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How many species of reptiles are there?
6000
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What continent does not have reptiles?
antarctica
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What are the three different orders of reptiles?
- Chelonia
- Crocadilia
- Squamata
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What reptiles are in the order Chelonia?
- turtles
- tortoises
- terrapins
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What reptiles are in the order Crocadilia?
- alligators
- crocadiles
- caimans
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What reptiles are in the order Squamata?
- Serpentes: snakes
- Sauria: lizards
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What is ectothermic?
reptiles behaviorally modify body temperature - go under the light to get warm and move away from the light to get cool
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Do reptiles have lungs?
yes
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What kind of metabolic rates do reptiles have?
low metabolic rates
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What covers a reptiles body?
scales or plates
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What is POTZ?
preferred optimum temperature zone
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How warm should a tropical reptiles cage be?
79 - 98 degrees
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How warm should a temperate reptiles cage be?
75 - 85 degrees
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What are ways we can heat a reptiles cage?
- heaters under the cage
- ceramic or other heating pads
- heat seat
- reflector lamp
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When should we turn the reflector lamp off?
at night - leave the red lamp on to keep cage warm
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What other animal are reptiles anatomically similar to?
birds
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What kind of heart do reptiles have?
3 chambered heart
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How many lungs do snakes have?
1 lung
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Where are the testes in reptiles?
internal
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Do reptiles have a cloaca?
yes
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How do reptiles reproduce?
- egg layers
- some hatch eggs internally
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Are reptile young precocious or atricial?
precocious
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What are some ways we can get information on reptiles?
- ARAV/herp societies
- new textbooks
- CE programs
- internet
- companies marketing products
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When do reptiles show signs of disease?
late in the disease
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What do most reptiles carry that can make us sick?
salmonella
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Do reptiles get sick from salmonella?
rarely
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What does salmonella affect?
GI system
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Can we culture our reptiles to see if they carry salmonella?
yes, but a negative culture doesn't necessarily mean they don't carry salmonella
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What types of people are more affected by salmonella?
- infants
- elderly
- immunocompromised
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It is illegal to sell turtles under _____. Why?
- 4 inches
- children were putting them in their mouths and getting sick
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What does the blood of reptiles look like?
- all cells are nucleated
- similar to birds
- will see azurophils
- blood values are much lower than in mammals
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What must be available if a practice is going to treat poisonous species?
antivenom
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What do we need to wear if we are dealing with reptiles that are poisonous spitters?
protective shields
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How do we chemically restrain a reptile?
- can use ketamine/acepromazine - 55 - 80 mg/kg
- telazol
- etorphine
- isoflurane
- sevoflurane
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What do we do for a reptile when they come into the clinic for an exam?
- review management of the animal with client
- weigh
- physical - always check mouth
- fecal float/culture
- trim nails
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What are some common problems we see in reptiles?
- anorexia
- respiratory disease
- abscesses
- metabolic bone disease
- infectious stomatitis
- parasites
- gout
- trauma
- infectious diseases exist
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What kind of mg/kg do we use for drugs in reptiles as compared to mammals?
less mg/kg than mammals due to lower metabolic rates
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What kind of drugs do we need to be aware of using with reptiles?
nephrotoxic drugs
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What can cause a reptile to be anorexic?
- may be disease related or due to poor husbandry
- some reptiles fast periodically
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When do we need to intervene when a reptile is not eating?
- when they lose >10% of body weight
- force feed
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What are the signs of a respiratory disease in reptiles?
- open mouth breathing
- nasal discharge
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What can respiratory diseases be due to in reptiles?
- bacteria
- viruseds
- parasites
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What can cause wounds in reptiles?
- thermal burns
- bites
- fractures
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Are parasites common in reptiles?
yes very common
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Which type of parasite is frequently found?
- protozoa
- nematodes are also common
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Do reptiles get external parasites?
yes
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Are the same drugs we use in mammals to treat parasites safe for reptiles?
not all of them are safe
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What type of protozoa will we see in reptiles?
- amoeba (treat with flagyl)
- flagellates (treat with flagyl)
- coccidia (treat with sulfas)
- cryptosporidia (no treatment)
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What kind of nematodes will we see in reptiles?
- ascarids
- strongyles
- lungworms
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How do we treat reptiles for nematodes?
treat as for mammals but avoid ivermectins in chelonians
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Which external parasite is common in snakes?
mites
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How do we treat reptiles for external parasites?
treat with synthetic pyrethroids <0.03% then rinse off cage and reptile once it dries
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How do we give fluid therapy to reptiles?
- 2 parts 2.5% dextrose in 0.45% NaCl plus 1 part normosol
- PO is the easiest way but can give SQ, IV, or IO in proximal femur
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Do reptiles have an epiglottis?
no
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Where do we give IM injections in reptiles?
- epaxial musculature in snakes
- use front half of their body
- in other reptiles use muscles in forelegs
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Where do we collect blood in reptiles?
- right jugular vein in chelonians and lizards
- ventral tail vein in most species
- brachial vein in chelonians
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How do reptiles shed?
- snakes shed in one piece
- other reptiles shed piecemeal (pieces at a time)
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What is dysecdysis? What is a retained spectacle?
- difficulty shedding
- retained spectacle: shedding does not come off eye - just pull it off gently
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Which snakes are the most common for pets?
- boids - pythons, boa constrictors
- colubrids - corn, rat, king, garter snakes
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Which snakes are poisonous?
vipers - rattlers, copperheads, cottonmouth
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What do we feed snakes?
they are carnivorous so we feed them rodents, frogs, eggs, other snakes
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When do we feed snakes?
