Exotic Pet Care

Here at Scott G. Nachbar, Veterinarian we also care for rabbits, ferrets, small mammals (like hamsters, gerbils, and rats), and reptiles such as turtles, tortoises, lizards, and non-venomous snakes. Due to severe allergy, we cannot see guinea pigs. We refer new bird patients to Specialized Care for Exotic Pets (buffalobirdnerd.com).

Are you looking to get an exotic pet?

Exotic pets are becoming increasingly popular, especially for those who enjoy having those unique pets. The problem with owning exotic pets, people don’t do the research that is involved with taking care of them. Yes, a lizard may not need the attention a dog or cat require (or do they?), but they still require a lot of care including special lights, calcium supplements, and more. Exotic pets include reptiles and birds, some mammal species could be considered exotic though most are considered pocket pets. There are certain restrictions and regulations to owning exotic pets depending on the state you are in, here in New York State there are stricter rules than in some other states. Having an exotic pet can be quite a responsibility, but they are also very fun and can sometimes be less time consuming than a dog or cat. Now exotic animals can require just as much attention as a dog or cat, depends on the animal and also how far you are willing to go with them. A snake, lizard, chinchilla that you want to be able to handle needs to be handled and worked with on a daily basis. Please, please, please do your research on any pet you want to acquire no matter the species, they all require special treatments and needs. There are so many people who get a pet without knowing how much work, time and money go into having them.

Is your rabbit not eating well? Does your hamster, rat or lizard have a lump? All pets are important and sometimes they need to see the veterinarian on a regular basis, yearly or every few years. We are happy to see any type of pet that needs veterinary assistance even if it just a yearly check up to make sure all is well.

Dental care is important for rabbits as their teeth continue to grow and are sometimes abnormally worn down with time. Rabbits that have overgrown teeth have problems eating and can lose weight fairly quickly.

Dr. Nachbar has performed lump removal surgeries on hamsters, and even geckos! We also spay and neuter rabbits, for those that were told they got two males and one of them ends up being a female and you don’t want a larger rabbit family.

Here we see many rabbits with chronic teeth problems, this is Cinnamon, one of our patients that came in on a regular basis for us to trim his teeth.

Dr. Nachbar removed two cysts from a Leopard gecko’s eye region in October 2017 and then removed another growth in the same region a few months later.

Dr. Nachbar also works with wildlife rehabilitators with injured wildlife that need veterinary treatment. The owl pictured came in with a foot wound that didn’t allow the owl to close his foot properly. After several months of rehabilitation the Great Horned owl was released back into the wild.