Basic reptile care
Rudimentary equipment for reptile practice focuses on supportive care, such as appropriate housing and nutritional support, as well as equipment needed for physical examination and basic techniques (Fig 1) (Table 1).
Figure 1. The essential equipment list for reptile practice focuses on physical examination and basic techniques like supportive care.
It is also essential to develop a relationship with a reptile medicine specialist for consultation or referral. Association with a local or regional veterinarian is ideal, however telemedicine services are also available.
| Table 1. Equipment recommended for basic reptile care | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Equipment | Comments |
| Husbandry | Aquarium | |
| River stones, floating platforms | Basking, dry docking for turtles | |
| Ceramic or heavy crocks | Stable water containers for larger reptiles, assists shedding for snakes | |
| Digital thermometer | Most accurate method to measure temperatures in enclosures | |
| Heat lamp and/or ceramic heat emitter | Provides temperature gradient | |
| Heat tape, under-cage heat pads (Helix Controls) | Provides temperature gradient | |
| Hiding places or dens | Cut-up cardboard boxes can also suffice | |
| Hygrometer or humidity gauge | Useful for reptiles from tropical humid climates | |
| Incubator or intensive care unit cage | Useful for sick hospitalized reptiles | |
| Perch material | PVC piping, branches, twigs for arboreal reptiles | |
| Plastic tubs for soaking | Litter pans will suffice; water depth depends on reptile size | |
| Small plastic containers | Snap-on lids with a small door; useful for hatchling snakes and small lizards | |
| Sphagnum moss | Provides humidity and hide areas | |
| Spray bottle | Regularly spritzing enclosure walls can increase cage humidity | |
| Ultraviolet (UVB)-lighting | Required for long-term hospitalization or boarding | |
| Handling & techniques | Cloth bags, pillow cases | Useful for containing snakes |
| Butterfly catheters (22-25 ga) | Venipuncture | |
| Critical care nutrition | The Emeraid Nutritional Care System can be fed to a variety of species. | |
| Gram scale | Useful for recording weights of smaller reptiles | |
| Handheld rotary tool (e.g. Dremel tool, Fein MultiMaster) | Useful for trimming chelonian beaks and nails | |
| Latex gloves | ||
| Leather gloves | Useful for handling intractable iguanas | |
| Lithium heparin microtainers (Becton, Dickinson, & Co.) | Anticoagulant of choice for hematology in reptiles | |
| Magnification loupe | ||
| Metal gavage or feeding tubes | Useful for administering oral medications | |
| Mouth specula | A variety of specula should be available: plastic cards, nylabones, bird mouth specula, rubber-tipped infant spoons, rubber spatulas, and/or guitar picks | |
| Needles, 25-ga or smaller | ||
| Radiographic film, high-detail, dental film, and/or digital radiography (e.g. Lanex fine screens/TML film, Kodak) | ||
| Rubber feeding tubes | Useful as pharyngostomy tubes particularly in anorexic chelonians | |
| Sexing probes (Big Apple Pet Supply; LLL Reptile & Supply Co. ) | Lubricate with water prior to use in snakes. (Water-soluble lubricants should not be used for snake probing as they can desiccate and potentially block the hemipenes). | |
| Snake hook | ||
| Snake tube | Useful for restraint and radiography | |
| Tongs | Restraint for intractable snakes | |
| Towels | Restraint | |
| X-ray machine capable of horizontal beam | Reduces imaging artifacts particularly when evaluating lung fields | |
| Anesthesia or sedation | AMBU bag or self-inflating resuscitator | Helpful for ventilating reptiles with room air instead of oxygen during anesthetic recovery as high levels of inspired oxygen promote apnea. |
| Atipamezole | Reversal agent for dexmedetomidine or medetomidine | |
| Buprenorphine and/or butorphanol | Analgesia | |
| Dexmedetomidine or medetomidine | Sedation | |
| Doppler flow monitor | Useful for locating the heart in snakes and small lizards for cardiocentesis, anesthetic monitoring, and verification of life in the moribund patient | |
| Electrocardiogram | Anesthetic monitoring | |
| Endotracheal tubes, uncuffed | Chelonians possess relatively short tracheas which bifurcate in the caudal aspect of the neck | |
