Snakes and Chelonians Flashcards
What order are snakes in?
Squamata
What is a fossorial habitat?
Underground habitat
Cornsnakes resemble what venemous snake?
Copperhead
What is the prey of California kingsnakes?
Other snakes
How long can California kingsnakes live and grow?
up to 20 years
10 ft long
Name 3 pet snakes native to the U.S.A
Gopher snake, cornsnake, rosy boa
How long do Rosy boas live and how big do they get?
Up to 50 years
4 feet
The red tailed boa is native to what place?
North, Central and South America
What habitat does the red tailed boa live in?
Arboreal
How big do red tailed boas get?
6-10 feet
What is the largest gopher snake?
Bull snake
How long do gopher snakes get and live?
3-6 feet
15-30 years
Ball pythons are native to what place?
Native to central and western Africa
How long do ball pythons live and how long do they grow to?
15-20 years
3-5 feet
Surgical equipment used for snakes include:
Dremel, stainless steel suture, transparent surgical drapes, and a magnifying surgical headset
What are the 6 common snakes kept as pets?
Corn snake, california snake, ball python, rosy boa, red tailed boa, gopher snake
What are topics to discuss with owners that own aquatic snakes?
water quality control, filter systems used, sources of water, and frequency of water change are all important. Owners need to list types of cleaning agents and disinfectants used and the frequency of use.
What it is the appropriate temperature range for snakes?
75-90 degrees
What is the humidity range of most pet snakes?
50%-70%
Which pet snake mimics the rattlesnake by making the rattling noise in their throat?
Gopher snake
Nephrotoxic drugs should not be given in which part of the reptilian body?
Caudal
What is the common IM injection site in snakes?
Epaxial muscles
How are oral meds given to snakes?
Stomach tube
What is the most common reptilian disease seen and what’s it caused by?
Metabolic bone disease
Caused by really low calcium, low vitamin D3, excessive phosphorous
If fresh feces isn’t available, how can it be obtained?
removed from the terminal alimentary tract by gentle palpation or by the insertion of a fecal extractor or cotton tipped applicator through the cloacal vent. A warm water enema can also work.
What is the percentage of water used for an enema in a snake?
1% or less
What are the 3 main layers of skin in snakes?
Epidermis, stratum germinatavum, and dermis
The dermis consists of what 2 layers?
Stratum compactum (innermost layer of dermis of densely knit tissue) and stratum spongiosum (connective tissue, blood vessels, glands, nerve endings, and other cellular structures)
What is eccdysis?
Shedding
Snake and lizards have what kind of bacteria?
Gram negative
Cross contamination of bacteria can occur between what 2 species?
Avians and snakes/lizards
How many chambers are in the snake heart? How many chambers does the snake actually function?
3
5
How and why is the heart oriented in terrestrial snakes?
Heart is closer to the head and blood vessels in the distal portion of the body dilate to receive more blood
How and why is the heart oriented in arboreal snakes?
Heart is closer to the head so blood can easily reach the brain while hanging vertically
How and why is the heart oriented in aquatic species?
Heart is in the middle of the body to make pumping effort minimal. External water pressure compensates for low blood pressure and lack of accumulation in the tail
The snake ventricle is divided into what 3 parts?
cavum arteriosum, cavum venosum, and cavum pulmonale
Snakes can perform what cardiac function?
Intracardiac shunting, classified as left to right or right to left.
What is a right to left intracardiac shunt? What is it used for?
deoxygenated blood that should flow out to the pulmonary circuit is expelled out to the systemic circuit via the aortic arches (increasing the amount of circulating blood, decreasing oxygen content).
Used to increase body temperature and bypass the lungs during breath holding.
What does a left to right intracardiac shunt do?
stabilizes the oxygen content in the blood
In snakes, blood goes to the heart from the kidney via what vein?
Post caval vein
If blood travels through the renal portal system, it only goes through the:
convoluted tubules, not the glomeruli
The hepatic portal system drains:
blood from the intestines into the liver
The renal portal system drains:
venous channels of tail into kidneys
The hypophyseal portal system drains:
hypothalamus into sinusoids of anterior pituitary, is the smallest portal system
Snake veins lack what?
Valves to prevent backflow
Why should a feeding tube in snakes be placed in the stomach and not the esophagus?
Snake’s esophagus is static and the bolus will sit there for hours
What are 3 adaptations in snakes that makes sure there’s enough blood flow?
Contraction of smooth muscles along the vessels, undulation/contraction of skeletal muscles massaging blood towards the heart, tight skin in arboreal species acts as an antigravity suit
Do reptiles have lymph nodes?
No
What are common venipuncture sites of snakes?
Caudal/Coccygeal vein, cardiac puncture, ventral abdominal vein, palatine vein
Describe the lungs of most snakes
Most snakes have a larger right lung and smaller nonfunctional left lung
What are the vomeronasal organs used for in snakes?
Sense a den or pheromones
What is sputum in snakes?
Under a microscope, what common parasites can be seen?
Mix of saliva and mucus.
Rhabditis spp., Entomelas spp., and Stongloides stercoralis
Do snakes have urinary bladders?
No
Snake kidneys lack what?
Loop of henle and renal pelvis
What are the 6 hormones released by the adenopophysis in snakes?
Adrenocorticotropin• Follicle stimulating hormone• Luteinizing hormone• Prolactin• Somatotropin• Thyrotropin
What are the 2 parts of the pituitary gland in snakes?
neuropophysis and adenopophysis
Which gland in snakes control eccdysis?
Thyroid
When doing a cloacal probe on a female snake, what should you keep in mind?
Female snakes have a blind diverticulum
What is a zoonotic bacteria from snakes/reptiles?
Salmonella
What is vitellogenesis?
Production of the yolk
What are chelonians?
Turtles and tortoises
What is the carapace? How many bones does it contain?
Hard covering over the upper body
About 50
What is the plastron? How many bones does it contain?
Hard covering over the lower body
9
What are scutes?
Individual plates over the chelonian shell
What are 3 common pet turtles?
Red eared slider, map turtles, box turtles
What is the diet of young and adult chelonians?
Young chelonians are more carnivorous, and most are herbivores as adults.
What is a carnivore, herbivore and omnivore chelonian?
Carnivore: Snapping turtle
Herbivore: tortoise
Omnivore: Box turtle, sea turtle
Which scute can venipuncture be done under?
Nuchal scute
How can soft shelled turtles breath?
Through their skin
What 3 reptiles have no diaphram?
Snake, birds and turtles
What size is it illegal to sell turtles?
Under 4 inches
What 2 animals have a 3 chambered heart?
Snakes and chelonians
Which reptiles have a bladder?
Chelonians
What are venipuncture sites of chelonians?
Jugular vein• Brachial vein• Subcarapacial vein• Ventral tail vein• Dorsal tail vein• Femoral vein• Occipital venous sinus• Heart
What is shell rot?
Loss of scutes, wet form is from bacterial infection or hemorrhagic discharge, dry form is from fungal or bacterial infection
Where is the primary site of microbial fermentation in chelonians?
Large intestine
Which part of the reproductive system in chelonians hold eggs prior to laying?
Avary
SCUD (Septicemic Cutaneous Ulcerative Disease) affects primarily who? What does it cause?
Aquatic turtles
Shell and skin lesions
What causes gout in reptiles that produce lots of uric acid like birds and turtles?
Buildup of uric acid via damage to the kidneys
What are 3 protozoan parasites?
Eimeria, Giardia, Coccidiosis
