Microchipping and alternatives

[Grey_Moon]

Since I'm moving out (and what with me being a student I forsee many more moves in short time frames) I'm debating getting Jacko microchipped.

I want to do this because he is flighted and because I do take him outdoors. Also, living in an apartment in the city (in a cheaper area) makes me nervous for their safety. It is some assurance that if I ever lose him due to an accident or to theft I have a way to prove he is mine and a bigger chance to get him back.

My question is now what to do about my cockatiel because I have the same concerns for him but he is not big enough to microchip safely (it would also be much more expensive because he would have to be put under in order to insert it under the muscle). With all that in mind I don't want to take the chance but I still need a way of identifying him...he has no leg band.
I'm hoping that perhaps his distinctive foot (he is missing an entire toenail) would be enough to prove he is mine....but I doubt it. He also makes distinctive calls that I know well....but I don't think any of this would be enough in court.

Any ideas?

[patdbunny]

Take very specific pictures of your tiel from all angles including close ups of his feet. Video record him performing the unique whistle.

[TheNzJessie]

leg bands are a visible sign the bird is a pet and not wild, a microchip is secrative form of identifaction which can me good if someone finds you're bird and removed the leg band you have no other proof that the bird is you;re but with a micro chip it has all you're details.

[patdbunny]

If detailed pics and video you don't feel are sufficient, you can always get him tatooed under his wing like what's done for surgically sexed birds. No one tats a cockatiel. If pics, video, missing toe, AND a tat don't convince a judge, you're just S.O.L.

[kaylayuh]

If detailed pics and video you don't feel are sufficient, you can always get him tatooed under his wing like what's done for surgically sexed birds. No one tats a cockatiel. If pics, video, missing toe, AND a tat don't convince a judge, you're just S.O.L.

I didn't know people tattooed birds. Doesn't that hurt the bird? Or are they sedated for the process?

[patdbunny]

I'm assuming the bird's tattoo'd while it's still sedated for the surgical sexing. I don't know. I don't surgically sex. It's just a little spot tattoo under the wing at the skin fold where the wing meets the body. Tattoo dot on the left wing if it's a hen, right for male.

If they're not sedated I'm sure it hurts, but then again it hurts my babies when I bleed them for DNA sexing. It hurts me when I go get vaccinations. It hurts when my birds bite. A little bit of pain's generally not going to traumatize the animal forever.

[kaylayuh]

Oh, I know the pain won't kill them. I'd just never heard of that before! I'd imagine it'd be really hard to tattoo a bird that's not sedated, though.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I can't imagine anyone surgically sexes birds anymore... do they? DNA is less intrusive and I would assume unless you are the vet doing it, cheaper than surgical sexing as well.

NZJessie, these days a lot more birds aren't banded and I'm told open bands are more likely to get hung up and cause accidents than properly sized closed bands. So if you have a bird that isn't banded (Scotty isn't and it is apparently common not to with Capes because they will chew off anything but stainless steel) then you have limited choices.

I'd like to hear more about tattooing, actually. Its something I might do if he had to be sedated for a procedure anyway -- I don't think I'd bite off the risk of anesthesia just for ID purposes, but we had our kitty chipped while she was under for treatment anyway.

[patdbunny]

Depending where you get the surgical sexing, SS can be way cheaper than DNA. Yes, less intrusive, but the advantage of SS is having the vet assess the condition of the birds' gonads. Primarily would be advantageous if you're going to be breeding birds. Average pet bird you probably wouldn't want to bother w/ SS.

these days a lot more birds aren't banded

Really? Why you say that? In CA it's the law that all budgies be closed banded. I've always closed banded even when I only had one pair. My concern is that the bird's long lived and in the future it might end up in a breeding situation. I'd like to avoid inadvertent inbreeding. Right now I have multiple pairs of stuff and it's really starting to annoy me to no end that many of them aren't banded. I have a harder time keeping track of my males from females, and if I want to switch partners I have to be very careful to keep track of who's who and not accidentally inbreed. A lot harder when there are no bands. I know hobby breeders might say,"Oh, I just remember who the parents are, yadda, yadda, yadda. . ." I have a fantastic memory and I still won't trust this to memory. Unless they only have one pair, I'm not thrilled that they're relying on memory. I've been sold unbanded birds with DNA certificates. I re-DNA them because I don't trust that they got the right certificate matched to the right bird from memory.
And on another forum someone who used to be with a rescue brought up that some places just outright lie and will say something like, "This senegal was vetted, here are the vet records." but they give vet records for another senegal. Without a positive ID like a closed band or chip, you really can't tell.
Now I band w/ AFA traceable bands. I feel closed banding outweighs any "hanging" possibilities. I've had birdie mishaps, but never w/ a band getting caught up.

Entranced - why would you bother considering tattooing?

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Well, I'm told it is very common not to band Capes, and that since distinguishing domestic-bred from import wild caught is not as big a deal as it once was, the requirements to band are reduced. I certainly see a lot of un-banded birds here and there. I tried to google the CA regulations and as far as I was able to tell the requirement is only for budgies, and only when sold through a pet shop. But you are the breeder, so I assume you know what the requirements are!

I'd consider tattooing as a form of visual ID for my unbranded bird. Although I really wish I could get access to his records somehow... I wouldn't trade him for the world, but it would be nice to have that information! As it is, he's just a mature male Cape and everything else is say-so.