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Frequently Asked Questions |
Avian
Q:
My canary has stopped singing and now he is losing a lot of his feathers. Is this normal?
Reptile
Q:
I have an adult iguana that has stopped eating. She looks well but what can I do to get her to
eat?
Rabbit
Q:
I would like to let my rabbit run outside
in my yard during the summer. Is this safe for her?
Q:
My rabbit is starting to have her head slightly titled to the left; does she have
an ear infection?
Rodent
Q:
My hamster is scratching a lot and losing his fur.
What could be causing this?
Q:
Lately I have noticed that my guinea pigs incisors do not line up, and as
such he has trouble cutting his food, especially harder vegetables and
the like. I feed him by hand. Is there a solution to this problem? Will it
fix itself with time?
Ferret
Q:
Does my ferret need to be vaccinated for rabies?
Q:
My roomate has a cat that was recently put to sleep because she had
feline aids or FIV. Is there a risk to my ferret? Should I vaccinate her?
Answer to:
My canary has stopped singing and now he is losing a lot of his feathers. Is this normal?
Your pet canary may be moulting.
This is a normal process that usually takes place once to twice a year. He will
replace many worn out feathers with new ones during a period of approximately three
weeks. Your canary may stop singing during this time as he requires all his energy
to grow his new plumage. You might notice him scratching himself more than usual in
order to open the protective keratin coating that surrounds new feathers as they
grow. However, he should look alert, be eating as usual, and be passing normal stool.
You can help your pet bird through his moult by reviewing his diet to be sure it is complete,
and by providing him with a bath daily so he can preen his new feathers open.
A bird infested with mites will show the same initial symptoms as a moulting
bird: he may stop singing and begin to scratch himself often. He will not be
sleeping well, and soon may also be puffed and lethargic. Mites are potentially
life threatening as they weaken your bird and make him susceptible to other
infections. If your avian friend has never been checked for parasites now may be
a good time to visit your veterinarian.
Answer to:
I bought a blue-headed conure about 3 months ago. My bird has feathers
that vary in colour (some are yellow, some orange or red). Is this due to an illness he might have, a vitamin deficiency
or is he cross-bred with another species of conure?
In the last few years, atypically coloured feathers have begun to appear in several species
of parrots. To date the cause is unknown, but it might be of nutritional, genetic or viral origin.
Species cannot be cross-bred, so the answer to the last part of your question is no.
In terms of diet, foods rich in carotenes could be partially responsible for the colour
change if your bird has the gentic factors that pre-dispose him to absobing those pigments.
Any change to the ultrastucture of a feather can also cause it to absorb
pigements. Certain viruses such as Polyoma Virus, and Psittacine Beak and Feather (PBFD) virus
have been implicated in feather colour alteration. This does not mean your bird has
either of these viruses!
Some owners choose to test for the presence of these viruses through a simple test
available through your avian veterinarian.
To date, these feather changes do not seem to be indicative of any active
illness and most affected birds live normal lives. If he should show any symptoms of not feeling well, a complete work-up may be in order. Discuss your options with an avian veterinarian.
Answer to:
Since my last visit to the veterinarian, my parrot has been unable to fly. She jumps off her
perch and tries to fly, but doesn't get very far. Is this a direct result of her
wing clip?
You are correct. A wing clip ( which is actually a feather clip ) is designed to allow your bird
to safely glide to the floor but it is designed to stop her from being able to take flight.
A well tailored cut allows your bird to
slow her descent without falling too abrupty to the ground. If your bird is falling too quickly,
she may need her next trim to be more tailored to her needs.
Once your parrot moults out these cut feathers, new full primaries will take their place, allowing her
to take flight once more.
Also, be attentive to how your bird accepts her feather clip. Some birds tolerate wing trims well, while young
birds and certain species like African Greys can be very upset by a full wing trim. A standar wind trim consists
of 10 feathers being cut from each wind tip (the primaries). However, it may be more approrpiate to start with 5 or 7 (etc.)
Discuss these options with your avian veterinarian.
Answer to:
I have an adult iguana that has stopped eating. She looks well but what can I do to get her to
eat?
Assuming nothing in your
iguana's life has changed, you need to visit your veterinarian as
soon as possible. Iguanas that look well but are refusing to eat may
be egg-bound, may have eaten a foreign object or may have an accumulation
of packed food that they simply cannot pass. Your vet will need to
examine and most likely x-ray your pet to find the reason for her
sudden disinterest in food.
Answer to:
I have noticed small red insects crawling all over my iguana. Is this normal?
Are these mites? He is eating well and doesn't seem to scratch himself.
It is very possible that your iguana has a mite infestation. These ectoparasites live on
or just underneath the
skin of your iguana. They bother him by biting him in order to reach his blood, their primary food
source. Although these mites are a common problem in iguanas (and other reptiles), they
are not considered normal to good health, and are easily treated.
The treatment for removing them involves visiting your veterinarian in order to receive
two (or sometimes three if the condition is severe) treatments of an injectable
anti-parasitic medication. Once this medication is absorbed into the bloodstream of
your iguana, the mites' food source - the blood- becomes toxic to them,
eliminating the adult parasite. The treatment is repeated 10 days to two weeks
later in order to eliminate any chance of re-infestation by eggs that hatched and
did not get affected by the first treatment.
