By: Marguerite Floyd

To Chip or Not to Chip - That is the Question

It’s every parrot parent’s nightmare. Their beloved parrot somehow escapes, gets lost, or stolen. All parrots mostly look alike to non-parrot parents , making identification difficult at best if the bird is lost. If the bird is stolen some thieves go so far as to dye the feathers to disguise the bird.

The Limitations of Leg Bands

Even now I still hear parrot owners brag about their parrot having its original closed identification band from the breeder. But having a banded parrot does not prove ownership because bands can be removed or replaced.

There are two types of bands: closed and open. A closed band is put on the chick’s leg just before the foot grows too big to pass through the band. It can only be removed by cutting the band. The open band is a band that can be opened to put on the bird’s leg and then clamped closed. It can easily be removed.

Both types of bands usually have various markings that identify the breeder and/or contact information, which is all pretty nifty except that there are no standards so that often no one can figure out what the markings mean. One organization might abbreviate cockatiel as “cktiel” and a zip code and two digits for the birth year while a breeder might use “tiel” and “MS” and use four digits for the birth year.

Then there is the possibility of the band getting caught or injuring the bird’s leg. Some birds’ legs grow too large for the band, which can cut off circulation.

The Rise of Microchipping

Lucky for us, we now live in a time of wonderous technology that includes the microchip. Remember all those old spy movies where scads of secrets were coded onto a teeny tiny microchip and the heroine had to find a way to retrieve it? Same principle with parrot microchips (or any pet microchip, for that matter).

As Windy City Parrot writes, “Basically, a microchip is a transponder about the size of a grain of rice encased in an inert material, glass, so animals don’t react to it. Chips have no moving parts nor do they have a power supply. If you look at one closely you’ll see copper wire at one end which is the antenna and then depending upon whose chip you use it will contain a 10 to 13 digit alphanumeric code that makes individual chips unique.”

How Microchipping Works

The registration contains the bird’s name, species, and the registered owner’s name and contact number, as well as other information. The avian vet fills out this information, checks to be sure it matches the actual bird, injects the microchip (usually in the breast), then sends the registration information to a database. Two of the more popular databases are Avid and Homeagain.

Dispelling Size Myths

Far too many parrot owners still think only an amazon or macaw is large enough to be microchipped. All of my birds have been microchipped, including four fussy cockatiels and a small but stoic African brown-headed parrot. The only objection any of them made was to the alcohol swab (well, besides the indignation of being wrapped in a towel). I’ve even heard that some budgies are microchipped, but I have no direct knowledge of that.

Before You Decide

Some avian veterinarians will want to use anesthesia, but I personally would avoid that if possible. It’s perfectly ok to ask your avian veterinarian how many chips they’ve inserted and what, if any, complications they’ve seen before you make up your mind.

An alcohol swab and a swift insertion of the syringe, and it’s done. The only thing left is to go home and shower your bird with treats, knowing you’ve taken the best measures to legally protect your ownership. The cost of insertion usually includes registration with the database but ask first to be sure. Some services charge a yearly fee.

Finding a Microchipped Bird

How does someone know a bird is microchipped? A simple swipe of a special scanner will beep and display a phone number to the microchip database. Who has these special scanners? Most veterinarian offices, rescues, and often police and fire departments.

A friend, who is a receptionist for a local veterinary hospital, says she routinely scans every animal that comes in. “It’s very heart warming, hearing that beep and then knowing someone’s lost pet has been found.”

Final Thoughts

So the answer to the question is yes, microchipping your parrot is a far far greater thing you can do than relying on an old-fashioned band.

https://www.avidid.com/
https://www.homeagain.com/
https://www.northernparrots.com/blog/the-importance-of-microchipping-your-parrot/
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/56965/speech-to-be-or-not-to-be-that-is-the-question
https://windycityparrot.com/skinny-micro-chipping-pet-birds/