- every 1 - 2 weeks - monthly
- some fast normally
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What should a snakes habitat look like?
- temperature variables - POTZ at 75 - 85 degrees
- provide hiding place
- provide water for soaks
- secure tops
- need suitable light for 10 - 12 hours a day
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How do we determine the sex of a snake?
- dimorphism seen
- probe for hemipenes: males go >9 subcaudal scales, females go <4 subcaudal scales
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What can cause stomatitis in a snake?
stress
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What does stomatitis look like in a snake?
- ulcers, reddening, necrosis
- gram negative bacteria
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What can dermatitis in a snake be due to?
- trauma
- parasites
- bacteria
- fungi
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What is inclusion body disease?
- retrovirus seen in most boids
- chronic regurgitation, CNS signs (stargazing)
- euthanasia is the best option
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What is orphidian paramyxovirus?
- see in most vipers
- respiratory disease
- nasal discharge and open mouth breathing
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What are the two viruses we see in reptiles and which reptile do we see it in?
- inclusion body disease (retrovirus)
- orphidian paramyxovirus
- seen only in snakes
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Can eggs get stuck causing dystocia?
yes
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How do we handle dystocia in reptiles?
- lube
- hormone injections
- caesarian
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What can cause an intestinal obstruction in snakes?
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Do snakes get neoplasia?
- yes, similar to those seen in mammals
- it is a common finding
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What are saurians?
- iguanas
- monitor lizards
- bearded dragons
- chameleons
- leopard geckos
- geckos
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What are the two poisonous species of saurians?
gila monster and beaded lizard
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What is the biggest saurian?
komodo dragon - can weigh up to 300 pounds
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What kind of substrate should we use for saurians? What should we avoid?
- newspaper
- carpet
- alfalfa pellets
- avoid gravel/cedar shaving
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What should the humidity be like in a tank for a saurian?
50 - 70%
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What should the habitat be like for a saurian?
- provide POTZ
- limbs for arboreal species
- hiding places
- full spectrum light is best - unfiltered sunlight good, but may see behavioral changes
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What are the different carnivorous lizards?
monitors and tegus
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What should we feed carnivorous lizards?
feed prekilled prey - rodents preferable
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What can happen to a carnivorous lizard if we feed them dog and cat food for an extended period of time?
can cause hypercalcemia
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Which lizards are insectivores?
- chameleons
- geckos
- bearded dragons
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What do we feed insectivorous lizards?
- well fed insects such as crickets, wax worms, caterpillars, grasshoppers
- use a vitamin and mineral supplement to dust insects
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What are the different types of herbivorous lizards?
- iguana
- prehensile - tailed skink
- chuckwalla
- spiny-tailed lizard
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Which lizards are hind gut fermenters?
herbivorous lizards
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How big can iguanas get?
can read 6 feet
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What do we feed iguanas and how often?
- greens, beans, sprouts, tofu, broccoli
- use vitamin/mineral supplement
- feed young daily and adults every 48 hours
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What happens to male iguanas when they mature?
become very aggressive
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How can we sex lizards?
femoral pores - more pronounced in males
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What kind of problems do iguanas get?
- metabolic bone disease
- abscesses
- renal failure
- parasites
- egg bound
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What causes metabolic bone disease?
diet lacks calcium
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How do we diagnose metabolic bone disease?
radiographs
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What causes dystocia in lizards?
- poor diet
- anorexia
- may start laying and then stop
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How do we correct dystocia in lizards?
- provide correct substrate
- some use Ca then oxytocin
- warm her
- may gently manipulate the egg
- may lube oviduct thru cloaca
- oviductectomy or caesarian section
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Which reptiles get bladder stones? How do we diagnose this and treat this?
- lizards and some tortoises
- radiographs
- cystotomy
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How long can chelonians live?
some live over 100 years
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How do we breed chelonians?
- plastron concave in males
- need to be healthy
- need to have correct substrate
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What do we feed tortoises?
- they are herbivores
- dark greens, grasses, broccli, trout chow, rab pellets
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What do we feed terrapins?
- they are carnivores
- fish, insects, shrimp
- may only eat in the water
- as they age some become herbivores
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What positions we do take radiographs for turtles? What do we look for?
- AP and lateral
- eggs, masses, or lung disease
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What are some common problems with chelonians?
- respiratory disease
- cracked shell
- ulcerative shell disease
- soft shell
- bladder stones in desert tortoises
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Are respiratory diseases common in turtles?
yes
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What are the clinical signs of a respiratory disease in turtles?
- nasal/ocular discharge
- aural abscess
- open mouth breathing
- abnormal swimming
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What are the clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency in turtles?
- conjunctivitis
- blepharitis
- swelling around eye
- secondary infections
- may resemble an URI
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Which turtles get vitamin A deficiencies?
on high protein, vitamin A deficient diets
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What are the clinical signs of dystocia in turtles?
- anorexia
- lethargy
- straining
- blood from vent
- eggs on radiographs
- treatment: laparotomy
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What is ulcerative shell disease?
- on plastron
- bacterial
- debride
- antibiotics to treat
- improve water quality
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What causes a soft shell in turtles?
- metabolic bone disease
- deformed or soft shell
- more in aquatic species of turtles
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What do crocadilians eat?
- they are carnivorous
- feed rodents, fish, and birds
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What kind of habitat do we provide crocodilians?
- require water - filtration required and cleaned frequently
- need area to get out of water
- unfilitered light
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What is the main dietary problem seen in crocodilians?
- steatitis - yellow fat disease caused by vitamin E deficiency
- caused by feeding frozen fish
- see lethargy and death
- fat is yellow and firm
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