Identifying Your Herp

[darc]

Does anyone else take careful observations of the unique visual characteristics of your herps, as if you may have to pick them out of a lineup some day? I'm posting this in the snake board... because I do it with my ball python, but not my leopard gecko (but, then, I like my BP way more than my leo). I routinely check two distinguishing marks on my BP and make sure I know where/what they are.

Am I just weird/paranoid, or does anyone else pay close attention to their herp's patterns to identify them (if you ever had to).

-darc

[snake09]

Can't you just PIT tag them or clip some scales?

[Nighsliv]

I do that to my leo's and semi to my beardies, but they grow and change so much right now, my CWD dosen't have any fancy marks to follow.

[Chu'Wuti]

I've wondered about doing this, but I've found that whatever I think is unusual on my BP shows up on other normal BPs I've seen as well--maybe there are slight differences, but no really clear ones I have been able to see. I'd probably put more effort into it if any of my snakes were expensive, though. I doubt anything I have is likely to get stolen.

[beckdg]

as delusional as it may seem i like to think i could pick my baby out of a lineup. if you are concerned with it however why not get him chipped?

[darc]

I'm not concerned about it, it's just one of those random thoughts that pops into my head occasionally - "hm, if presented with 10 ball pythons, could I pick out Ivy?". I actually had a strange dream about this awhile back, but that's neither here nor there : )

Anyway, since it only takes the thought popping into my head once to take notice, I took note of two distinctive characteristics in coloration/pattern that should help me if I ever need to ID her.
-darc

[froggsong]

I think I could ID most of my herps from a group. Maybe not any of the native guys or the japaluras, but definitely all the others. My beardie doesn't have the pointy head that most of them I see have, my BP has a black mark on his belly (which I do take a look at to see if it changes at all as he gets bigger, so you aren't the only one, darc. Since BPs don't normally have marks on the belly, it's definitely a mark I could use to claim him if stolen), my CWD has scars on her tail, which I check regularly, but only to make sure she hasn't opened them again, my FBTs have distinguishing marks as well, and I've had Joe longer than anyone else I currently have, and I think I could pick her out of a group of them any time, plus she has scars on her face from when the cat almost ate her (apparently frog urine is extremely distasteful...).

So, while I may not do it to prepare for the event that they may be stolen or lost, I think I know my herps well enough that I could pick them out of groups if I had to.

[Mikey8567]

Well for me Avalon (adult male PB) I adopted him from a rescue Herp society localy and when I got him I noted several markings (top of head, 1/3rd way down right side, scratched eye lens) that most likely were a result of the pervious owner feedin live. So yea for sure I could pick him out of a line up of a 100 BP's. My newest 2 snakes (Male albino strieped king, and a female Redtail) are still too young and going thru many sheds to see any distinctive markings.

[DazzleDiscus]

Well the only thing I have in enough numbers for individuals to get lost in a crowd are chickens and bullfrogs at my garden pond. :P Not all of the dozen or so chickens have names, but as I've raised them from chicks I can pick out which ones behave in a certain way and their rank in the pecking order. The frogs are pretty much the same way as I spend a lot of time at the pond in the warmer months (its only like 750gal.). I've transported three of the bigger guys from ponds a mile or so away, and the younger ones were tadpoles that I've transported over. Differences in size and green coloration helps in differentiating them. I doubt I could pick them out of 100 frogs though lol.