legislation all over the country is making it more and more difficult to buy and sell turtles for pets. in ohio it is rare or impossible to find turtles in pet stores or even at the monthly reptile shows in columbus and cleveland. one law that makes it hard for would-be turtle owners is that all "native" snakes and turtles must have a PIT (passive integrated transponder) tag injected by syringe into the body of the animal for identification purposes. why not use DNA testing instead of PIT tags? DNA is currently used to identify human, dog, and cat individuals, surely it is just as effective for reptiles and would certainly be far less invasive. it is understandable that ohio wants to protect its native reptile species, but turtles always have and always will be a favorite pet for all people. current legislation makes ordinary people who enjoy these fascinating and beautiful animals into criminals.
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DNA testing instead of injecting microchips in turtles
Replies (3)
Probably because no one wants to pay for it to be done. They would rather make people pay to have the PIT tags and then if they don't have them they can just fine them and confiscate their animals. With DNA it would be a more expensive process and tax payers wouldn't go for it. The owners probably wouldn't want to pay for it either. I don't think it is right to make owners PIT tag their turtles. I agree there has to be an easier way to go about IDing the turtles. Is there a size minimum for turtles that are PIT tagged in Ohio?
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Michael
http://turtletracker.com
microchipping is minimally invasive and when done by a qualified, experienced veterinarian (as it should be, and the law in Canada anyway) is still cheap, and harmless for the animal.
DNA in dogs and cats? How often is this actually done? I've never heard of it, but it sounds like something that them rich wacko's in California would do. How much good would it be? I doubt the local pound has a DNA ID'ing machine 
Ian
My vets charge between $29 - $45 just for an office visit, and then it's $35 or more for microchipping.
Also, DNA testing takes time - sometimes weeks or months, depending on how back-logged a lab is. A microchip scanner takes seconds.
Katrina
