To live long and healthy lives, exotic pets require special care. Just like pet dogs and cats, your exotic pets need veterinary care, balanced nutrition, human interaction, and appropriate management of their environment. Because they often live in cages or enclosed environments, even more attention must be paid to your exotic pets’ housing than to that of the cats and dogs who share your home. Each species of exotic pet has its own specific needs for housing, diet, and care. Even different types of birds require different types of housing and diet, as do the diverse small mammal pets. Additionally, each type of reptile may need specific bedding, humidity, and types of light. No matter the differences among them, all exotic mammals require both medical and surgical veterinary care. For example, your pet ferrets need vaccinations and non-breeding females must be spayed. The rabbit may require special skin care, and your guinea pig may need a special diet. Birds are often in need of nail trims, beak trims, and behavioral therapy. Reptiles may require special diets, supplements, and veterinary examinations to maintain their health.

Doctors Milden and D’Alessandro are highly skilled at treating and caring for many types of exotic pets and are pleased to be able to offer care and guidance. They have exceptional experience in treating exotics and enjoy providing preventive care for pets and educational services for owners. Advice is available for husbandry questions such as cage size, bedding, heating, and lighting. Nutritional counseling is available for all species. Surgical care is provided for spaying, neutering, and dental necessities. Behavioral advice can help with non-medical problems such as loneliness, separation anxiety, and person-pet interactions. The doctors and staff firmly believe that preventive care helps deter disease problems from arising in exotics and will always make sure that the best routine and preventive care is available for your pets.

Health problems do arise in even the best cared-for exotic pets and the Delaware Valley Veterinary Hospital is ready and able to help these pets. Services are available for the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions in exotics. These services include thorough physical examinations, diagnostics such as radiographs, blood tests, and skin scrapings, and biopsy of growths. Surgeries are performed for such diverse occurrences as growth removal, dental disease, fractures, and internal problems. Medications and supplements tailored to the needs of exotics are available. In addition, nutritional counseling is given for those pets suffering from nutritional problems, such as metabolic bone disease. Behavioral counseling is offered for pets with medical problems caused by anxiety, including some cases of feather-picking in birds. In some cases, the doctors may feel that your exotic pet needs care from a specialist. We are happy to refer these pets to veterinarians that are board-certified in their specialty fields.

We treat the following exotic pets at the Delaware Valley Veterinary Hospital:

• pets birds
• rabbits
• ferrets
• small mammals, such as chinchillas, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, rats, mice, gerbils, and hamsters
• reptiles, such as lizards, turtles, and snakes
• potbelly pigs