I am doing my own study on red diamondback rattlesnakes. I have been breaking off the rattles to tag them. Is there an easier way to tag them. I know some of you may be upset, but breaking off the rattle does not hurt the snakes.
Reptile & Amphibian Forums
Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.
Tagging?
crotalidking
Aug 12, 2005 01:45 AM
Replies (3)
philodryas
Aug 12, 2005 03:00 AM
Breaking off the rattles? Why don't you just paint the rattles in different colours?
lateralis
Aug 12, 2005 01:44 PM
It is not hurting the snake, but it is removing one of its means of defense which could cause a problem down the road. Without the ability to rattle (or seriously limited) it wont be able to warn animals/people of its presense and nature. It's not a very accurate way of marking field snakes IMO, painting the rattle is much better for a short term project. AVID chips are useful marking agents too, but they require alittle experience and a chip reader.
What is it that you are studying with these guys?
CHeers
Brett
joeysgreen
Aug 13, 2005 05:28 AM
I agree, rattles break off all the time in wild snakes, thus there is no way to positively identifiy a snake by a rattle count. A small dab of coloured paint works the best. The microchip is a permanent marking, but should only be done by a properly trained person.
