Reptile and Amphibian Illness

In most cases, well-maintained habitat along with proper diet will keep your pet free from illness. However, just like cats and dogs need annual health exams as part of routine care, it’s also best practice to take your reptile/amphibian to the vet every year. You should also prepare for the possibility of your pet getting sick or hurt at some point. With appropriate care, reptiles are capable of living 15-20 years — and in some cases, longer and the statistical likelihood that they will need medical care at some point in their lifespan is quite high.

The tricky thing with animals, and especially herps, is that they’re generally very good at hiding when they’re not feeling well. This is an evolutionary defense mechanism that helps prevent them from getting singled out by predators when they’re feeling a bit under the weather. So if your pet’s symptoms have gotten to the point where you, a human, can notice a difference in your pet, chances are that your pet is already feeling really lousy.

Reptile and Amphibian Illness Signs:

• Audible breathing
• Open-mouth breathing
• Cloudy eyes
• Discharge from the eyes/mouth/nose
• Drastic weight loss (>10%)
• Lumps/swelling
• Visible parasites: mites, ticks, worms in stool
• Liquid stool (diarrhea)
• Discolored urate
• Blood in stool/urate
• Loss of appetite
• Regurgitation (vomiting)
• Lethargy (unusual laziness)
• Twitching
• Limping
• Loss of ability to use a limb
• Trouble moving
• Inability to defecate (straining)
• Unusually aggressive change in personality
• Unusually passive change in personality
• Species-specific indicators of distress (ex: color change)
• Curved/otherwise deformed limbs or tail (new)
• Blackening or other discoloration
• Unusually reddened or pale gums
• Burn injury
• Suspected or obvious broken bone
• Large open wound
• Prolapse (tissue stuck outside of cloaca)
• Seizure/thrashing

Consultation cost for reptiles and amphibians is $144 (subject to change). A non-refundable deposit equal to your consultation cost is required to make an appointment for all new patients and is applied to your consultation cost at the time of the appointment. Click REQUEST APPOINTMENT and follow prompts OR call to make deposit and request consultation at 507-361-3088

The cost to work up a sick reptile or amphibian will range from $600 to $1200 as fecal, blood work and radiographs are standard tests to determine overall health of any reptile or amphibian.