Bands vs. Chips

Does anybody here have their bird micro-chippied?

Yoshi is banded, but if I could, I'd love to have it removed. I know the probablility of the band getting caught and causing an accident is really low, and I know it's the human in me thinking it would be annoying to have on your ankle your entire life. Really, though, the only reason I can think to keep it is for identification and being able to prove that he's mine in the event that he's lost, stolen, etc.

My dog is micro-chipped, but are there any adverse health effects or downsides on chipping a bird? Other than maybe the inconvenience of not being as immediate "I know my bird's band is PBE196. That bird's band is PBE196. Give me my bird," and having to take it somewhere to get the chip read. And, of course, the cost of having it done. And... do you have to anesthetize the bird to have it implanted? Sorry... lots of questions. Just something I'm bouncing around at the moment

Honestly, I'd go with microchipping. If someone steals your bird, it's much easier for tem to remove a band without doing harm to it than it is to remove a microchip. It allows you to have absolutely proof that Yoshi is actually yours.

That said, I've been having very bad luck with bands. No Name got his stuck about a month ago and had a swollen leg from the whole ordeal. Pigpen got hers stuck this morning and thankfully is absolutely fine. I'm considering removing the band from all of my birds.

if the birds are closed banded you will need to take them to the vet and have it removed. I have only heard of a couple of instances that the birds had issues with the chips they were placed in the under of the wing and the birds (both of them) chewed at it and removed it themselves and needed vet care. I havent had any issues with bands but the teardrop type of toy latches my OWA got open and was suspended screaming and flapping. It was stuck under her lower mandible and she was frantic. me too

My concern with only chipping and removing the band is if the bird's lost and found by someone, the difficulty it might be to get the bird's chip scanned. If the person's going to be a jerk and slam the door in your face, you can't get the chip scanned.

Yes, they can also go get the band removed, but most people don't think about that.

I'd say chip as a secondary back up for positive ID.