title: Experiences with Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) microchipping in Slovenia - Short communication.
abstract: This study describes experiences obtained with microchipping of Hermann's tortoises in Slovenia. Over a period of three years, a total of 5,128 Hermann's tortoises from parental breeding stock were microchipped. Microchips were implanted subcutaneously in the left inguinal region. During the application of microchips, males were bleeding in 2.6% and females in 1.4% of the cases. Bleeding frequency was related to sex, animal size and environmental temperature at the time of microchipping. The presence of microchips was followed up over a period of several years. At the control check conducted a few years later, all previously microchipped tortoises were included. Out of the entire parental breeding stock, 235 (4.6%) had lost their microchips, thus 63 males (5.7%) and 172 females (4.3%) were unmarked. The possible reasons for microchip loss are migration or inactivity of the implanted microchips.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health Care of Poultry, University of Ljubljana , Gerbičeva 60, 1000, Ljubljana , Slovenia.
authors.forename: Alenka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dovč
authors.affiliation: Unit for Administrative Legal Affairs, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana , Gerbičeva 60, 1000, Ljubljana , Slovenia.
authors.forename: Mateja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stvarnik
authors.affiliation: Slovenian Environment Agency, Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning , Ljubljana , Slovenia.
authors.forename: Urška
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mavri
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Hygiene, Behaviour and Welfare, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb , Zagreb , Croatia.
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gregurić-Gračner
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana , Ljubljana , Slovenia.
authors.forename: Iztok
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tomažić
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D005260:Female; D056656:Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; D008297:Male; D046208:Microchip Analytical Procedures; D017524:Slovenia; D014426:Turtles
keywords: Animal identification systems; defects; microchipping; tortoises