Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know that snakes can be identichipped when they are big enough, but could anyone tell me where the chip is located in the snake?

I've seen them put in two different places . . . below the vent and behind the head.
e

We PIT tag snakes about a quarter up the body from the cloaca. The tag is injected with a syringe into the body cavity and, if done correctly, does not leave a hole and does not bleed at all. Its much easier and less stressful than surgical implantation. The minimum size snake is usually about 15-20 inches long or at least 1.5 cm in diameter.

Van

where should I point my browser to??
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~Katt

I believe the State of Ohio now requires all captive snakes to be tagged. That might be only for native snakes though. You don't live in OH, do you, Kat? That might be a place to check anyway as to how they tag and why, and you might be able to get more info.

When I was on Pelee Island with a group from Ontario, we were tagging all fox snakes we found over a certain length, which was fairly easy, but I sure wouldn't do it on a snake less than, say, 20 inches. I wonder how Ohio gets tags in those smaller snakes..hmmm?

Also, I was wondering how you would track snakes that you sold, and how it would benefit someone who bought from you?

Terry

Thanx for that Van,

Would you be able to tell me where I'd need to go to get it done, and roughly how much it will cost?

Thanx again

Kat.

Do you mean just for captive snakes? I don't know about that. PIT tags are mostly used for mark-recapture studies in wild snake populations. The tags are pretty expensive, about $8 a pop, and the readers cost about $450 or so. I guess you might be able to get it done at a vet's office or do it yourself if you could buy the tags, reader, and injector (after instruction of course). The real question is, why would you want to? I don't think it would be worth the money personally. Its a lot easier to just reconize the snake by pattern.

Van

I think it's good for breeders who produce high end morphs and want to track where their babies go. Also good for buyers as the chip/tag would verify a het.
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~Katt