Exotic Pet Medicine and Surgery
Our veterinarians are experienced in providing specialized care and treatment for exotic companion animals, including ferrets, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, iguanas, rabbits, and snakes. We understand their unique health needs and can provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical services, as well as counseling on nutrition, behavior, and general care.
Transporting Your Exotic Pet During Freezing Temperatures
Pocket Pet/small mammal (rabbit, small rodents, guinea pig, chinchilla, hedgehog, ferret): Warm the car before bringing the pet into the car. Transport them in a pet carrier. Place a blanket inside and over the carrier.
Reptile (bearded dragon, chameleon, gecko, water dragon, turtles and snakes): Reptiles are ectothermic, which means that they have to regulate their body temperature by moving to warmer or colder areas based on their needs. Their body temperature is the temperature of the environment they are in. Warm the car before bringing the pet into the car.
You can transport your pet reptile in an insulated environment such as a Styrofoam or other insulated coolers to maintain heat. If your reptile is small enough and hand tamed (such as many bearded dragons) you can wrap them up in a towel and tuck them inside your warm jacket. You can also try increasing the temperature of an enclosure by placing something warm in with the reptile and then enclosing the box/carrier. Examples include:
• Hot water bottle
• Hot water filled latex gloves
• Hand warmers (available at most stores, do NOT use with birds)
• Hot water filled packs
Aquatic turtles should not be transported in water for short distances (under 2 hours). You can transport them dry as described above. They do not need water constantly and it is much more difficult to regulate water temperature outside the home.
Snakes
Snakes can suffer from a variety of diseases, some of which can cause serious respiratory, gastrointestinal, and liver problems. They also commonly harbor internal and external parasites, including hookworms, roundworms, mites, and ticks.
We recommend that you bring your new snake in for an initial exam so we can make sure it’s healthy. If your snake needs future veterinary attention, we’ll also have a baseline to compare against. Although snakes don’t need vaccinations, they can benefit from routine exams. Annual veterinary visits can even help your snake live longer.
We are happy to share our specialized knowledge of appropriate enclosures, temperature and humidity, lighting, substrates (ground covering), cleaning, and skin shedding. Besides having feeding requirements that are species specific, snakes can become stressed and may not eat. If this happens, please contact us so we can help. We can also determine the sex of your snake.
A healthy snake should flick its tongue and be alert and active, showing interest in its environment; its scales should be smooth and dry. Call us immediately if you notice any of the following signs of illness: vomiting or regurgitation, diarrhea, loss of appetite or weight, weakness or loss of energy, wheezing, mucus or bubbling around the nostrils, changes around the mouth (inflammation, purplish-red spots, dry and diseased tissue), and changes in the skin (reddening, slow-healing sores, swelling, discharge).
Rabbits
Rabbits are susceptible to a variety of diseases and conditions, including overgrown teeth, hairballs, parasites, and cancer. They also tend to hide signs of illness or pain.
Contact us if your rabbit:
Has discharge from the eyes or nose, runny stool, or a gurgling stomach- Has an elevated or low temperature
- Begins drooling, scratching at the ears, or sneezing
- Starts tilting his or her head
- Develops bald patches in his or her fur
- Stops eating, appears overly quiet, or shows other abnormal behavior
In addition, your rabbit can benefit from regular dental checkups. We can help make sure problems with your rabbit’s teeth don’t turn into serious, potentially life-threatening conditions.
We also strongly suggest that you have your rabbit spayed or neutered. Not only can rabbits potentially give birth once a month, but they can also have up to 14 babies at a time! Even in households with a single rabbit, spaying or neutering has plenty of benefits: It can protect your rabbit from several types of cancer and reduce or eliminate aggression, as well as other undesirable behavior, such as spraying, mounting, destructive chewing, and biting. Spaying or neutering will not change your rabbit’s personality.
If you have any questions about how to best care for your rabbit, we’d be happy to discuss proper diet, housing, grooming, and even litterbox training.
Iguanas and Other Lizards
Nutrition-related disorders and diseases are common in iguanas and other lizards. We can help you avoid these problems. Call us to set up a nutritional consultation so we can discuss how to help keep your lizard healthy.
We also offer an initial checkup for new lizard owners to help identify current or potential medical problems and, if necessary, begin treatment. In addition, we can provide you with information on appropriate enclosures, environmental requirements, sanitation, and disease prevention.
Gerbils, Guinea Pigs, and Hamsters
Just because they’re small doesn’t mean they can’t benefit from veterinary attention. Teeth, which grow continuously in gerbils, guinea pigs, and hamsters, often require trimming. (We can also recommend appropriate chew toys, which may help keep the teeth worn down.) Parasites such as lice, mites, and fleas can infest your pet. In addition, these companion animals can suffer from other health issues.
Call us if your pet stops eating, loses weight, appears quieter than normal, has discharge from the eyes or nose, or develops a lump on its body. We can provide treatment that fits within your budget.
Ferrets
You can help keep your ferret healthy by bringing him or her in for an exam once a year. That way, we can monitor any changes that occur in your pet and help prevent or catch diseases early, when they’re easier to treat. As ferrets age, they may need additional testing and dental care.
