Ventral method Sample Clauses

Ventral method. Grasp the toad so that the hind legs point away from your body and the ventral side is up. About 0.78-1.17 in (2-3 cm) craniad and laterally from the cloaca (see Figure 4), pinch a small amount of ventral skin and with fine, sharp scissors, snip a very small horizontal hole through the skin, ensuring that all layers of the skin have been penetrated. Insert the needle sub-cutaneously, but shallowly, through the opening in the skin. Be sure the PIT tag is inserted fully into the hole. Place a finger over the needle and slowly withdraw, making sure that the tag remains implanted. For both methods, the wound should be small and somewhat self-closing. However, the wound may be more securely closed using Nexaban or Vet Seal. Upon capture of a toad, the scanner should be passed over the animal multiple times, as experience has shown that the orientation of the tag in the animal’s body affects detection and the tag may not “read” on initial passes. PIT tags sometimes move, or "migrate", over time. Examine the toad for visual evidence of a tag, including the legs, before inserting a new tag. Some populations have been tagged using older tags that may be visible, but which current equipment does not read. If monitoring toads from one of these populations (such as Xxxxxx Gulch), you may need to remove an existing unreadable tag and replace it with a new tag. To remove an old tag, pinch the skin near the tag and use fine scissors to cut a small horizontal hole through all layers of the skin. Work the existing tag through the hole; insert a new tag through the same hole and close and seal the wound. Put the old tag in a small container with the number of the new tag and ensure that the records note that this is a recapture with a number reassignment.