A permanent marking method to identify individual small rodents from birth to sexual maturity

摘要

This note presents plantar micro-tattooing (subcutaneous injection of Chinese ink) as a good alternative to toe-clipping, which is often used to identify individual rodents. The method was tested under laboratory conditions on voles Microtus arvalis from birth to sexual maturity. This easy, harmless and inexpensive technique could be used in the field, and not only on pups but also on adults of different species.