• Comprehensive full color textbook on common exotic species, written specifically for vet techs in classroom or clinical settings

    Now in its fourth edition, Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician is a comprehensive yet clear introduction to exotic animal practice for veterinary technicians in the classroom and clinical settings alike. With an emphasis on the exotic species most likely to find their way to a veterinary practice, the book offers coverage of birds, reptiles, amphibians, exotic companion mammals, and wildlife. It also features discussions of anatomy, restraint, common diseases, radiology, anesthesia and analgesia, clinical skills, surgical assisting, and parasitology.

    This edition offers new updates throughout, including new chapters related to critical care feeding of exotic companion mammals, reptile infectious diseases, exotic animal rehabilitation. It also provides full-color photos, including radiographs.

    Designed to provide technicians with all the information necessary to confidently and competently treat exotic patients, Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician offers easy-to-follow descriptions of common procedures and techniques. A companion website delivers review questions and images from the book in PowerPoint format.

    Topics covered in Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician include:

    • Herpetoculture and reproduction, covering captive bred versus wild caught, quarantining, methods of sex determination, and reproductive behavior
    • Criteria to determine water quality for fish, including pH, oxygen, temperature, chlorine and chloramine, and salinity
    • Clinical techniques for degus, including oral (PO), subcutaneous (SC), intramuscular (IM), intraperitoneal (IP), catheter placement, and wound management
    • Role of the veterinary technician in wildlife rehabilitation, covering clinical protocols, intake procedures, ethical considerations, and choosing treatment routes

    Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician is an essential reference for veterinary technician students, along with veterinary technicians working in an exotic practice, or veterinary technicians who work in a small animal practice where adding exotic patients is being considered.

  • Contributors

    Preface

    Acknowledgments

    Disclaimer

    About the Companion Website

    Section I: Introduction

    1 Exotic Animals in Clinical Practice 

    Bonnie Ballard

    Section II: Analgesia and Anesthesia

    2 Exotic Anesthesia and Analgesia 

    Jody Nugent-Deal

    3 Anesthetic Equipment and Monitoring for Exotic Patients 

    Katrina Lafferty

    4 Physical Rehabilitation

    Jodi Seidel

    Section III: Avian

    5 Psittacine and Passerine Birds 

    Cheryl B. Greenacre and Janet Pezzi-Jones

    6 Psittacine Behavior, Husbandry, and Enrichment 

    April Romagnano , Ashley McGaha and Jan Hooimeijer

    7 Aviary Design and Management 

    April Romagnano

    8 Sex Differentiation and Reproduction

    April Romagnano

    Section IV: Reptiles

    9 Lizards 

    Stacey Wilkinson, Brad Wilson

    10 Snakes 

    Ryan Cheek

    11 Chelonians 

    Sarah Camlic, Ryan Cheek, Pia Bartolini and Samuel Rivera

    12 Herpetoculture and Reproduction

    David Martinez-Jimenez

    13 Infectious Disease of Reptiles

    Pia Bartolini

    Section V: Amphibians and Aquatic Animals

    14 Amphibians 

    Brad Wilson

    15 Fish 

    Sandy Skeba and Bonnie Ballard

    Section VI: Exotic Companion Mammals

    16 Ferrets 

    Colleen Roman

    17 Rabbits 287

    Vanessa K. Lee, Douglas K. Taylor, and Deborah Mook

    18 Mice, Rats, Gerbils, and Hamsters 

    April Romagnano

    19 Chinchillas 

    Ashley McGaha

    20 Guinea Pigs 

    Liz Vetrano

    21 Degus 

    Stacey Wilkinson

    22 Hedgehogs 

    Ashley McGaha

    23 Skunks

    Serina Scott and Samuel Rivera

    24 Sugar Gliders

    Nia Chau and Samuel Rivera

    25 Prairie Dogs

    Stacey Wilkinson and Samuel Rivera

    26 Critical Care Feeding

    Micah Kohles

    Section VII: Hematology

    27 Avian and Reptile Hematology

    Denise I. Bounous

    Section VIII: Zoo, Aquarium Medicine, and Wildlife

    28 The Role of a Veterinary Technician in a Zoo

    Sandy Skeba

    29 The Technician’s Role at a Public Aquarium

    Rachel Parchem

    30 The Role of the Veterinary Technician in Wildlife Rehabilitation

    Melanie Haire

    Section IX: Appendices

    1 State/Federal Wildlife Permit Offices

    2 Wildlife Admissions/Exam/Care Forms

    3 Handling and Restraint of Wildlife Species

    4 Tail Wrapping

    5 Guide to Identification of Hatchling and Nestling Songbirds

    6 Average Body Weights of Selected North American Songbirds

    7 Species Care Sheets

    8 Biological Data of Selected North American Wild Mammals

    9 Glossary of Medical Conditions and Treatments

    10 Wildlife Product Sources

    11 Additional Resources

    12 Supplies Necessary for an Exotic Practice

    13 Animal Training Documentation

    14 Animal Data Transfer Form

    15 Operating Protocols: Animal Training Request Form

    16 Operating Protocols: Enrichment and Evaluation Form

    Index

  • Bonnie Ballard, DVM

    Has worked in veterinary medicine since 1974. As program director, she developed the Veterinary Technology Program at Gwinnett Technical College in 1997. In 2018, she retired from Gwinnett Technical College and now works with the Escambia County Sea Turtle Patrol.

    Ryan Cheek, LVT, PhD

    Has taught veterinary technology at Gwinnett Technical College since 2007, first as an adjunct instructor, then a full-time instructor for eleven years before becoming the program director in 2018. He has 25 years’ experience in exotics and emergency/critical care.

Veterinary Clinics of North America
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