Technician lecture No audio

1. Exotics – Husbandry and Medical
Care
March, 2013

2. Exotics
• Overview of common species
 Natural habitat/diet
 Anatomy/physiology
• Husbandry and nursing care
 Captive housing
 Diet requirements
 Handling
 Medical procedures (catheters, blood draws)
• Common medical conditions

3. Species we see at BVH
Yes
• Rabbits
• Ferrets
• Rodents
• Hedgehogs
• Chinchillas
• Reptiles
No
• Wildlife (other than for
euth)
• Species illegal in MA
• Birds
http://www.mass.gov/dfwele
/dfw/wildlife/living/keepin
g_wildlife.htm

4. Predator vs. prey
Predator (carnivore)
• Teeth designed for
puncture and shearing
• GI adapted for meat
• Eyes relatively forward-
facing (best depth
perception)
• Bursts of high speed
locomotion
• Defense/attack: teeth,
claws (biting, scratching)
Prey (herbivore)
• Teeth designed for grinding
• GI adapted for vegetation
• Eyes relatively side-facing
(greatest peripheral vision)
• Quick acceleration and
endurance
• Defense: running, kicking
• Much sicker when
presented

5. For all species…
• In-house lab equipment can be used
• No more than 1% of body weight (kg)
should be collected
 2 lb animal = 9ml
 100 g hamster = 1.0 ml
• Chemical restraint may be required for
diagnostics

6. Ferrets

7. Ferrets
• Single breed kept in captivity
• Color variations
• “Stinky Thief”
• Large number of sebaceous glands in
skin emit musky odor
• Domesticated >2000 years ago
• Originally rabbit hunting and rodent
control

8. Ferret breeding
• Single large breeding facility in U.S.
• Marshall Farms
• Performs EARLY spay/neuter
• Performs “descenting” (anal
sacculectomy)
• Ferret breeders exist

9. Ferrets
• Females = Jills
• Males = Hobs
• Offspring = Kits
• Group of ferrets = Business
• Puberty onset 6 months

10. Ferrets – how do we live?
• Lifespan – 5-8 years
• Play 25% of day
• Sleep 75% of day
• Most active dawn and dusk
• Territorial
• Burrow
• Prefer to sleep in an enclosed area

11. Ferrets – life in captivity
• Cage – Multi-story, used for safety
• Caging is similar to crate-training puppies
• Require large amounts of time out of cage
 3-4 hours per day of playtime
 Best with other ferrets
• Can be litterbox-trained
Implications for hospitalization: provide
litterboxes, environmental enrichment

13. Ferrets – what do we eat?
• Obligate carnivores (more than cats)
• Very short GI tract
• Rapid GI transit time (3-4 hours)
 Easy to digest
 Highly nutritious (high protein and fat)
 Constantly available
Hospitalization: Feed Oxbow “Carnivore care”,
chicken baby food or watered down a/d

14. Ferret treats
No
• Dried fruits and vegetables
• Sugary cereals
• Dairy products
• Candy
• Cookies
• Pedialyte
• Ensure
• Honey
• Coffe/tea
• Alcohol
• Seeds/nuts
• Salty foods
Yes
• Unseasoned lean meats
• Eggs (cooked)
• Jerky (homemade)
• Insects
• Prey animals (rats, mice, chicks
• Chicken/turkey baby food
• Ferrettone
• Dental care treats
• Cheerios (rarely)
• Banana (rarely)
• Nutri-Cal (rarely)
• Fresh fruit (berries, melons)

15. Ferret Grooming
• Nail trimming
• Ear cleaning
• Toothbrushing
• Bathing (not more than monthly)

16. Ferret illnesses
• Gastrointestinal disease
 Diarrhea
 Vomiting (infectious, foreign body)
• Endocrine disease
 Insulinoma
 Hyperadrenocorticism (sex hormones)
 Urethral obstruction (secondary to HAC)
• Cancer
 Insulinoma
 Lymphoma
 Adrenal

