# DEFRA approve MINI microchip



## Varanaman (Apr 13, 2007)

:2thumb: *EXCITING NEWS FOR REPTILE OWNERS* :2thumb:

DEFRA have just approved the use of the latest microchipping technology.

The new MINI microchip has been designed by Nonatec and is approximately
10% of the size of the "regular" microchip used by vets in this country.

You can download details and a picture from
<http://www.nonatec.net/pdf/fiche_Transpondeur2.pdf>

We are in the process of getting a sample unit to show to our vet and bring to the Doncaster Reptile Meetings on 25th & 26th June.

The chip is inside a #18 needle that needs no stitching of the skin
afterwards - but maybe a drop of skin adhesive.

*It has 2 parts:*
*A ROM [read only memory] with the chip serial # burnt into it*
*&*
*A RAM in which a vet can detail such things as owner's name, address,*
*phone # etc. This RAM [random access memory] can be re-written if you*
*sell the animal or wish to have other data added [e.g. you change your*
*address].*

EuroRep, a reptile wholesaler already imports baby tortoises pre-chipped for resale and states:

"Hermans tortoises, NO NEED TO APPLY FOR MORE PAPERWORK. (Please read Below)

In the past regular micro chips were considered too big to be inserted in a tortoise below 10cm. These tortoises have a new tiny micro chip inserted. This means they can have specimen specific paperwork. This paperwork accompanies the tortoise throughout its life with no requirement to ever apply or pay for any new paperwork.
There is one issue that does need to be noted. The microchips are
numbered and this number corresponds to the number on the paperwork. The correct certificate must be married to the correct tortoise. If only one tortoise is purchased this of course will not be a problem. If more than one is ordered we will ensure the tortoise and the paperwork can be identified. Please ensure these identification marks are maintained. If they do get mixed it will be a simple matter of having the chips read, we have a chip reader as do all vets."

*Richard Butler & Kim Le Breuilly*
Education Committee Members
British Herpetological Society.


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## 9Red (May 30, 2008)

Will these chips only be able to be implanted by vets (as current microchips such as those used by Petlog can only be implanted by a vet) or will these be available for use by other trained professionals such as pet sitters etc?


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## freshadam (Jul 13, 2011)

This is interesting. Hopefully the chips will be available in London soon.
I'm moving to Hong Kong soon from the UK and will probably need to get my Hermans Tortoise chipped. I have the yellow certificates from the breeder so hopefully that will be enough.


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## vetdave (Jul 20, 2011)

*Mini Chips*

Whilst these are almost certainly the way of the future the main problem right now seems to me to be that you need a special scanner to read the chips. Not only will a normal scanner (that all vets and authorities have) not read the info but it will not register that there is a chip in there at all?! This means they are of little help for theft registration as the animal will appear unchipped to all but a few with the special expensive scanners. I think it will be at least a decade before these smaller chips are more widely adopted and they can be used to chip pets in the same way vets do now ie don't hold your breath on this.
For individual animal identification and data storage they might be useful but unless you are dealing with expecially small animals the normal chips are cheaper, can be registered for theft and scanned by all the scanners currently out there so are still the best thing right now.


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## Varanaman (Apr 13, 2007)

*Update on Minichips (ID Transponders)*

After testing many samples, provided by the manufacturer, I regret to find that the Nonatech chips are *not *ISO 11784 & ISO 11785 compliant and thus cannot be used for microchipping tortoises and other animals in Europe for CITES certification. As stated above, they need a special scanner to enable the chips to be read.

The good news is that there is a new ISO compliant chip approximately 35% of the size of the "regular" chip made by MICRO-ID in West Sussex. I tested these chips on a range of scanners and they could all read the chip and DEFRA / Animal Health agree that they can be used in tortoises >60 mm in length. 
See 
http://happy-shop.co.uk/WebRoot/LCN...3A5/5A85/2004/0A0C/05E7/FAE3/comparison_m.jpg

Although more expensive, especially if brought as a single unit, they are, as shown in the photo above, considerably smaller and thus much kinder to the animal ...

The Micro-ID web site can be found at MICRO-ID - Implantable microchips for animals, microchip readers and scanners, industrial microchips


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