Microchipping

[steamy0712]

Please give me your views good or bad on microchipping should I or shouldn't I have my tort done thanks

 

[GBtortoises]

I think it would be great if it were more widespread. But micro chipping for security purposes is only effective if the tortoise is found or ends up in the hands of someone who knows that it may be lost or stolen. Tortoises can easily be traded and sold without ever reaching public ads.

 

[jesst]

We are going microchip morla when she gets bigger. I think it is a great idea

 

[JoesMum]

I had Joe micro-chipped. It's not infallible, but it does give peace of mind with a garden tort like Joe.

 

[steamy0712]

I think I will for my own peace of mind but I no its not fool proof I have listened to tales of people that find them and want to take them on there self which I find horrifying .

 

[EKLC]

GPS tracking chips are getting very small and cheap these days and will one day be commercially available for pets. In this case, you could have police literally go and track your stolen animals. Though, I'd personally prefer to have a text message alert automatically sent to my cell phone if the chip left my property, at which point I could go armed to the teeth and recover my tortoise rambo style

 

[steamy0712]

How old has the tort to be before they will do it I have a 2 year old testudo graeca I also believe it will be placed in her back leg

 

[cherylim]

Emrys is two years old, and was microchipped when I purchased him.

Had he not been, I wouldn't have bothered. I would worry about it causing pain, and have heard horror stories about people harming animals to remove their chips after they've stolen them. It wouldn't be enough for me to worry, but since Emrys was never going to be outdoors unsupervised I'd have seen little point getting one.

Since it's already there and it hasn't been my decision, I guess I'm happy enough with it. I'd hope I'd never need it, but I also remind myself that I live in a nice neighbourhood and that there's a high chance if someone found him they WOULD take him to have his chip checked. I think the benefits certainly outweigh the negatives if you're ever likely to leave your tortoise unsupervised where he/she could escape.

 

[steamy0712]

GPS now where talking that would be such peace of mind but I'm with you Rambo style.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Bob is micro-chipped, but it doesn't give me any peace of mind. Altho, I can hardly expect to see 2 strong guys running down the street with a 100 pound tortoise, if they could hike him over the fence...

 

[steamy0712]

I really wanted a adult tort but hard to find in uk tried rescue centres with no joy best you grow fast Shelley

 

[tyler0912]

I constantly consider it but as tiago is only in the garden supervised....not much point!
And if we got broken into i imagine theyv'e got higher priorities than my baby boy!

 

[JoesMum]

I had Joe chipped in case he went walkabout rather than because I was concerned about theft. Occasionally we have foxes digging under our fence and we were concerned he might find a hole before we did and wander off. A friend's tort went wandering and turned up at a local sanctuary. She was able to get him returned thanks to photos that clearly identified him, but a chip would have made things far quicker.

I like the idea of a GPS chip... being able to track down which bush he's decided to sleep under would be VERY useful!

The chip is tiny and caused absolutely no problems when it was fitted (other than a hiss) or since. I'm not concerned about someone trying to dig it out if he was stolen. It was inserted right up under the shell and would be near impossible to extract.

 

[SailingMystic]

Ah! The gps chip idea is awesome! I'd never think to scan a tortoise for a microchip though. But at least with a gps you have some more control or hope

 

[CT Grim]

GPS tracking chips are getting very small and cheap these days and will one day be commercially available for pets. In this case, you could have police literally go and track your stolen animals. Though, I'd personally prefer to have a text message alert automatically sent to my cell phone if the chip left my property, at which point I could go armed to the teeth and recover my tortoise rambo style

That's how the mission would look here if my torts were ever messed with....family takes care of family.

 

[GBtortoises]

GPS tracking chips are getting very small and cheap these days and will one day be commercially available for pets. In this case, you could have police literally go and track your stolen animals. Though, I'd personally prefer to have a text message alert automatically sent to my cell phone if the chip left my property, at which point I could go armed to the teeth and recover my tortoise rambo style

Unfortunately, most police departments aren't going to put a high priority in tracking down stolen tortoises. Any more than a missing dog anyway. If it is in conjunction with your house being broken into and robbed or another crime against people or property it will get as much attention as (to an extent) that the initial crime does.

Unless, the animals are taken across state lines where the Federal Lacey Act may be able to take affect, no law enforcement agency is going to expend manpower and money to track a stolen or lost pet. Even then, the Lacey Act deals primarily with state and federally protected animals, not necessarily exotics.

Micro-chipping is a great idea, but far from being commonplace enough to be truly effective at this point. A lost or stolen tortoise (or other animal) has to surface somewhere in the "public" to be scanned. At a vet, a dealers shop, etc... Many, many tortoises, especially adult breeding tortoises, are sold between individuals and the transaction stays between those individuals. The seller could either be the thieve unloading the stolen tortoise(s) or be unknowingly selling a stolen tortoise that he purchased from someone else. The buyer could easily unknowingly purchase a chipped tortoise. That tortoise might never be sold again.

Don't get me wrong, I like the concept of micro-chipping tortoises. But I think it can also add an element of false security. If someone wants your stuff almost nothing is going to stop them from getting it. I have locks, lights, fences, security cameras and more. Yet I could come home this afternoon and find my house empty and my tortoises gone. Someone may eventually caught for the crime, but by then the tortoises and other goods may have been long since sold.

Micro-chipping is more valuable for maintaining genetic and medical history than it is for security.

 

[EricIvins]

The only way to prevent a Tortoise being stolen is to have its shell engraved. Nobody in their right mind would try and sell an animal that is marked permanently, or keep it just to be busted down the road for something incredibly stupid........

Micro chips definately give a false sense of security, not to mention the many reasons why micro chipping has its problems......I've watched too many migrate, or be rejected by the body for my comfort......

 

[Zamric]

What is the best way to engrave the shell?

I have a dogTag afixed to WalkingRocks Shell and even tho it is fixed with industrial strenth 2 part epoxy. Im sure a determined seller could remove it but not without leaving a mark.

 

[Shelly]

With all my adult tortoises, I drill a tiny pin sized hole in their shell, about 1/4 of an inch from the very outside edge. That way they can be positively identified if they escape or are stolen.

 

[Tccarolina]

GPS trackers, unlike microchips, require a battery that would have to be changed regularly. I doubt this will ever be feasible for tortoises.