17. And also…
• Getting into trouble!

18. Ferret Restraint
• Work with them rather than against
• Nipping usually out of curiosity
• Ferretone or Furotone to lick
• Scruff and suspend over exam table

19. Ferret routine care
• Vaccines
 High risk of vaccine reactions
 Rabies
 Distemper
• Heartworm preventative
• Flea/tick preventative

20. Ferret venipuncture
• Cephalic or lateral saphenous
 25 g needle, 1ml syringe, <1ml required
• Jugular vein
• Anterior vena cava

21. Ferret radiology

22. Hospitalization concerns
• IV catheters – 25 g catheter
 Cephalic
 Medial saphenous
• Escape-proof cages
• Provide a litterbox
• Continuously available food +/- force
feeding

23. Ferret zoonoses
• Influenza (human)
• Rabies
• Ringworm (dermatophytosis)
• Scabies
• Giardia
• Cryptosporidium
• (Salmonella, listeriosis, tuberculosis,
leptospirosis, campylobacteriosis)

24. Ferrets – a livestyle choice

25. Rabbits

26. Rabbits
• 47 - 60 distinct breeds, >500 varieties
• Lagomorphs (not rodents)
• Domestic rabbits originate from Europe
• Distinct from wild rabbits or hares
• No feral rabbit population
• Originally bred for fur or meat

27. Rabbits
• Females = Does
• Males = Bucks
• Neonates = Kits
• Puberty onset 4.5 months of age

28. Rabbits – how do we live?
• Burrowing animals
• Prey
• Varied habitats –
fields, farms,
woodlands, deserts,
swamps, and forests
• Lifespan – in
captivity 9-10 years,
rarely up to 18 years;
in the wild 7.6 years

29. Rabbits – living in captivity
• Active livestyle
• Large indoor cage
• Smooth bottom (no wires)
• Daily exercise is essential
Implications for hospitalization: Largest
cage possible, provide regular exercise
out of the cage (in exam room or other
closed space)

30. Rabbits – what do we eat?
• Foraging species
• Similar to horses
• Grasses, leaves, flowers

31. Rabbits – eating in captivity
• Free choice grass hay (timothy)
• Free choice green leafy vegetables
• Minimal pellets (1/8 – ¼ cup daily max)
• Minimal “treat” foods (carrots, fruit, yogurt
snacks)
Implications for hospitalization: Owners need
to bring green leafies or we need to send
someone out for them.

32. Rabbits - senses
• 190 degree field of view
• “Blind spot” below their nose
• Good night vision
• Some color vision
Implications for hospitalization: quiet area,
minimize exposure to predators, don’t
grab them in their blind spot

33. Rabbits - illnesses
• Gastrointestinal disease (not eating,
abdominal pain, dehydration)
• Dental disease
• Vestibular disease
• Parasitic skin disease
Often treated as outpatients, sometimes
require hospitalization.

34. Rabbit restraint
• Gentle
• Clean surfaces and hands (no predator scents)
• Don’t reach under chin without warning
• Quiet
• Don’t scruff (at risk of breaking backs)
• Always support hind end
• Don’t grab by ears
• Bunny burrito

35. Rabbit venipuncture
• Maximum blood draw: 1% of body weight
 2 pound rabbit = 9 ml
• Lateral Saphenous
• Jugular
• Auricular (ear) not preferred site, but an
option for very large-eared rabbits
• Cephalic (try to reserve for IV catheters)

37. Rabbit radiographs
• As for a cat
 “Whole rabbit”
 Thorax
 Abdomen
 Skull
• May require sedation or anesthesia
 Reduce stress
 Skull

38. Hospitalization concerns
• Keep ‘em warm
• Frequent force feeding (every 4-6 hours,
Oxbow Critical Care)
• Exercise them
• Minimize stress wherever possible

39. Rabbits – Injection sites
• Lumbar muscles
• Proximal hindlimb (quads)

40. Intraosseous catheters
• Trochanteric fossa of the femur
• Proximal tibia

41. Rabbits – anesthetic concerns
• No fasting is necessary (can’t vomit)
• Endotracheal intubation is blind
• Intubation is preferred over mask
• Should be monitored the same as any
other species