Effectively removing a mite problem involves careful cleaning of your iguana's
environment, including removing any porous objects the mites may be hiding in.
In the meantime, you can bathe your iguana in luke-warm water in order to drown
the mites that are on the surface of the skin. Although this treatment does not remove
them all, it will relieve your pet temporarily, and will hydrate him at the same time.
You can also run a q-tip that is lightly soaked in vegetable oil carefully around his
head and nostrils (where mites hide), as he may not put his head under water, the oil
will suffocate the mites you touch.
Contact your veterinarian as soon as possible, long-term parasitic infections
render your iguana susceptible to serious illness, and are extremely uncomfortable
for him or her.
Answer to:
My hamster is scratching a lot and losing his fur.
What could be causing this?
There are several possibilities for fur loss
amongst hamsters.
Often these little pocket pets develop allergic reactions to
the shavings used as bedding in their cage. Cedar shavings are
the more irritating than pine, and dusty shavings of any kind
make for poor bedding. Try eliminating all shavings and providing
cotton batton for a bed with only paper towel as a substrate. You can
shred some paper towel to provide privacy and softness.
External parasites, skin infections and certain internal
disease can also cause fur loss, especially when accompanied by
scratching. Make sure to visit your veterinarian who can check for
these possible causes.
Answer to:
Lately I have noticed that my guina pigs incisors do not line up, and as
such he has trouble cutting his food, especially harder vegetables and
the like. I feed him by hand. Is there a solution to this problem? Will it
fix itself with time?
Your guina pigs teeth problems are a common affliction not only to guina
pigs but to rabbits as well. To answer your question:
1) No, this problem does not fix itself with time. In fact, it often
intensifies and has to be addressed more often. You should treat any eating disorder with
urgency, as your Guinea Pig will suffer from hunger and weight loss.
2) Is there a solution? Yes, we regularily cut or file teeth that
overgrow (although in actual fact the tooth is growing normally, it is just
not being filed down normally). In the meantime, cut up your cavy's harder
foods like his vegetables and things that are too hard to break. You may even
want to soften some pellets with a bit of water. When you have your guinea
pigs incisors verified it would be important to have his molars checked at
the same time. Malocclusion can affect all his teeth.
A permanent solution invoves surgically removing the front teeth altogether,
but be sure to talk about all the pros and cons with your veterinarian that
specializes in exotics.
Answer to:
Does my ferret need to be vaccinated for rabies ?
We recommend vaccinating your ferret for rabies in the following
circumstances:
1) Ferrets at risk: those that go outside and may come in contact with a
rabid animal (such as a skunk or fox.)
2) Ferrets that may bite: if your ferret has a tendancy to bite
and should happen to do so, a disgruntled victim may demand proof
your pet is not rabid. In this situation, your vaccination certificate
from your veterinarian is your pets safeguard.
Answer to:
My roomate has a cat that was recently put to sleep because she had
feline aids (FIV). Is there a risk to my ferret? Should I vaccinate her?
There are no reported cases to date of feline aids (FIV) being transmitted to ferrets.
FIV (Feline Immumodeficiency Virus) is a retrovirus in the same family as
the human AIDS virus, for which there is no vaccine. It is not a threat to
you or your ferret.
Answer to:
I would like to let my rabbit run outside
in my yard during the summer. Is this safe for her?
Rabbits benefit enormously from exercise, and your yard may be the perfect place for
her to get some. However, a yard is not an enclosure, so follow these guidelines
to ensure your pet is safe:
* Supervise at all times. In the space of a minute your bunny can squeeze through
your fence and be hopping away. Ensure no cats, dogs or other neighbouring animals
can get in and threatened your rabbit.
* In order to avoid heatstroke ensure she has adequate shade, and provide a source
of drinking water. Do not take your rabbit outside when it is very hot or humid,
she is probably cooler and more comfortable inside.
* If you are going outside for an extended period of time, bring some vegetables
and hay for her to eat.
* Watch she does not consume excess quantities of grass or other garden plants
as it may cause serious gasto-intestinal upset. Also, your lawn should be free
of any chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
* Do not leave your bunny outside in an enclosure overnight as she can be terrorized
by racoons and other roaming animals.
* Once a year run a simple parasitology of her stool to be sure she has
not picked up any unwanted parasites.
Answer to:
My rabbit is starting to have her head slightly titled to the left; does she have
an ear infection?
Rabbits and guinea pigs are both susceptible to bacterial infections that can cause
head tilting, spinning, and sometimes flipping upside down accompanied with or without,
leaky eyes and nose as well as sneezing. Often the culprit in these infections is a
bacterium called Pasteurella, but other bacteria can be at the origin of the problem.
Once the bacterium reaches the brain, it affects the central nervous system and
disorients your rabbit.
As soon as you see the beginning of any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian
immediately. If caught early, the infection can be brought under control through
the use of aggressive anti-biotic therapy and supportive treatment. While treatable,
it is difficult to completely eradicate, and sometimes treatment can be long.
In the meantime, keep your rabbit as stress free as possible. Stress can trigger
attacks of these bacterial infections, and is often seen following heatstroke,
light traumas and if your rabbit is suffering from another medical problem.
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