Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am considering getting my iguanas microchipped. Has anyone else done this? How did it go, and what brand of microchip was used (Avid? HomeAgain? other?)? What part of the ig's body do they inject the microchip into? How safe is it, or more to the point, has anyone heard of bad things happening during/afret the procedure - damage during the injection, microchip migrating and causing damage, anything like that?

In Brazil,if you want to buy an iguana you must buy it from a " legalized" farm.Its against the law to take and to keep an iguana caught in the wild.The "legalized"iguana will be sold to you for around US$500/600 hundred dollars and will come with a microship in their inner thighs.According to my Brazilian friends the method is very safe and never causes infection.

How can they tell a legalized one from an "illegal" one?
Caralho!

Now that they have that mongoloid Lulas in office things could get even weirder uh?

I guess the 500 bucks is for the vet visit and microchipping, but it still sounds way too much money.

My 2 cents, regards,

-IJ

(After Kenya's death you are the only person able to make me laugh!)

No, the 500 USD is the price you have to pay to purchase the iguana.

Of course there are a lot of "illegal" iguanas caught from the wild in Brazil and illegally sold in the black market but if the authorities find that, they will take your iguana from you! Even the vets cannot treat an illegal iguana and they will call the police if you bring an illegal one to their clinics.

Wild life in Brazil is VERY protected by law.

Where did you learn to say " bad words " in Portuguese??LOL!

Microchipping is considered safe for reptiles. It's used a lot by people with expensive animals.

My vet told me that microchips hadn't technically been approved for use on igs. Hmmm... I'll have to ask him about it again.

My boyfriend made a cool suggestion: injecting a chip emitting a radio signal, so that the position of the iguana could be triangulated like a submarine. Wouldn't that ease your mind on those days when you've overturned every stick of furniture looking for your ig?

Thanks for the replies!

Most likely, when me and my friend bring in for microchipping the two eclectus chicks we've handfed, my iguanas will come too. That way the animals will be done at once, at the cost of one visit. I'd like to get my cockatoo chipped as well, but I've heard they can self-mutilate at the site afterwards, so I'm still debating on that one...

My vet uses the HomeAgain chips, and after talking to him, I am starting to prefer these mainly because they are less likely to migrate under the skin. Supposedly their coating allows them to bond in one place. (If this coating has ever been known to cause problems, please let me know!) It's not due to happen for another couple weeks - I'll be sure and let you know how it goes...