42. Rabbits - tips
• Try not to clip fur from the base of the feet
or hocks
• Avoid touching rabbit “blind spot” (rostral
muzzle)
• Venipuncture of ears ONLY in large-
eared rabbits
• Support hind end during restraint

43. Rabbit zoonoses
• Not commonly associated with rabbits
• Rabies
• External parasites/fungal disease (Cheyletiella, ringworm)
• Pasteurella
• Salmonella
• Yersinia enterocolitica
• Plague (Yersinia pestis)
• Tularemia
• Bacterial infections from bite wounds
• Encephalitozooan cuniculi
• Mycoplasma
• Allergies

44. Rabbit zoonoses
• Wash any wounds thoroughly
• Do not ingest rabbit feces
• Wash hands after handling
• Wear gloves when handling rabbits with
skin disease
• Resist eating rabbit feces

46. Rodents

47. Rodent species
• Guinea pigs
• Chinchillas
• Hamsters
• Gerbils
• Rats
• Mice

48. Guinea pigs
• Herbivores
• Docile
• Native to South America
• Domesticated for food

49. Guinea pigs - diet
• High quality grass hay (free choice)
• Fresh vegetables
• Formulated pelleted food (Oxbow)
• Vitamin C –
 Red pepper
 Parsley
 Kale
 Water supplementation not ideal

50. Guinea pigs - hospitalization
• Fluids most often administered
subcutaneously
• Oxbow critical care feeding management
• Stress management

51. Guinea pigs - tips
• Easily restrained
• Anesthesia
 Blood collection – cranial vena cava
 Appropriate oral examination

53. Chinchillas
• Bred for fur
• Long-lived (up to 20 years)
• Herbivores
• Not tolerant of temperatures greater than
80 degrees Fahrenheit
• Naturally nocturnal
• Dust baths necessary for coat health 2-
3x/week

54. Chinchillas - diet
• High quality grass hay
• Chinchilla pellets (guinea pig or rabbit
pellets not ideal)
• Dark leafy vegetables
• Fruits, grains <5% of animal’s diet

55. Chinchillas - hospitalization
• Similar concerns as for guinea pigs
• IV Cath slightly easier ? (26g cephalic)
• Intraosseous catheters
• Minimize stress
• Appropriate diet

56. Hamsters
• Golden (Syrian)
• Djungarian (Siberian)
• Narrow gene pool
• Variably aggressive
• Nocturnal
• Solitary (except for Siberian)

57. Gerbils
• Mongolian
• Hot-desert-dwelling
• Social

58. Mice and rats
• Many mouse owners also own snakes 
• Mice – small, can be aggressive
• Rats – good as pets, likely most intelligent
of small exotic mammals

59. Cage
• Soft bedding (no cedar)
• Exercise wheels (run up to 10k/night)
• Escape artists
• Produce large amounts of odiferous urine

60. Diet
• Pelleted (not seed mix) formulated for the
species
• Occasional high protein, low fat treats

61. Restraint

62. Blood collection and radiographs
• Requires anesthesia
• Jugular, cranial vena cava, saphenous,
cephalic, or tail vein (1% of body weight)
• Retroorbital venous plexus
• Intravenous access not practical
• Intraosseous catheter

64. Hedgehogs (African Pygmy)
• Originate in central Africa
• Nocturnal
• Insectivores
• Poor vision
• “Anointing” behavior
• Solitary in nature

65. Hedgehogs – husbandry
• Large cage size (2’ x 2’)
• Wheel
• Exercise necessary
• Can sometimes be litterbox-trained
• Pelleted hedgehog food recommended,
with supplemental insects and fruits

66. Hedgehogs – restraint/handling
• Circular muscle (orbicularis) pulls
together like a drawstring
• When upset: vibrates and hisses
• Tips for unrolling:
 Dangle over a table
 Stroke the spines against the grain
 Scruff before rolled (good luck!)
 Subdued light, quiet

67. Hedgehogs - Diagnostics
• All diagnostics will require anesthesia
• Cranial vena cava