marking rodent in color

[Alexandre Dobly]

Hello,

I work on rodent behaviour (voles) at the Free University of Brussels.

To use a images analyse software (EthoVision) in our lab, we have to mark our
voles in various color.
But they have dark furs (brown), and we don't succeed to find how to mark them
in color acceptable for the software.
We don't know any colored substance that resists to the frequent licking of
these animals. Colars or ear tags don't stay for long time.

Do someone know a possible soluton to this problem?

Thank you in advance.

Alexandre Dobly

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Behavioural Biology of Mammals
[Biologie du Comportement des Mammiferes]
Free University of Brussels - CP 160/12
[Universite Libre de Bruxelles]
50, av. F. Roosevelt
B-1050 Bruxelles
BELGIUM
--------------------------------------------
(\"/)```~.
Phone: + 32 2 650 45 25 o o ( ( )___
Fax: + 32 2 650 24 45 >O<- ~ "~
Email: ado...@resulb.ulb.ac.be
--------------------------------------------

[Robert D. Darby]

I found an article on implanting a subcutaneous transponder in rats at
weaning time to study movement. It is probably just what you are after.
I have no idea what these devices cost. You may try contacting the
authors of the article for particulars. Let me know via Email what you
find out. Good luck.

Article at:

http://www2.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/irx/cgi-bin/birdx_doc?medline+75007

[Charles A. Peavey]

Alexandre Dobly wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> I work on rodent behaviour (voles) at the Free University of Brussels.
>
>

> Phone: + 32 2 650 45 25 o o ( ( )___
> Fax: + 32 2 650 24 45 >O<- ~ "~
> Email: ado...@resulb.ulb.ac.be
> --------------------------------------------

Yes. We have a sensor available that is injected subcutaneously and
carries various types of information. This sensor does not need any
power of its own and isn encapsulated in glass. The sensor is queried
by a radio frequency system that can read and write to the implanted
sensor. In this way you can actually track your animals individually
and even perhaps have the gates et up with antennae so that the animal
actually writes the path for you as it travels.

If you would like more information pleas let me know.

Best regards.
Charles A. Peavey
Action Mechatronics, Inc
Oakland, California.