| Lidocaine | Local anesthesia | |
| Ketamine and/or tiletamine-zolamepam | Sedation | |
| Non-rebreathing or Bains circuit | General anesthesia | |
| Propofol | Used to facilitate intubation; for short procedures less than 15 minutes duration; potent cardiac and respiratory depressant | |
| Sevoflurane or isoflurane | Inhalant anesthetics of choice in reptiles | |
| Supplemental heat source(s) | Circulating warm water blanket, forced air heater, and/or heating pad; useful during anesthesia | |
| Surgery | Appropriately sized surgical instruments | Microsurgical, human pediatric, vascular, and/or ophthalmic |
| Self-adhering clear surgical drapes (3M) | ||
| Small towel clamps | ||
| Amikacin | Antibiotic: potentially nephrotoxic; adequate hydration is a priority | |
| Ceftazidime | Antibiotic: potentially nephrotoxic; adequate hydration is a priority; similar spectrum of activity to cefotaxime, cefuroxime, or cefoperazone | |
| Enrofloxacin (Baytril, Bayer) | Antibiotic: may cause emesis particularly when given orally in chelonians | |
| Fenbendazole | Antihelmintic: nematodes, giardiosis | |
| Ivermectin or selamectin | Antihelmintic; should NOT be administered to turtles or tortoises due to reports of toxicity; topical acaricide in snakes and lizards | |
| Meloxicam or ketoprofen | Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent(s) for analgesia | |
| Metronidazole | Compounded suspension; useful for intestinal flagellates and anaerobic bacterial infections | |
| Oxytocin | Prokinetic to stimulate oviposition | |
| Silver sulfadiazine (Thermazene, Kendall) | Topical antibacterial, antifungal agent | |
| Vitamin A, injectable | Administer orally to minimize the risk of iatrogenic hypervitaminosis A | |
| Resources recommended for practice |
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Advanced reptile care
The line between high-quality general practice and advanced reptile care is blurred since any thriving practice strives to improve and grow. Nevertheless there are some procedures performed by reptile specialists that require specialized equipment (Table 2).
| Table 2. Equipment recommended for advanced reptile care | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Equipment | Supplier | Comments |
| Husbandry | “Warm room” | A small, sealed room outfitted with a radiator is an easy, convenient way to house reptile patients at a baseline temperature of 80-85°F (26.7-29.4°C). Supplemental heat sources can then be used to provide a specific temperature gradient. | |
| Infrared thermometer | Raytek | Useful to measure surface temperatures without contact | |
| UVB radiometer | www.intl-lighttech.com | Directly measures the UVB output from a multitude of conventional sources | |
| Anesthesia | Apnea monitor | Medical Engineering & Development Inc. | Detects the cessation of breathing in anesthetic recoveries or moribund reptiles |
| Pulse oximeter | Measures both the pulse rate and percentage oxygen saturation of hemoglobin (Sp02). | ||
| Capnograph | Capnovet-10; Longview Veterinary Equipment | Measures the CO2 content of expired air | |
| Small animal ventilator | Small Animal Ventilator, Vetronics Bioanalytical Systems, Inc. | Forced ventilation of anesthetic and oxygen based upon patient’s weight and lung capacity | |
| Thermometer probe | Veterinary Specialty Products | ||
| Surgery | Cutting burs | Needed for plastron osteotomy | |
| Hemostatic aids | Gelfoam Pharmacia & Upjohn Co; Surgicel Ethicon, Inc., Johnson and Johnson | ||
| Epoxy resins | Occasionally used to repair simple, clean shell fractures | ||
| Oscillating sagittal saw | Useful for plastron osteotomy | ||
| Lonestar retractor | Lonestar Medical Products | Plastic self-retaining retractors that are particularly suited for chelonians | |
| Radiosurgical unit | Surgitron, Ellman International | Useful for soft tissue surgery | |
| CO2 laser | Useful for soft tissue surgery | ||
| Vascular clips | Hemoclip; Weck, Triangle Park, NC USA | Application is faster than standard sutures | |
Resources recommended for practice |
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Amphibian care
Physical examination and clinical techniques of the amphibian sometimes calls for specific equipment (Table 3).
