Hatchling Identification

[SulcataPardalis]

What is the best way to mark hatchlings to identify them? Would marker pen on the shell (just small dots) be ok? I did think about using small stickers, but these would just fall off. I guess the obvious one would be to photograph them. What do you guys do?

 

[GBtortoises]

I use nail polish. I dab small dots on specific scutes to identify which clutch and female that they are from. I then record a written record of the same in a notebook that I use. Nail polish can easily be removed if rubbed gently with nail polish remover or acetone. Nail polish in nothing more than paint, so it sits on top of the surface that it is applied to. In this case a tortoise scute. Markers contain ink which is fluid and absorbs into the surface that it is applied to. It doesn't come off. I also keep photographic records of all of my adults and any young tortoises that I keep. More for security purposes than anything else, in case they are ever stolen and later surface for sale, I can hopefully prove that they're mine. If using photographs, they need to be periodically updated as the tortoise grows and it's appearance changes.

 

[DesertGrandma]

Nail polish really isn't that easy to remove. Isn't there something else that would come off easier?

 

[Laura]

non toxic paint?

 

[Jacob]

You want non toxic paint, or anything with the least or no chemical's.