PIT Tags

I have known for some time that Florida requires PIT tags in most reptiles, however, they do not enforce it in any way, and nobody (pet shops, breeders, etc) ever makes any mention of it.

a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT for short) is a small tag, about the size of a grain of rice that is injected under the skin. All it really is is a small amount of information, that being a bar code or number than is stored in a database, that can be accessed when scanned. The bar code would then be registered in the name of the owner of the animal.

The point of this is so that (ideally) all of the residents here would get their pets tagged, and then any picked up in the everglades could be traced back to their owners, for proper blame and fines.

In my wish to be a good and law abiding citizen, and herp owner, I am considering doing this. I am just wondering if anyone has any advice, opinions, or experience with this. Any input is welcome.

Many thanks.

Does it cost you anything to do it? In a way it's a good thing since if you happened to have an escape and couldn't find it, maybe someone else would and you might get it back. On the other hand, if it costs a ton of money and you have the enclosures secure then I wouldn't do it.

I guess I'm saying I can see reasons for/against doing it (I know that's no help at all LOL sorry)

We'll, I wasn't aware of anything of that sort. I know we don't have it here in Oklahoma... But it seems pretty interesting. Any idea on how much it costs to get it done? I'm assuming it's relatively cheap, and if so, what is the fine for the snake being found? Could end up being a nice cheap herp form of Low-Jack for those dedicated escape artists or, God forbid, if anyone actually STOLE your pet. =)

it isn't very expensive, though I'd have to call my vet for an exact quote - I think it's around $20.

None of my snakes are anything special, or terribly expensive, so I'd hardly think they were worth stealing. No morphs or anything. I never paid more than $100 for any of them.

Though I would be very upset if anyone kidnapped my babies, a PIT tag could help prove it was MY snake. I love my snakes dearly, and if one escaped (cages are quite secure, but you never know) I would pay dearly to be able to get them back.

Sounds to me like it would be worth it for you then

I don't have any expeience with them but I do think it is a good idea. I am looking into it for my burms since I want to be a responsible keeper. I think the general public would be more accepting of them if I could prove that the snake caught by Animal Control was not one of mine.