| Table 3. Equipment recommended for amphibian care | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Equipment | Comments |
| Husbandry | Air stone | Can be used to rapidly dechlorinate water |
| Aquarium | ||
| Bottled spring water | Recommended for caging in semi-aquatic species | |
| Bubble wrap | Makes a great cage substrate | |
| Filter | ||
| Hygrometer | ||
| Large bucket | Chlorine levels dissipate in water allowed to sit for 48-72 hours | |
| Plastic wrap | Can be used to increase cage humidity | |
| Small, transparent plastic container | Snap-on lid that includes a small door for easier handling and restraint | |
| Sphagnum moss | ||
| Unbleached paper towels | ||
| Water dechlorinator | ||
| Water quality test kit | ||
| Water spray bottle | ||
| Handling & techniques | Critical care nutrition | Emeraid Carnivore |
| Gram scale | ||
| Latex gloves | Select varieties free of talcum powder | |
| Lithium heparin microtainers (Becton, Dickinson, & Co.) | ||
| Liquid bandage (Johnson & Johnson) | ||
| Magnification loupe | ||
| Mouth specula | e.g. plastic cards | |
| Needles, 27-ga or smaller | ||
| Radiographic film, high-detail, dental film, and/or digital radiography (e.g. Lanex fine screens/TML film, Kodak) | ||
| Rubber feeding tube | ||
| Anesthesia | Doppler flow monitor | Useful for cardiocentesis and evaluation of heart rate during anesthesia |
| Tricaine methane sulfonate (MS-222) (Finquel, Argent Chemical Laboratories) | Anesthetic of choice | |
| Medication | Amikacin | Treatment of bacterial infections |
| Enrofloxacin (Baytril, Bayer) | Treatment of bacterial infections; Administered orally | |
| Fenbendazole | Treatment of intestinal nematodes; administered orally | |
| Ivermectin | Treatment of external and internal parasites; applied topically or as bath | |
| Levamisole | Treatment of nematodes; administered as bath or topically; narrow margin of safety | |
| Metronidazole | Treatment of anaerobic bacterial infections and intestinal protozoa; administered orally or as bath | |
| Praziquantel | Treatment of trematodes and cestodes; administered topically or orally | |
| Please note: Povidone-iodine should NOT be used in amphibians as transdermal absorption can cause iodine toxicity. | ||
Resources recommended for practice |
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Crocodilians
As a general rule, only experienced reptile veterinarians should see crocodilians. Handling and restraint of large specimens requires fairly specific equipment like pole snares, nets, and ropes. A squeeze cage and/or pole syringe can also prove useful for administration of anesthetic agents or medication to large crocodilians. Chemical restraint is combined with physical restraint. Muscle relaxants have narrow safety margins and are no longer recommended.
References
References
Boyer TH. Chelonian celiotomy. Proc Western Vet Conf. Available at http://www.vin.com/members/proceedings/proceedings.plx?CID=WVC2011&PID=82311&O=VIN&id=5183523. Accessed on April 28, 2013.
Brown SA, Nye RR. Essentials of the exotic pet practice. J Exotic Pet Med 15(3):225-233, 2006.
Lennox AM. Equipment for exotic mammal and reptile diagnostics and surgery. J Exotic Pet Med 15(2):98-105, 2006.
Mitchell MA, Tully TN (eds). In: Manual of Exotic Pet Practice. St. Louis: Saunders: 2009.
To cite this page:
Raiti P. Reptile and amphibian equipment list. May 6, 2013. LafeberVet Web site. Availalbe at https://lafeber.com/vet/reptile-and-amphibian-equipment-list/