Unit 5: Reptiles (Cram)

What class do retiles come from?

Class Reptilia

How many chambers do most reptiles have in their heart, what is a species that is an exception?

3 chambers, crocodiles have 4

True or false: Like birds, reptiles have a renal portal system in the caudal part of their body.

True

Do reptiles have a diaphragm?

No

How many lungs do most snakes have?

1 lung

Retiles are _____–thermic. Meaning they use thermal energy from an external source to maintain their body temperature

ecto

Most reptiles are also ______–thermic, meaning that their body temperature varies with their surroundings

poikilo

Term for sensing and reacting to noxious stimuli

Nociceptive

Why should you be cautious about using heat rocks with reptiles?

They are less nociceptive than mammals, meaning they are less responsive to pain. If the rock is burning them they may not move off of it

What are some names for a group of snakes?

Den, nest, pit, bed, and knot

What are some names for a group of turtles?

Bale, nest, turn, and dole

What is a name for a group of tortoises?

Creep

What is a name for a group of lizards?

Lounge

The venom of snakes is a mixture of ________ and ____________

enzymes, polypeptides

Term for shedding

Ecdysis

Term for the transparent scale that covers the eyes of snakes

Spectacle

Snakes have poor eyesight, how do they sense prey?

Can see movement, and sense heat differential between prey and the environment

What organ do snakes have at the roof of their mouth to smell?

Vomeronasal organ

True or false: In order to swallow large prey, snakes can dislocate their jaw

False. Theire jaw bones are loosely connected by a ligament and they have elascticated skin allowing them to stretch their mouths

Term that describes the way snakes can continuously replace their teeth

Polyphyodontic

What are the structures indicated by the orange question mark?

Pits

What is the most reliable method of sexing snakes?

Cloacal probing

What is the range of scale depth the cloacal probe can be inserted on a female snake?

2–4 scales

What is the range of scale the cloacal probe can be inserted on a male snake?

6–8 scales

What are these structures on a male snake called?

Hemipenes

What are these structures on a male snake called?

Anal spurs

Are snakes omnivores, herbivores, or carnivores?

Carnivores

What should you do to your snake's prey before it is eaten, to make sure your snake is getting enough nutrition?

Gut loading

What are some warning signs that a snake is about to bite?

Curl into a "S" shape, hissing, tail flick, body enlargement, striking out

True or false: Snakes are solitary except for breeding and brumation

True

What are some preventative measures you can take to keep your snakes healthy?

Quarantine new snakes for 1–3 months, minimize stress, do not share furnishings between snakes, discard uneaten food, air out cage for 24 hours if using a bleach solution to clean, etc.

Force feeding can traumatize a snake, how can you ensure that the snake will resume eating again normally after a force feeding?

Force feed in different location to normal enclosure

Term for turtles and tortoises as a group

Chelonians

How can you tell that this is a turtle?

Flat shell, webbed front feet, aquatic

How can you tell that this is a tortoise?

Terrestrial, feet not webbed, sharp claws for digging, dome–shaped shell

Term for the top of a chelonian's shell, comprised of 10 fused thoracic, lumbar, sacral verterbrae and ribs

Carapace

Term for the bottom of a chelonian's shell, comprised of 9 bones including the clavicle

Plastron

Structures that cover the bony shell, giving chelonians their shell patterns

Scutes

Because their ribs and most vertebrae are fused into a shell, how do chelonians breath?

Muscle sling attached to shell contracts and relaxes

Not all reptiles have bladders, do chelonians?

Yes they have a bladder conneted to their cloaca by a short urethra, some lizards have this too

What urogenital problem do desert tortoises and igunanas have?

Bladder stones

Which has a longer tail? A male or female chelonian?

Male

Sex these turtles based on the concavity of their plastron

Convex (left) – Female

Concave (right) – Male

Most reptiles (like snakes) lack a penis, do male chelonians have one?

Yes

Term for the hibernation–like state some reptiles go into. They will often burrow or bury themselves in mud and slow their heartbeat to 5–10 bpm

Brumation

True or false: To prepare your reptile for brumation it is important to feed them beforehand so they don't develop post brumation anorexia

False. The food will rot in the reptile's stomach during brumation. This can kill them. Do not feed before. Instead to avoid post brumation anorexia, feed very well during recovery

What are some warning signs of chelonians?

Pulling limbs/head into shell, biting, hissing, flailing feet, excretory secretions

True or false: Unlike snakes, chelonians are more social outside of the mating season

False. Like snakes they are only social at this time

Which vitamin deficiency is common is turtles, leading to beak overgrowth?

Vitamin A

Snakes shed all in one piece, how do lizards shed?

In patches

Term for the defense mechanism some lizards possess where they can release their tail during an attack

Autotomy

True or false: Like snakes, cloacal probing is the most reliable method of sexing. Male length will be longer

True

Are lizards solitary like chelonians and snakes?

No. They are socially facultative

What are some things to ask a reptile owner when taking a history?

Enclosure size, temperature, humidity, lighting, water, diet, shelter, ventilation, substrate, furnishings, disinfection, etc.

Failure of eggs to pass through the oviduct whithin a normal time period. Often hormone related. Common problem of iguanas and chameleons

Egg binding

What are the clinical signs of this snake suggesting?

Open mouth gaping and bubbles from the mouth indicate a respiratory disorder

What are the clinical signs of this chameleon suggesting?

Stomatitis (mouth rot)

This snake has not left his water bowl for 8 hours, what do his clinical signs suggest?

Ectoparasites

What are the clinical signs of this gecko suggesting?

Crooked tail and deformed bone structure indicate metabolic bone disease. Other signs include muscle tremors, fractures, jaw softening, swollen limbs, shell softening, shunted growth and paralysis

What are the clinical signs of this bearded dragon suggesting?

Gout

What is a common husbandry mistake that can cause gout?

Feeding dog/cat food to reptiles. It is too high in protein

This snake is not able to right itself. What are the clinical signs suggesting?

Inclusion body disease (IBD)

What is the treatment for IBD?

None. Euthanasia recommended

What are the clinical signs of this tortoise suggesting?

Septicemic cutaneous ulcerative disease (SCUD)

Fungal infection that affects iguanas, turtles, and tortoises

Dermatophytosis

Fungal infection that can be contagious to handlers

Systemic mycosis

Jeepers creepers, where'd ya get those peepers!? What do the clinical signs of this snake suggest?

Dysecdysis (shedding abormality)

Reptiles are death resistant. What are some methods of euthanasia? Note: Applying 2 or more euthanasia methods is recommended

IV/IP (IC only if anethetized) barbituates, gas, decapitation, and pithing