What Age Do You Ear Tag

[chechinchillas]

At what age do you ear tag? Is 8 weeks too young?

 

[Cat75]

We generally ear tag for a show or when we know we will be keeping the chin. So for us it's normally around 6-8 months old we ear tag them.

 

[Zoaea]

Do they ever slip fur or freak out, or is it not very noticeable? I wanted to maybe tag my one and only baby chin but I'm afraid to do anything that might mess up her fur right before show season. ^^

 

[jags]

Most do not even know its been done and I have never had one get messed up doing it. I tag at around 6 months to a year old depending on when I get around to it.

 

[bchins]

A lot of times I tag recently weaned babies that I'm planning to hold back. Just helps to make sure I don't get them mixed up in their colony weaning cage. If I decide the chin isn't growing how I like, I'll just clip the tag off.

 

[chinsNdobermans]

I usually tag at weaning, if I know I'm keeping them for show already, although I have waited longer because you can't always tell at that age if they'll be a keeper or not. Most don't even realize it's happening.

 

[RDZCRanch]

In the past I usually tag the animals when they are going to go into breeding, at the request of a new owner, or when we are about to go to show. So anywhere from 5 months to about a year.

They don't freak out when you tag them. You do it quickly in the right ear with the brand facing the inside of the chinchilla's ear. If you watch someone do it at a show, it takes a couple of seconds. Just grab the ear, tag and they're good to go! There are not many veins or pain receptors in the edge of the ear where we tag, so there is rarely any bleeding and most don't even feel the tag go in.

 

[Spoof]

I've discovered the only ones that bleed are whites and only if you decide to tag them at or right before the show... har har.

Most don't seem to notice, every once in awhile you get a screamer.

I only tag babies if I need to ID one out of a group that I want to keep, their ears are so soft that sometimes the tag makes a funny scar. Otherwise I wait to see if I am going to keep them around 6-8 months or so.

 

[ccchins]

I was always under the assumption that the breeder brand faces the rear of the animal. Am I wrong? I am relatively new and haven't tagged any animals yet. Also where does everyone purchase their tags?

 

[RDZCRanch]

In the ECBC show manual it doesn't actually specify which part of the body the brand is supposed to face on the animal, it just says care should be taken to hide the brand from the judges eyes. If you tag the upper part of the ear, the brand should face in to the ear. If you tag the lower portion of the ear, the brand should face the body to better hide it. It depends on where you want to tag on the ear of the chinchilla. I prefer to tag higher as it seems to pull less on the ear and doesn't create as large of a hole.

 

[threewingedfury]

I wean in colonies and always seem to end up with 3-5 standards going in one cage at a time, so I go ahead and tag when I wean them at 7-8 weeks. Never had a problem with them or had an infection from it. The only problem is that a lot of customers are completely against the ear tag, so I end up having to cut some out if I decide to sell them.

 

[chechinchillas]

Tabitha,
Can you post a pic showing where you tag?

 

[chechinchillas]

http://www.nationalband.com/1005.htm

 

[Spoof]

If you check out the pictures in the show section you'll find most tag in the right ear at the bottom.

Most also have the number facing the front because it is easier to read. You don't really need to see your ranch brand.