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• Owning a Pet Snake

  Several species of snakes are commonly kept as pets, including king snakes, rat snakes, garter snakes, corn snakes, various pythons, and various boa constrictors. Young, captive-raised animals make the best pets. This handout discusses key features of snakes and how to choose a snake as a pet. Within one week of your purchase, your snake should be examined by a qualified reptile veterinarian.

• Owning a Tortoise

  Tortoises can make great pets if cared for properly. With proper diet and housing, smaller species of tortoises can live 20–50 years and larger species can live up to 100 years. This handout outlines tortoise breeds, dietary requirements, environmental requirements, and veterinary care.

• Owning Aquatic Turtles

  The red-eared slider is probably the most popular pet aquatic turtle. They are semi-aquatic turtles, meaning they like to leave the water to bask in the sun. This article outlines general information about aquatic turtles, including how to choose a healthy turtle, what they like to eat, turtle anatomy, salmonella concerns, and recommended veterinary care.

• Owning Box Turtles

  Box turtles can make great pets if cared for properly. With proper diet and housing, captive box turtles usually live up to 20 years of age, but some have been reported to live 30–40 years. This article outlines some general information about box turtles, including how to choose a healthy turtle, turtle anatomy, salmonella concerns, and recommended veterinary care.

• Pet Fish: Setting Up an Aquarium

  It’s essential that pet fish have the proper environment to survive and thrive. Most fish require the same basic things for their aquarium, but there are slight differences depending on if you have freshwater and saltwater fish. This article outlines the key considerations in creating an aquarium environment for your fish.

• Preparing for Your Telemedicine Appointment

  A telemedicine visit is typically conducted over telephone, text messaging, chat, email, or videoconference. This may allow a veterinarian to diagnose and treat your pet’s medical condition remotely, without the need for an in-person visit. Your appointment will be conducted by a licensed veterinarian.

• Safe Handling of Medications at Home

  Do you have medications stored in the bathroom cabinet, kitchen drawer, and pantry shelf? Are random bottles haphazardly tossed into the “pharmacy”? Medications are meant to help us and our pets, but they can do more harm than good if stored or administered incorrectly. You can protect your family and pets by safely handling and disposing of medications.

• Snakes: Colubrid

  The family of Colubrid snakes comprises over 1,000 different species. Most individuals in this family of snakes, except the boomslang snake, are non-venomous. Colubrids generally make very good pets and come in a variety of colorful patterns.

• Snakes: Constrictor

  While there are many species of pythons and boas, those noted here are among the easiest to keep. However, constrictor snakes, like the very large, reticulated python, can be dangerous in the hands of an inexperienced keeper, while others, such as the royal python, can be frustrating because of their long periods of not eating.

• Snakes: Housing

  It is key for the health and safety of all snakes that proper housing be planned for the eventual adult size of your pet snake. For their enjoyment, hide boxes and branches are beneficial additions to the caging environment. Proper bedding, lighting and heat sources will differ depending on the species and size of your snake.