14/15/16: Reptile medicine and surgery Flashcards
What is required to import an tortoise?
CITES certificate and microchip
Why must you feed tortoises in the morning?
Hide in a bush in the hottest part of the day
What triggers hibernation in tortoises?
Photoperiod, not temperature
How must tortoises enter hibernation?
Fully hydrated with an empty stomach and small intestine
What is hibernation in reptiles called?
Brumation
WHich species should always be barrier nursed?
Tortoise
What should tortoises have over their clavicle??
A fat pad
How do you restrain a tortoises head?
Behind neck
What does yellow in a tortoises mouth mean?
Anaemia, not jaundice
Where can you ballot eggs?
The prefemoral fossa
How should you use the Jackson ratio?
With clinical judgement
Which housing system mainly gets dehydration?
Closed vivaria with heat 24h a day
What should you do with all hospitalised tortoises?
Bathe
When is the only time you should worm a tortoise?
With evidence, and not during winter and worms don’t produce eggs at this time
When does fenbendazole give tortoises side effects?
If debilitated
How should you give tortoises fenbendazole?
By stomach tube
Where should you make sure Profender (topical cat wormer) doesn’t get on a tortoise?
In the eye
What does a tortoise in pain look like?
Increased activity, walking tall, tiptoes
How long after hibernation should a tortoise eat?
2-3 days
What happens to a tortoise during hibernation?
Slowly uses fluid, uses up energy stores and fat soluble vitamins, may get stomatitis.
When does hibernation take a worse toll?
If incorrect temperature - should be 5-8 degrees
What is the basic protocol for a tortoise after hibernation?
Bathe twice daily, oral rehydration until urates passed, herbivore syringe feed
How long should stomach tube be for a tortoise?
Gular notch to abdominal hinge
What has happened if a tortoise regurgitates after tube feeding?
It is not through the cardiac sphincter
What is often the cause of LRT disease in tortoises?
Lung abscess rather than generalised
Which view do you take to see tortoise lungs?
Cr-Cd, not DV
How do you inject a tortoise?
Clean skin very well, and hold it shut after
What is the first sign of resp disease in a tortoise?
Blowing bubbles
Which antibiotic should not be injected in tortoises?
Enrofloxacin
How do you treat tortoise ear abscesses?
Suture, or fenestrate and flush
Where are reptile jugulars?
3 and 9 oclock
Where else can you take blood in a tortoise?
Sub-carapacial sinus (bend needle and go midline)
What’s a problem with using the subcarapacial sinus?
Can dilute with lymph
What do you check for in generalised oedema in a tortoise?
Could just be an obese Horsefield’s. Or heart failure, renal disease, hypoproteinaemia,
Why can you not give a tortoise diuretics?
No loops of Henle
What do you do with a tortoise that fell in a pond?
Doppler for heartbeat, fluids, antibiotics, NSAIDs, pneumonia, KCS
What happens if a tortoise eats too many buttercups?
Liver disease
Which lizards can use their tail?
Any
What do lizards have in their abdomen?
Fat bodies
Which snake species don’t eat well in captivity?
Royal/Ball pythons
Which type of snake can get aggressive?
Burmese python
What are some causes of anorexia in snakes?
Stress, wrong temp, parasites, resp disease
In which snake species can anorexia be seasonal?
Adult corn snake males
Where can roundworms live in snakes?
In the stomach (and come out of the mouth!)
What do snake mites look like?
Black dots under scales, around eyes, corner of mouth
How do you treat snake mites?
Wipe fipronil spray on the snake, clean vivarium by putting it in the oven for 30 minutes
What is the priority when treating burns?
Analgesia
What can be long term problems with burns in snakes?
Scarring and sloughing problems
Which snakes commonly get resp disease?
Pythons and boas when temperature too low
What do snakes with resp disease look like?
Anorexia, bubbles in mouth, leans against sides of vivarium
How far down the snake is its stomach?
1/3
What happens to snake cilia if anorexic?
Lose them
How do you tube feed a snake?
Keep it vertical, lots of lube, don’t use a rigid tube or it will come out the side of the neck!!
