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Wellness Wisdom Wednesday:
Exotic Pet Husbandry & Diseases
Patrick Morrison, DVM
Husbandry and Diseases
Reptiles Lizards
Snakes
Tortoises/Turtles
Small Mammals Guinea Pigs
Rats
Ferrets
Hedgehogs
Reptile Husbandry• Preferred Optimal Temperature Zone (POTZ)
• Environmental Lighting (UVB)
• Humidity
• Diet
• Substrate
Reptile
Resources• http://anapsid.org/
• http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/
• Reptile Manuals
• Atrium Animal Hospital
• Range of temperatures allow for proper thermoregulation
• Basking Spot
• Ambient Temperature
• Winter Cooldown
• Based on Natural History
Heating Sources• Incandescent Bulbs (infrared or white)
• Mercury Vapor Bulbs
• Ceramic Heat Emitters
• Under the Tank Heating Pads
• Measure with thermometer
• NO HOT ROCKS!
Heat Sources
• SUNLIGHT!!!!
• Sun → Skin → Vitamin D → Calcium → Strong Bones
• UVB Lighting
– Change every 6 months
• Glass/Plastic block UVB Light
UVB Lights
• Desert ≠ NO WATER
– Humidity Hides
• High Humidity = Low Ventilation = Poor Hygiene
• Hygrometer
• Misting or Drip Systems
Humidity Hide
• Plastic Box with Lid
• Sphagnum Moss or Vermiculite
• Moisten moss with water
• Place under heat lamp
• Check for moisture and cleanliness
• Carnivores (Insectivores)– ALL SNAKES!, Chameleons, Tegus,
Crocodilians, Leopard Geckos– Gut-Loading
• Herbivores– Tortoises, Iguanas
• Omnivores– Bearded Dragons, Aquatic Turtles,
Box Turtles,
Carnivores• Feeding Whole Prey
• Feed Thawed Frozen Prey – NOT LIVE
– Live rodent prey is unethical
– Live prey can serious harm your reptile
• If feeding fish, supplement with Thiamine and Vitamin E
Insectivores• Good sources of protein, essential amino acids, fiber, trace minerals and vitamin E
(with exceptions).• Insects are deficient in Ca, vitamins A and D, some B vitamins• Variety is key!
– Crickets, waxworms, mealworms, super mealworms and Dubia roaches, silkworms, black soldier fly larvae (Phoenix worms), tomato horn worms, bean beetles, fruit flies, springtails, wood lice, moths, cicadas, flies, grasshoppers, bees (remove stingers), and sow bugs (pill bugs or roly polys)
– NO fireflies = TOXIC• Need to be dusted with calcium and multivitamin supplement
Gut-Loading• Feeding a calcium rich diet to improve the insect’s calcium
content – Feeding high Ca diets (≥ 8% Calcium) increased the Ca
content and developed a positive Ca:P ratio of feeder insects after 1 to 3 days
• Mazuri Hi Calcium Gut Loading Diet, 8–9% Calcium• Remember, water is the most essential nutrient, and insects
will die rapidly without it
Herbivores• Herbivores are the greatest challenge to feed correctly
– 15–40% crude fiber• Commercial fruits and vegetables produced for humans typically are
too low in Ca, fiber, trace minerals and some vitamins, too high or too low in protein, and too high in carbohydrates for herbivorous reptiles
• Most grasses and hays, except for Kentucky bluegrass and alfalfa, approach or meet the nutrient profile for tortoises
• Commercial pelleted diets are improving in quality
Omnivores• Many omnivores consume more animals as juveniles,
to fuel increased demands for protein and fat, than as adults
• Gut-Loading
• Avoid over-reliance on fruits in diet
• Commercial pelleted diets are improving in quality
• Easy to disinfect, without causing harm• Coconut husk mixed with CareFresh is a safer, more
natural looking substrate• Newspaper and Repti-carpet are easily disinfected
but are artificial looking• AVOID SAND!• Many of the mulch product are by products of
lumber industry and have irritating aromatic oils• Check to make sure any potting that you use is
organic and free of fertilizers. • Need to spot clean the enclosure daily. • Entire enclosure should be scrubbed weekly.
Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)
Basking spot of 95˚F
Ambient Temperature 75°F – 85°F
UVB Required
Humidity 30-50%
Diet – Omnivore
55% Plant Matter = Dark leafy Greens
20% Vegetables = Squash, zucchini,
sweet potato, peas, beans
25% Animal Protein = Insects, Pinkies
Occasional Fruits
Repti-carpet, newspaper, Tile,
coconut husk
Common Diseases
Constipation/Impaction
Chronic Dehydration
Sand, Gravel, Walnut Shells
Obesity
Overfeeding
Metabolic Bone Disease
Lack of UVB lighting, Lack of Calcium supplementation
Parasites
Prolapse
Secondary to parasites, impaction, constipation, calcium deficiency
Bearded Dragon Tank
Ball Python (Python regius)
Basking spot of 95˚F
Ambient Temperature 75°F – 85°F
UVB? - Recommended
Humidity 60-80%
Diet – Carnivore
Thawed frozen gerbils
Repti-carpet, newspaper, Tile,
coconut husk
May need to burrow for comfort
Common Diseases
Necrotizing Dermatitis
Moist Substrate, poor
ventilation
Pneumonia
Increased humidity, poor
hygiene
Dysecdysis
Low humidity
Trauma
Prey induced
Russian Tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii)
Basking spot of 90˚F
Ambient Temperature 65°F – 80°F
Winter Cooldown 40°F – 50°F
UVB Required
Humidity 40-60%
Diet – Herbivore
High-fiber, low-protein and calcium-rich diet
Grass hays and weeds
Leafy Greens, Carotenoids
Occasional Fruits
Coconut Husk and CareFresh
Tortoise Table
Common Diseases
Metabolic Bone Disease
Lack of UVB lighting, Lack of Calcium supplementation
Pneumonia
Poor hygiene, Increased humidity
Renal Disease
Improper diet
Bladder Stones
Reptile Questions?
Small Mammals
Small Mammal Husbandry
•Housing
•Diet
•Grooming
•Common Diseases
Guinea Pig Housing
• Recommend 2ft. x 3ft. per guinea pig• Recommend solid floor such as a hard plastic or stainless steel
• No wire bottoms
• Open topped pen – do not climb
• Paper Product or Fleece• Avoid natural substrates such as wood shavings
• Change out bedding completely once per week
• Guinea pigs explore new items by nibbling
• NOT heat tolerant• Optimal room temperature 55-70°C
• Good ventilation
Guinea Pig Pen
Guinea Pig Diet
• Grass Hay (Timothy, Orchard, Botanical)• 80% of guinea pig diet
• As much as they will eat
• Available at all times
• Pellets • No more than 1/8 cup total per day
• Avoid pellet mix with seeds
• Greens• Safe greens list
• Vitamin C• 50mg/day
• Oxbox vitamin C pellet, vegetables, pediatric oral suspension
• Water
Guinea Pig Grooming
• May have to brush long-haired Guinea Pigs
• Trim nails to prevent curling into foot pads
• Guinea pigs are normally good self-groomers• Should not need to routinely bath healthy guinea pigs at home
Common Diseases
• Scurvy• Lack of Vitamin C in Diet
• Dental Disease
• Obesity• Overfeeding
• Lack of Exercise
• Pododermatitis• Secondary to obesity
• Wire bottom cages
• Ringworm• Zoonotic
Rat Housing
• As large of environment as possible, recommend 2ft x 3ft• Include complex and enriched space, with a variety of horizontal and vertical
barriers, objects, and structures (ladders, shelters) to encourage your rats to explore and exercise
• Provide places to hide, climb and investigate at different heights within the cage
• Solid floors• Not Wire
• Recommend paper product bedding
• Not very heat tolerant – 65—75°F
• Good Ventilation
• Very Social Animals• Kept in small groups of the same gender
Rat Habitat
Rat Diet
• Lab Blocks
• Treats• Small pieces of fruits,
vegatables, unsweetened cereals
• Water
Rat Grooming
• Excellent groomers• Should not need to bathe a healthy rat
• Typically maintain their own nails
• Do not need to clean ears or trim teeth
Common Diseases
• Respiratory Disease• Good ventilation
• Proper hygiene
• Tumors• Alter rats at a young age
Ferret Husbandry
• Recommended at least 2ft x 4ft cage for a single housed ferret• Preferably multiple levels for climbing and playing
• Litter Box trained with paper products (CareFresh, Yesterday’s News)• Avoid cat litter
• Sleeping area with towels, t-shirts, or “ferret hammock”
• Need SUPERVISED time outside of the cage each day• Need a “ferret-proofed” room
• Anywhere a ferrets head can fit, its head will follow
Ferret Housing
Ferret Diet
• Obligate Carnivore
• High Protein, Low Carbohydrate
• Evo, 8 in1, Marshall’s, Totally Ferret, Wysong
• AVOID grain – free• Bladder stones
• Water available at all times
Ferret Grooming
• Routine Nail Trimming• We can help
• Do not bathe to often – Remove natural oils from skin• Pet-safe Shampoos
• Routine Ear Cleaning
• Dental cleanings like dogs and cats• Brush teeth from an early age
Common Diseases
• Gastrointestinal Obstruction
• Adrenal Disease
• Insulinoma
• Influenza• Yes, from you
• “Green Slime” Disease• Epizootic Catarrhal Enteritis (ECE)
Hedgehog Housing
• Recommend 2ft x 3ft pen
• Paper Product or Fleece bedding
• Optimal Temperature 75-85F• Torpor
• Nocturnal
• Recommend exercise wheel to prevent obesity
Hedgehog Pen
Hedgehog Diet
• Omnivore
• Commercial Hedgehog Pellet
• 1 teaspoon canned cat food
• 1 teaspoon fruits and vegtables
• Supplement with Mealworms
• Water available at all times
Hedgehog Grooming
• Routine Nail Trims
Common Diseases
• Obesity• Overfeeding
• Dental Disease
• Neoplasia (Cancer)
• Mites
Mammal Questions?