Who has a microchipped rabbit?

[nobunnynoclue]

I don't want to start a debate on whether a rabbit should or shouldn't be micro-chipped.

I just want to hear from people who *have* had theirs micro-chipped or who adopted one already micro-chipped.

I'd like to know 2 things. #1) have you seen any issues with the microchip in your bunny? and #2) how did the procedure go pain wise, etc?

I am getting my African Grey micro-chipped and had a thought about the rabbits. They are house rabbits and I can see a situation occurring where my kids leave a door open and one of the rabbits take off (with the other one following close behind, no doubt). No matter how much I will try to prevent this sort of thing from ever happening, I would like to prepare for it. While reading about lost African Greys, I read that someone who has a flighted CAG had already prepared flyers ahead of time just in case. Well, it happened, the cag flew off and he immediately posted his flyers. He was able to find his cag a couple days later. Someone had found him and took him in. Even clipped his wings! But a vigilant neighbor called the number.

If I ever find myself in a situation where someone is claiming "finder's keepers", the microchip is the only thing that will reunite me with my pet. At least where I live, posession is 9/10ths of the law. I found this out when we adopted our Aussie from local animal control. He had been found by someone and he was so young and well mannered that I knew he was someone's pet and that they would want him back. He had only been lost 1 week! I was told by animal control that since I adopted him legally from them, he's mine no matter what. He was not micro-chipped. So I looked for a while for his real owners but couldn't find a thing. I gave up after many days of this searching. I know how much a lost pet hurts but I *know* that most people wouldn't think twice. They'd just keep the animal and say nothing more about it.

One of my best friends did this when he found an african grey. It flew up to him and landed on his car. He took him home and then boasted about it to me. I immediately started looking for his owners and he became angry with me for it. I guess he has never lost a parrot that meant a lot to him before... it's just how people are sometimes.

Anyways, I've gone off my marker a bit.

I just want to hear from others who have micro-chipped their rabbits what their own experiences have been.

thanks!!

 

[qtipthebun]

I haven't, but I would consider it. We had a cat walk up to our porch a few months ago. She was clearly a housecat. Well kept, good with people, and sweet as can be. I took her in to see if she had a chip (she didn't), so we posted a "hey, we found a fluffy black cat" on craigslist, but no one responded, so we kept her.

After taking her to see if she had a chip, it made me think about getting one for Tippy and for the indoor cat as well. So, I'd be curious to know about the procedure. Also, I had no idea you could chip a parrot!

 

[missyscove]

My Timmy has a chip. When we adopted him he was already chipped because he had gone to one of the shelter's mobile pet adoptions. They routinely chip dogs and cats but will do rabbits if you want them to.
I've volunteered a fair bit at the shelter, worked in a vet office and I'll be starting vet school next year. I've seen many, many animals chipped and in my experience there's never any reaction from the pet if they're in the back with the staff. If "mom" is watching and freaks out, that's the only time the pet seems to notice it's even happening.
The chip is about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted using a big, hollow needle. In dogs, cats and rabbits the chip is implanted between the shoulder blades. A new needle is used for every chip, so they're very sharp. In dogs and cats I've never been able to feel the chip although when we adopted Timmy I could feel his under his skin, not sure if I still can now though.
I know there are some concerns on health risks associated with the chips, but I've seen enough animals reunited that, at least for dogs and cats, chipping is a real no-brainer for me as I'd say the benefits well outweigh any risks.

 

[nobunnynoclue]

even snakes can be chipped, apparently. I have 2 ball pythons. I won't do it for them while they're little because that would stress them out too much and they have some strengthening to do. the female hasn't been well either. but once they are much larger, I will think about it.

I also have 2 conures that I'm thinking about. I will talk to the vet about it. I already had one conure fly away but we were *SO* lucky to find her at the top of a tree in our yard. She is so tame and attached to me that she climbed down to me as soon as she saw me. Birds don't usually do this, even tame ones, once they find themselves free.

 

[fuzz16]

My dog, 2 cats, and bun is microchipped. One cat got it younger and you could feel it but sge barely flinched when put in. I think they dometimes use a numbing med too. Bun was done when they had a low cost clinic event last month. I was glad to see i wasnt the only one bringing an exotic!

 

[ArdenBunny]

My female dog had it done when she got spayed. I figured since she was in for something, might as well.



I had full intentions of getting my male dog chipped when he got neutered, but I forgot to ask them to do it. :shock: So he is going to get chipped pretty soon.

 

[Nela]

I've never had a bunny micro-chipped (I didn't realize they would do it actually) but I have had my cats and dog done. Puck and Baloo had theirs done while they were being neutered. Unfortunately, Houdina had already been spayed so they had to do it the regular way. She threw an absolute fit, but then again, she didn't like going to the vet's. I saw the needle and went white. I had to ask them to ask the vet technician to hold her rather than me.It's more for you than the pet, the vet said it's pretty harmless. I dunno, I wouldn't want a needle that size going in me either! I think that needle is darn impressive, so if you are scared of them I would stay out of the room.

