Birds & Exotic Pet Veterinary Care in Granby CT

EXOTIC PET VETERINARIAN CARE

What is an Exotic Pet?

The term “exotic pet” applies to any household pet other than the more traditional dog or cat, this includes:

• Small Mammals (rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, chinchillas, rats, mice, hamsters, and other rodents)
• Reptiles (snakes, lizards, turtles, tortoises)
• Birds (parrots, budgies, passerines, waterfowl, etc.)

New Exotic Pet

When you first bring home your new exotic pet, we recommend that you keep it separated from your other pets for one month. Preferably, they should also have their initial health evaluation by a veterinarian prior to their introduction to your current pets.

At Salmon Brook, during an your new exotic pet’s veterinary visit, we will discuss how to care for your new exotic pet and answer any and all questions you may have. Many pet stores offer a warranty on newly purchased animals that lasts for 2-3 weeks, and it is ideal to schedule a veterinary visit within this time frame. These measures are important to ensuring that you have obtained a healthy pet free of diseases or infections that may be introduced into your collection.

Bringing Your Exotic Pet to the Salmon Brook Veterinary Hospital

We recognize that coming to the vet can be a stressful experience for any pet, particularly for our exotic patients. So at the Salmon Brook Veterinary Hospital, we aim to minimize the amount of stress your exotic pet experiences by asking that when you bring them for their visit that you arrive 15 minutes early to fill out new patient paperwork.

If possible, we suggest you bring your pet in their enclosure so as to help limit the stress. This will also be helpful to assess your setup and make any recommendations. It is also best not to clean the enclosure prior to bringing your pet in. This will allow your exotic pet to be surrounded by familiar, comfortable smells, and will also retain samples for diagnostic testing to better evaluate your pet. For reptile patients, it is best to bring them with some sort of heated transport, such as a warm towel or hot water bottle.

Wellness Exams and Preventative Care

The development of health issues in exotic pets can be gradual and difficult to detect by even the most diligent pet owner; therefore, we recommend regular checkups and wellness visits. During these visits, your pet will receive a full physical exam and health checkup, thorough evaluation of husbandry practices, and recommendations for improvement where necessary. We offer a wide array of wellness services for exotic patients here at the Salmon Brook Veterinary Hospital, including:

• Vaccinations
• Fecal Exam
• Thorough Oral Exam
• Evaluation for parasites
• Weight Checks
• Blood Screening
• Sex Determination
• Spay/Neuter Procedures
• Husbandry Review and Recommendations
• Behavioral Counseling
• Nail, Beak, and Wing Trims

How to Tell When Your Exotic Pet is Sick

Exotic pets are skilled at hiding problems. Unfortunately, this means that when they finally do let us know that there is a problem, it is often advanced and more difficult to resolve. Thus, it is important to try to catch any signs of possible illness early. Signs to watch for include (but are not limited to):

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• Decreased Activity
• Decreased Appetite
• Weight Loss
• Changes in Stool or Urine Production or Appearance
• Ocular or Nasal Discharge
• Any Sign of Blood on the Animal or in its Enclosure
• Muscle Twitching, weakness
• Fluffed Up Appearance, Sitting on the Cage Floor, or Tail-Bobbing in Birds
• Wing Droop
• Changes in Respiratory Rate or Effort
• Witnessed or Suspected Injuries

Call us as soon as possible if your pet is displaying any concerning signs or with any questions you may have!