Common problems associated with ferrets include gastrointestinal disease, parasites, and cancer. In addition, ferrets are inquisitive creatures by nature and frequently ingest objects they shouldn’t. Regular blood tests can help determine whether your ferret has any problems with the kidneys, liver, or pancreas.
Ferrets can also benefit from receiving certain vaccinations and monthly preventives, which we’d be happy to discuss with you during your visit. Please bring a stool sample to your ferret’s annual exam so we can test for internal parasites.
Unless you are planning to breed your ferret, we recommend that he or she be spayed or neutered. Female ferrets, or jills, do not need to give birth once to stay healthy. In fact, spaying can save a ferret’s life. Jills that haven’t been spayed will stay in heat until they’re bred. This condition can cause anemia (a decrease in red blood cells), which can be fatal. In male ferrets, neutering can reduce their strong body odor, prevent marking, and reduce aggressive behavior.
Please contact us right away if your ferret develops any unusual symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, lack of appetite, trouble breathing, black ear wax, discharge from the eyes or nose, lumps, swelling, or an increase in aggression or sexual behavior (especially in neutered males).
Avian Medicine
Budgies, cockatiels, parrots, and songbirds tend to live longer, healthier lives when they receive regular veterinary care. We can provide nutritional counseling, health assessments, grooming assistance, sexing, fecal parasite testing, medical services, and annual physicals. In addition, we’d be happy to discuss general care, disease prevention, safety, appropriate housing and toys, and breeding. We recommend that you bring your bird in for an initial checkup, then stop by once a year to ensure that he or she remains healthy and isn’t hiding signs of illness. Some birds require more frequent visits. During the exam, we will check your bird’s beak, nails, and feathers to determine if they require any specialized attention. Regular exams can help catch diseases and problems early, when they tend to be easier and less expensive to treat. A bird that doesn’t groom itself correctly, appears ruffled, or has unkempt or missing feathers is probably sick. Other signs that your bird might not be well include changes in eating or sleeping habits, difficulty breathing, and abnormal droppings. Birds are good at hiding signs of illness, so if you notice that your bird is acting unusual or if something just doesn’t seem right, call us as soon as possible.
Transporting Your Bird in Freezing Temperatures
Avian (bird): In general, birds are capable of tolerating lower temperatures when they are exposed to them incrementally, however moving a bird from a warm house into a freezing snowy day can be a shock to them. Here are some ideas for transporting your birds safely. Warm the car before bringing birds into the car.
• For smaller birds (cockatiels, budgies, canaries) similar methods to that of the reptile can be used. Place the bird in a small box (shoe boxes are a good option) with small holes and place a warm water bottle inside with the bird. Be aware that birds can and do chew, so any warm object should have a towel or some sort of protective barrier between it and the bird.. And be sure that the warming device is not overheated, as these enclosures can get very warm.
• Place your bird in a small bird-safe carrier and swaddle the carrier in towels. Fleece works particularly well to protect carriers from wind while not blocking air supply.
• For larger birds, warm up an electric heating pad and secure it underneath your carrying cage. Then swaddle the cage with a blanket, warm coat, or towels to keep the heat in.
• Place a cage that has been already swaddled with towels inside a duffle bag. This will provide an extra layer for heat, as well as give an easy way to carry your bird.
Wing Clipping
Clipping a bird’s feathers can protect your bird and your home. Wing clipping is a nonpainful procedure that ensures the safety of your bird in its environment and keeps your bird from chewing holes in your doors and window frames. It limits your bird’s ability to fly, removing the risk of injury from flying into a ceiling fan, onto a hot stovetop, or into (or out) a window.
Having your bird’s feathers professionally clipped helps ensure that the right feathers are removed without irritating the skin. Improperly clipped wings can cause your bird to pluck or chew its feathers. In addition, inexperienced wing clipping can result in a blood feather being accidentally trimmed, a situation that can become life-threatening. We can perform this procedure safely while preserving the aesthetic appearance of your bird. Please feel free to call us to discuss this option, as well as any concerns you might have, or to set up an appointment.
Toenail Trims
Most birds need to have their nails trimmed regularly. However, the process can be detrimental to your bird if its nails are trimmed too short. We can take care of this procedure for you so that you don’t have to worry about nicking the blood vessels inside the nails. Call us if you’d like to schedule an appointment.
Be careful if you perform this procedure at home. In fact, we only suggest that you attempt this at home if your bird is small and has white nails (which allow you to see the blood vessels). We also suggest you keep a caustic agent, such as styptic powder, on hand in case a nail bleeds.
Providing perches with rough surfaces can help reduce the frequency of nail trimming, but do not use sandpaper perches. They don’t wear down the nails and can cause skin problems.
Beak Trims
Beaks continue growing throughout birds’ lives. Although birds’ beaks usually wear evenly, some birds develop beak problems and require veterinary assistance. Trimming its beak incorrectly can cause your bird pain and may prevent it from eating, which is why we recommend having your bird’s beak professionally trimmed. Do not attempt to trim your bird’s beak at home. Call us to schedule an appointment.
