roomaroger: Helping Exotic Pets Feel ?At Home?

? From Laboratories to Labradors: We are Uniquely Positioned for Evidence-based Pet Care

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Shangzhe Xie, DVM

I recently spent Christmas back in Australia, and it was a completely different experience from the snowy Chicago Christmases that I have become accustomed to. First, there?s the stifling desert heat that comes with summer (yes, it is summer in the Southern hemisphere). Then, there?s the fact that everyone is spending the holidays at home, leaving few places open if you decide to venture out of the comforts of your home.

Have you ever wondered how the exotic pets in America feel, and whether their owners are doing enough to make them feel ?at home?? Here in Australia, they are collectively known as ?unusual pets? rather than ?exotic? ones because a lot of them are actually native to Australia. As such, they are not really exotic, just not traditionally kept as pets until recently.

It would help if I could read these pets? minds, but I suspect that with the care many exotic pet owners put into designing the perfect enclosures, many of these pets feel as if they are still living in the desert?even if the weather outside is frightful! If only pet owners or veterinarians interested in exotic pets could make a trip to the country of the pet?s origin to get a first-hand experience of what these pets would like in their man-made habitat! Since that?s probably not likely, the next best thing is to read up on the species in question, so that the optimal enclosure and diet can be provided to simulate the ?home? environment of the pet as much as possible.

Understanding our pets? natural behaviors is important as well. One of the veterinary assistants I worked with in Chicago decided to name her pet Bearded Dragon after me upon learning that I was leaving the practice. She also showed me a video of this peculiar behavior that the Bearded Dragon was doing. When it was picked up, it would wave its right arm in the air, as if doing a slow motion ?karate-chop.? I had forgotten what it meant until recently. This was actually a ?submissive? behavior. Bearded Dragons that are of a lower hierarchy in their unique social structure would perform this gesture to signal to the more dominant Bearded Dragon that it can have the food (or any other commodity) first. ?

It strikes me that however exotic a pet is, its behavior changes very little, no matter how far it is from its natural habitat. This is probably a big part of the appeal of owning an exotic pet. Most exotic pet owners probably get transported thousands of miles away into the desert when they look into the sandy enclosures of their exotic pet, and get a brief respite from everyday life (or the freezing cold outside).

So the next time you are presented with an exotic pet patient, remember that although they might look and feel a little different, they are not loved any less by the owner of a regular pet, and it?s our job to help make them feel a little more ?at home.?

About Shangzhe Xie, DVM

Shangzhe Xie, DVM, graduated in 2008 from Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia, and completed a Master of Veterinary Studies in Conservation Medicine from Murdoch University in 2010. Dr. Xie worked at Banfield Pet Hospital of Burbank, Ill., from July 2010 to June 2012 and expanded the clientele to include exotic species. He also served on the Banfield Exotic Pets Care Guidelines Committee in 2011. He is currently working relief at veterinary facilities in and around Singapore and Australia while waiting to begin a PhD program. View all posts by Shangzhe Xie, DVM ? ? From Laboratories to Labradors: We are Uniquely Positioned for Evidence-based Pet Care