 

[Toady]

Down here you have to get your cats and dogs microchipped before they're 12 weeks out old. A friend of mine works at a vet clinic and said a lot of people are now chipping their bunnies too.

18 months ago (October 2010) my outside 3 legged kitty Iris was taken by a scum bag visiting a neighbour who made up a story that she jumped into their car (complete lie as she has problems jumping on my bed) and they dumped her who knows where. October last year I was lucky enough to be talking to a lady who I know, she was part of a group and one of the ladies was discussing the dilemma she was having, a 3 legged cat had been hanging around her house for months but it'd run off if you got close, even after she started feeding it if she opened the door it'd take off. They knew it was a pet cause of the amputation surgery and was just fate that she was talking to someone who I had told about my Iris... I got her back a year after she was taken but she's still very cautious of strangers (for good reason I reckon!) and didn't really like the different vet who saw her last week.

I had a lot of people ask me "Why didn't they just catch it and take it into the vets to get scanned if she had a microchip?", I know it was because they could never get close enough to even grab her and neither wanted to put a cat trap out in case she hurt herself. Iris is now an indoor kitty and has put on about 3lbs since she came home just over 6 months ago but is still nervous if anyone new comes into my place.

I could never take a pet knowing it belonged to someone and keep it, there's too many stories here of people who have lost pets and it turns out the new 'owners' haven't even bothered to get it scanned. My Iris was a lucky one, we had 6 years together so she remembered who I was and I can't imagine her just going to live with someone else on a whim.

Sorry I rambled a bit.

 

[Samara]

Atticus has a vet appointment today and I was going to ask the vet what her experiences with it are. My dog is chipped; I made sure of it on his first visit to the vet in fact. Because people don't often look for the real owners, just as you said can happen.

I haven't chipped any of my rabbits, but want to. Ours are house rabbits too, and though they don't congregate around the door and the kids are good about closing doors tight, there's always that fear of a fire or something and them getting loose.

I wonder though how many people would think to even CHECK a rabbit for a chip?

 

[Samara]

A bit off topic, but we actually adopted the perfect second dog once off Craigslist. The woman had caught her as a stray and claimed to have had her for a while searching for the real owners door to door, etc.

We took her to the vet the second day we had her and it turns out she had a chip and had only been missing for 6 days. She lived a block from where the woman who gave her to us did.

Turns out the owners son was dogsitting while his elderly mother was in the hospital. He hadn't told her and had been searching frantically for her for days. He about peed his pants when we called from the vet's office. He came right away and boy was the pooch happy to see him!

She slipped out from under his fence, in a spot he didn't know about. D'oh.

 

[Nela]

A lot of times, people don't bother looking for the owners. They either can't be bothered, are happy to have a new pet for free, decide to make money off it, or assume that if the pet is not with the owner, then the owner was negligent and doesn't deserve their pet back.

It is my biggest fear to lose a furry family member and not know where they are, whom they are with, and how they are being looked after.

 

[fuzz16]

Some vets and animal control dont scan, wish they did. Had my akita 4 month old stolen. Shes chipped. That was 3 years ago.

 

[LakeCondo]

Honey was microchipped by the shelter before I got her. I assume they did it when she was spayed.

One of the things about chips, at least in the US, is there's not a single system or single list, so one scan might not work. So I don't know if I'd have had it done, if it weren't already done.

 

[nobunnynoclue]

LakeCondo wrote:

Honey was microchipped by the shelter before I got her. I assume they did it when she was spayed.

One of the things about chips, at least in the US, is there's not a single system or single list, so one scan might not work. So I don't know if I'd have had it done, if it weren't already done.

There are a couple sites I found yesterday that do keep track of chips from ALL systems (or most, at least).


Microchip Database

AKC CAR - Companion Animal Recovery

There are 2 kinds of scanners. forward and forward/reverse. The forward will only pick up chips that conform to ISO 11784 and operate at 134.2 kHz, the other one will pick them all up. The 134 kHz one is an international chip you have to have if you travel with your pet overseas. As the ISO standard is what Europe and other countries use. The USA doesn't conform to that (not surprisingly) and we use the 125 kHz chip. I will never travel overseas but I can see a stolen exotic being shipped elsewhere so for my CAG, I will get the 134 kHz chip.

 

[LakeCondo]

See wikipedia under microchip implant [animal], pt 7 for the 4 types of chips that exist & which stanners work for each kind. Perhaps some of the 4 types of chips are no longer being implanted, & animals with those chips might not be easily detected.

 

[ArdenBunny]

The thing about AKC's CAR is that if the tag isn't on the dog (in other words if the dog slips his/her collar) then it is useless. I know, because my male sheltie is registered with CAR. We do Home Again microchip. I have an ID tag on both of my dogs, too.