Reptile Handling Lab for Vet Students

[AshleyShadows]

Well, as some as you know, I work in the zoo ward of the Texas A&M veterinary hospital and veterinary school. We always have 3 fourth year vet students working with us, and they stay for 2 weeks worth of a rotation. Every once and a while, one of my friends that owns a reptile hospice and sanctuary brings some of her guys with her to expose them to reptiles so they can know how to deal with them if they see them in their own clinics. So I thought I'd share a few pictures.

This poor snapping turtle, Crater, was severely neglected. Obviously there was calcium in this guy's diet when he was growing. He should be three times this size and definitely shouldn't have that deformed shell. But now he has a great home and good nutrition


This is Huggy Bear, everyone's favorite albino burn. She's as sweet as can be and is starting the shed cycle.


Scarlet, the red tegu, didn't come along today, but I wanted to share some news with Jessica...for four years we've been calling this HE a she. She was properly sexed this weekend, and boy were we wrong. Better hope the baby Rhett they have for him turns out to be a girl.


And here's Rebel the iguana. All the vet students were given the opportunity to draw blood from him. The vet said she'd give whoever got some a prize because it's really hard to do. They all tried with no success. Then I tried and got some on the first go I win.





Thanks for looking!

 

[Iguanagirl8662]

That poor Snapper! It makes me want to cry seeing turtles in that condition. I adore Scarlet, tegus are awesome and red is one of my favorite colors. And my obvious favorite is Rebel, he reminds me of my Harely (Rebel & Harley, both motorcycles lol) but my Harley was so neglected before I got him that he never developed big jowls like Rebel's.

 

[AshleyShadows]

Well good thing Harley found a great home with you!

 

[RobbiesCornField]

Poor Crater!!!!
And Huggy Bear is disgustingly adorable.
And Rebel does NOT look happy in that first pic!

 

[K. Rene]

I love the expression on the iguana's face in the first pic, it looks like it is stretching and getting a back scratch, it say's "ohh that feels good" lol

 

[wstphal]

Huggy Bear ~does~ look sweet. Rebel is beautiful too. I have always liked iguanas, although I've never owned one. I took classes in a bio lab that had a permanent resident iguana who was very sweet. He or she belonged to the professor & had lived there for years. What on earth happened to that poor turtle? And will his shell improve with time & proper care? And how do turtles' shells grow anyway? They can't shed like other reptiles, and I've never understood how they grow.

 

[Daenerys]

Huggy Bear reminds me of my friend's albino burm, Sunny:

 

[AshleyShadows]

Lol I love that Rebel picture. He was just so pissed...he'd gotten so many needles stuck in him and it was finally over.

Unfortunately, that's probably as good as Crater will ever look. Turtle and tortoise shells grow with the animal from birth, so it's the only one they've got. The individual scutes on the top of the shell (the carapace) shed individually. It's a very unique process which makes these animals very cool. I think people don't give them enough credit

Sunny is adorable!

 

[wade]

That iguana looks like he is doing something he shouldn't in public. Pure Joy.