Choosing a Reptile Vet
and the Importance of Veterinary Care

      If your reptile is sick - PLEASE TAKE IT TO A REPTILE VET, no answer from me is going to cure it. It is too hard to tell what might be wrong with an animal when someone writes to me ... and most often what the person describes sounds serious, and sounds like it needs medication to cure it.

Save time- If your animal is sick, don't wait for my reply- cause I'm probably only going to tell you to take your reptile to a vet.

      It's also ALWAYS a good idea to know of a reptile vet in your area - BEFORE- you really need a reptile vet, but then, it's also a good idea to take your animal to a vet shortly after purchase for a general check up too.

      Start by looking at these lists of vets in order to find one in your area:

• USA and International Vet listings
• HerpVet Connection
• Canadian Reptile Vets
• Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV)

  Click on members and see if your vet is listed

• And if you are taking a vacation in the near future please see The Herpsitters list

      Look for a reptile vet that you are comfortable with when your reptile is relatively healthy.

      Don't wait to look for a vet until your reptile is very ill. If you do, you may end up with a vet that is inadequate and who actually makes the situation worse by not giving the required treatment for your reptiles condition. Take your reptile in for a check-up.

      When you are searching for a reptile vet in your area talk with other herp owners in your town or city or even on the Internet- mailing lists and herp forums; Speak with the reptile caretakers at your zoo; contact your local herp society members. You can also ask at pet stores but many of them do not use a vets services.

      Once you find a vet or two, here are a few ideas on how to assess them:

      Talk to the vet's office and see how much of their practice is in herps. Do they have experience with the kind of reptile or amphibian species that you want to bring in for a check up? They may not have experience with all reptiles but they should have some experience with the more commonly kept ones- various snakes, iguanas, bearded dragons, geckos, and red eared sliders. If they do not have experience with the type of reptile that you own keep in mind that that could be because your species is fairly new on the market or they just haven't seen one yet- it doesn't necessarily mean that they won't be able to help it.

     When you are contacting reptile veterinarian offices ask what training they have in reptile care- did the vet take a Reptile medicine course as part of his or her veterinarian training? Note that many have not simply because this very specialized course is only offered in a few Veterinary Colleges in North America. Has the vet done any other special training or continuing education? Does he Belong to the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Vets (ARAV)? Do they subscribe to the Journal of Small Exotic Animal Medicine? Does at least one of the reptile veterinarians at that clinic attend reptile veterinary conferences? Do they belong to any herp societies? What reptile veterinarian reference books do they have?

      When you bring your pet to the vets office- is he comfortable handling and examining the animal? Is the vet nervous, preferring for you to hold the animals while he or she looks at it- rarely touching the reptile themselves? Try asking some questions and see what kind of response you get- are the answers reasonable? Try to know the basics of care for your pet- Test the vet by asking them about the correct temperatures to house your reptile at, or what kind of food items you should be offering.

      If worse comes to worse and there really are no reptile vets within driving distance of your area, please do still look up the nearest reptile vet and write down the phone number. In the event that your animal becomes ill you can take it to an avian (bird) vet (first choice) or a regular vet, but do take some information with you concerning the nearest reptile vet that you know of and perhaps the avian or regular vet can consult with that doctor on the telephone about your animals care.

      I know a simple visit to the vet can be expensive but sometimes seeing the vet is the only thing we can really do to help our animals. Remember they have knowledge that we don't have, after all their years of study, and they have access to medications and equipment that most people who keep reptiles cannot get their hands on.

      The medications for reptiles sold in pet stores often are not the appropriate medication for the infection . Some of them have tetracycline in them- this is not good for herps, nor is it good for a lot of the common bacterial infections that they pick up. Many of these medications are often watered down versions of the real thing- watered down betadine is one example. Heaven forbid someone overdose their animal and sue the company ... hence watered down, often ineffective meds, that you pay $$$$ for, and often prolong your animals illness for in the hopes that the med will work.

      Sometimes going right to the vet when your animal is ill is the best thing for both you and the animal ... rather than trying over the counter meds that don't work while your animal ends up getting sicker and harder (and more expensive) to cure at the vets. Remember the sicker your animal is when you bring it to the vets it will be more likely that the cost of treatment will be higher than if you brought the animal in when it first started exhibiting symptoms of illness.

      Sorry for the ramble on vets. There are a lot of ailments that can be cured at home with TLC, knowledge and experience ... but most people do not have that much experience - so I always recommend a vet visit. Once a reptile keeper has gained a fair amount of experience, or the animal comes down with something that this person has seen before, the owner might have the knowledge and experience to do a lot of the care at home, perhaps without seeing a vet at all depending upon what the problem is. This kind of experience only comes with time, so in the meantime, if your animal is sick, please take it to a reptile vet.

Reptile rescue- a listing of reptile rescue shelters- Canada, USA, International

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