake hets. I have about 30 normals hatched out already this year. I can put a microchip in every one of them and sell them to you as Het Clowns, Pieds, Caramels, Genetic stripes and Hypos. However, that microchip doesn't make them heterozygous. I then leave town with my pocketfull of your money, and am never seen again. What does that chip do for you then? Buy hets from reputable breeders, and you shouldn't have to worry.

I agree completely. I bought several het pieds from many sources (I wanted genetic diversity) back when the hatchling females cost $2,000 to $3,000. Only 2 of those females were micro-chipped, and one of those 2 was a fake het from a scammer. The microchip was just part of his scheme to instill a false sense of confidence. Photo ID of hatchlings work perfectly fine for the life of the snake.
- Paul

[asixtwo]

it could work very well and a single excel spreadsheet will keep track of everything, however the scanners are expensive. but, so is mixing up 10k worth of hets. i've used the scanners at a previous job tracking micro chipped fish stocked in a area lake.

I believe that the avian (bird) chips would be small enough and work well.
The question is.....
Where would you put one?

My thoughts are under the skin, along side the spine, just forward of the the cloaca. Any opinions?

[asixtwo]

I agree completely. I bought several het pieds from many sources (I wanted genetic diversity) back when the hatchling females cost $2,000 to $3,000. Only 2 of those females were micro-chipped, and one of those 2 was a fake het from a scammer. The microchip was just part of his scheme to instill a false sense of confidence. Photo ID of hatchlings work perfectly fine for the life of the snake.
- Paul

Was it an out and out scam, or a "percentage" het that never proved out?

[asixtwo]

Oh, neat. That's exactly what I'd like to do. Why kind of chips and scanners (ie. what brand), and where did you get them from, do you remember?

This is the scanner I'm planning on buying.
It seems to be the most comprehensive scanner you can buy for under $500.

http://www.microchipidsystems.com/cg...by%20HomeAgain

[PiedPeddler]

Was it an out and out scam, or a "percentage" het that never proved out?

All-out scam. If I recall correctly, one person sunk over $10K on a group of albino pied double-hets. This was happening in 2003-2004 and to my knowledge, nothing ever proved out. If you're interested you can search threads about Carolina Reptile Exchange on faunaclassifieds BOI. Lots of people lost lots of money. Will a photo ID stand up in court? Will a microchip ID stand up in court? I think in order to find out, you have to get the seller into court...
- Paul

[loonunit]

I believe that the avian (bird) chips would be small enough and work well.
The question is.....
Where would you put one?

My thoughts are under the skin, along side the spine, just forward of the the cloaca. Any opinions?

I have one microchipped animal, and his is located an inch forward of the cloaca (less than an inch when he was little, I guess), but down low, just above the line where the belly turns white.

[asixtwo]

All-out scam. If I recall correctly, one person sunk over $10K on a group of albino pied double-hets. This was happening in 2003-2004 and to my knowledge, nothing ever proved out. If you're interested you can search threads about Carolina Reptile Exchange on faunaclassifieds BOI. Lots of people lost lots of money. Will a photo ID stand up in court? Will a microchip ID stand up in court? I think in order to find out, you have to get the seller into court...
- Paul

That's why I hate working with other peoples hets!
I had a buddy breed what was advertised as a 66% het to vis (albinos) 2 years in a row and produce nothing but normal (looking) offspring.

The guy he sold her too (as a big normal) for $100 produced visible albino's the following year.

That's why I hate working with other peoples hets!

I know that there are dirtbags out there who are unscrupulous, but there are also people (present company excluded) who simply don't understand recessive genetics, that's why I'm chipping my snakes.

If I sell a chipped animal as a 100% het, I will gladly take an adult animal back for a full refund plus 1/2 food cost as long as the animal is healthy.

A photo ID is like a fingerprint, with one small exception...
Court systems universally sanction and recognize fingerprint experts.
Photo ID is considered "subjective" evidence, and therefore open to the interpretation of the court.

Since I have a fairly low level of confidence that anyone would get a judge or jury with any experience in snake identification, I'd prefer going into court with a documented RFID serial number.

Here's another problem with photo ID.
Just recently a good friend sold someone a high end breeder.
3 days after the sale, the buyer showed up with a freezer burned snake that wasn't even close to the weight of the snake sold, and demanded a refund for his dead snake!
The buyer has been involved in some shady deals in the past, and is now suing my buddy in small claims court.
Try making a photo ID on a frozen animal that may have been dead for even 24 hours before it was frozen.

[asixtwo]

This is completely incorrect. A snakes pattern is just like a fingerprint. It never changes. I have a photo of every snake I have ever purchased and produced. I have used these photos numerous times to id snakes that I sold 3 or 4 years ago, and also to id snakes that got mis labeled in tubs. I am no lawyer, but I am pretty sure that a photo of the animal would definitely be admissable in a legal trial, as it does positively identify the snake.

Admissible yes.... binding no!
Photos are considered subjective, not forensic evidence.

I know of another local breeder who had a substantial portion of his collection stolen.
Later that year he saw some of his snakes with very unique markings at a reptile show on a vendors table.
Photos of the snakes taken at the show, and photo id pictures were submitted to the police.
One snake in particular (a pied) had a clearly visible mark that resembled a cartoon character, mid-body, in a patch of clean white.

A CT judge determined the photos to be circumstantial, and inconclusive!
He was SPECIFICALLY asked if the animals had tattoos or id chips.
Because they had neither, a search warrant was never issued, and my buddy is out $20,000+ in snakes.

[mykee]

So, to get back to the original topic;
Microchipping a ball python is not only expensive, but 100% useless.
A dog, a cat, an expensive bird, sure.
These are all animals that can run/fly away.
Ball pythons can do no such thing.
They also cannot prove 'hetness'.
Theft you say?
Like 99% of ball python breeders that I know, they have never taken a single animal to the vet nor will during that snakes life.
No need to if you keep them right.
The thief just needs to avoid a vet or someone with a scanning device.
Take a good picture. Keep it on file.
Don't waste your time and money.