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?