VTNE Review: Reptile Husbandry, restraint, and diseases

describe housing

• enclosures made of synthetic nonporous material, sealed wood, plexiglass

• vertical for arboreal species, horizontal for terrestrial species

• larger enclosures are better

• provide basking light reaching maximum temperature of 100-105 degrees

• recommended humidity for tropical species 80-90%, desert species require 30-50%

• UVB lighting necessary for vitamin D synthesis and calcium absorption

• substrates: newspaper, artificial turf, aspen bedding, cypress, mulch

nutrition for herbivores (lizards)

• grasses, leaves, vegetables and fruit

• moderate to high fiber and moderate to low fat and protein

• alfalfa to provide protein source, fed in moderation

• don’t feed dog and cat food

• avoid parsley, spinach and chives (may reduce calcium level)

nutrition for carnivores (lizards, snakes)

• prey, small mammals, birds, or other reptiles

• high protein diet with moderate fat and low fiber

• immature rodents should be coated with a calcium supplement

• avoid feeding live prey, may cause injury to reptile

nutrition for insectivores (lizards)

• crickets, mealworms and waxworms

• insects must be fed a nutrient rich diet for up to 2 days before being offered to the reptile

  • gut loading

nutrition for omnivores (lizards)

• plant and prey items

• water: depending on the species water may be offered in a dish, misting, or dripping system

restraint/handling in lizards

• restrain head first

• secure the head by placing the index finger and thumb around base of mandible; use free hand to hold rear legs and tail

• do not grab the tail; some lizards lose the distal part of their tail as a defense mechanism

• calming trick: some species calm down when both eyes are covered (use cotton balls or gauze) and warp around head with bandaging material; produces vagal stimulation

• venipuncture sites: ventral coccygeal (tail) vein; jugular vein; ventral abdominal vein

restraint and handling in chelonians (turtles and tortoises)

• nonaggressive: safe handling by grasping both sides of shell

• restrain head by grasping base of skull at the mandible with index finger and thumb; use gentle traction to extend head and neck; excessive pressure may lead to injury of cervical spine

• venipuncture sites: jugular vein, subcarapacial venous sinus (just above the head and underneath shell at midline), dorsal coccygeal vein

handling and restraint in snakes

• restrain by grasping head at level of mandible, support body with the other hand

• needs to be an additional handler for every 3-4 feet of snake to support the snake’s spine

• never drape snakes over a persons neck

who should not receive ivermectin since it is toxic?

chelonians, indigo snakes, or debilitated snakes

toxicity leads to neurologic defects and often death

diseases in lizards

• metabolic bone disease

• renal disease

• urinary calculi

• gout

• parasites

• bacterial (gram negative most common)

• fungal

• zoonotic diseases (salmonella)

• viral (adenovirus, west nile virus, herpes virus)

metabolic bone disease in lizards

• malnutrition and lack of exposure to UVB light leads to decreased synthesis of vitamin D3 which is essential for calcium absorption and metabolism

• clinical signs: weakness, lethargy, stunted growth, muscle fasciculations, abnormal gait or posture, fractures, soft mandible

• without treatment and correct husbandry this condition is fatal

parasites in lizards

• ticks, mites

• trematodes, cestodes (tapeworm), nematodes (roundworm)

• oxyurids: often present in low numbers without causes disease

• Entamoeba invadens: may cause severe GI disease

• Cryptosporidium: when associated with disease, does not respond to therapy and fatal

• blood parasites: usually do not cause disease, rarely anemia in some patients

fungal disease in lizards

localized and systemic infections have been associated with Aspergillus, Candida, Cryptococcus, and Chrysosporium

salmonella in lizards

• normal inhabitant of reptile gut flora, intermittently shed in feces

• no successful technique to eliminate shedding of these organisms

• may result in severe GI disease in humans

adenovirus in lizards

• nonspecific clinical signs (neurologic, poor body condition, death)

• transmission though to be fecal oral route; no treatment currently available

west nile virus in lizards

recently identified in crocodiles, unsure role of reptiles in route of transmission

herpes virus in lizards

may cause wart like growths on skin, associated with stomatitis, disease in the liver, lung, or spleen

no treatment

diseases in snakes

• malnutrition

• obesity

• parasitic

• bacterial: opportunistic gram negative bacteria

• fungal dermatitis

• viral

• cancer

• zoonotic diseases (salmonellosis)

parasites in snakes

• ticks, snake mites (may lead to anemia)

• Cryptosporidium serpentis: either asymptomatic carrier or gastroenteritis; antibiotics reduce shedding

• Coccidian parasites: treatment is sulfonamides

• Entamoeba invadens: fecal-oral transmission; clinical signs include HGE, dehydration, muscle wasting, death

inclusion body disease in snakes

• suspect cause retrovirus

• causes neurologic disease, weight loss, abnormal shedding, and secondary infections

• no treatment

• transmission suspected association with snake mites

herpes virus in snakes

isolated from lesions in liver, pancreas, kidney, and adrenal cortex

no treatment

adenovirus in snakes

associated with liver damage

Paramyxovirus in snakes

• transmission through contact with contaminated respiratory secretions

• clinical signs: nasal discharge, pus and blood tinged discharge from glottis, neurologic disease

• no treatment

Campylobacter in snakes

• bacteria naturally harbored by snakes

• may cause disease in humans

• wear gloves when cleaning cages and clean with sodium hypochlorite

common snake mite

can bite people leading to dermatitis

does not stay on humans

diseases in chelonians

• Hypovitaminosis A

• metabolic bone disease

• gout

• hepatic lipidosis

• accelerated growth or early maturity

• zoonotic diseases: Salmonella, Mycobacterium, Campylobacter, Chlamydia, Yersinia, Vibrio, Aermonas, and E.coli

hypovitaminosis A in chelonians

vitamin A deficiency

many clinical signs associated with degeneration of epithelial surfaces

gout in chelonians

• increased production of uric acid results in ingestion of excessive protein

• decreased excretion of uric acid may be due to dehydration or kidney disease

hepatic lipidosis in chelonians

• normal physiologic process during hibernation or during egg formation

• lipidosis can also be a pathologic process in obese or anorexic chelonians

• clinical signs: obesity, lethargy, weight loss, infertility, abnormal feces, anorexia

accelerated growth or early maturation in chelonians

• occurs in juveniles or hatchlings fed high protein diets

• associated with renal disease, skeletal deformities and high mortality