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Exotics

&

Pocket Pets

We Love Your Exotic and Pocket Pets!

Exotic and Pocket Pets include lizards, birds, guinea pigs, ferrets, and more.
We welcome these pets into our office for both well and sick visits!

We recommend  that exotic and pocket pets have regular wellness exams semi-annually.  By instinct, most of these animals are adept at hiding illness and injury; in the wild, they would have to do so to avoid attracting predators.  And while we do our best to simulate their natural habitats in cages, aquariums, and terrariums, the temperate climes of Northern Virginia are not truly hospitable.  Therefore, as veterinary professionals, we like to keep tabs on their baseline health so that it is all that much easier to tell when something is wrong.

Parrot

BIRDS

Green Chameleon

Reptile

Feeding Guinea Pig_edited.jpg

Rodents

In addition to general health exams, the services we offer for exotic and pocket pets include:

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  • Fecal exams

  • Psittacosis testing

  • Wing trims

  • Nail trims

  • Ferret vaccines (with advanced notice for ordering)

  • Gram stains

  • And more!

Rabbits

RABBITS

Image by Steve Tsang

FERRETS

Tortoise

AMPHIBIANS

Please keep safe transport practices in mind when you bring your pet into our office.  For example, if you will travel with a parakeet in his regular cage, you should remove perches, food dishes, and water dishes during the car ride.  These can create an injury hazard, particularly in the event of a car accident. 

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Additionally, exotic and pocket pets seem to fare better when their cages are covered with a towel during transport. This aids in maintaining a more comfortable temperature and can help the pet avoid exposure to stressors such as loud sounds or other pets in the veterinary office waiting area.  It can be safest to travel with these pets in a cat carrier made for car or plane travel.  Please call us if you would like any specific tips for transporting your particular pet. 

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