To the exotics/wildlife/zoo people

[HorseyVet]

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Another thread reminded me of something...Just curious...

Are most of you interested in all wildlife/exotics/zoo type animals....

I ask b/c I was very involved in my local zoo, did demos, keeping, feild studies, rehab, etc....and then for years I keep and/or bred a number of exotic critters. For a while I really planned to do the wildlife/exotics/zoo type medicine but have since, for various reasons, moved to equine/large animal....

Anyway...a number of people and vet students that I have talked to in the exotics type track only really like one or two species and sort of just put up with the rest. Like a common statement I've heard is something like: "I really like reptiles but hate birds, and will learn ferrets b/c they're where the money is..." When I wanted to do exotics I really liked everything and thought this was true of everyone....

So...do you all really like all the species or is your motivation more skewed to one or two?

 

[eaglemeag]

So...do you all really like all the species or is your motivation more skewed to one or two?

Well, all of my exotic experience comes from a small-animal practice that sees exotics. We see all kinds of birds, reptiles, and pocket pets, as well as the occasional wildlife case. Granted, I don't have a lot of experience doing just exotics (have never worked wildlife rehab or zoo or anything like that)... but I love working with them all. Plus, the vet I work for is also the vet for the local small zoo, so we see some of the more "transportable" cases at the clinic. Exciting!

I'm considering zoo medicine... but I have no zoo experience, so I'm going to have to remedy that soon to see if it's an option for me.

Come to think of it, I find myself disliking breeds of dogs rather than actual species. ("Oh god, not another chow...")

 

[snowyegret]

So...do you all really like all the species or is your motivation more skewed to one or two?

The variety of species that we see in wildlife rehab is what really draws me towards wildlife/zoo medicine, not just one or two. There are particular traits about each species we deal with that I respect and appreciate. Where I volunteer, we have a fairly large rehab caseload as well as a live collection. I think its quite a feat that our vet can to go from treating eye wounds in an owl to doing dental surgery on a mountain lion. The best jobs I've had in the past have kept me from doing just one thing. I was applying the same skill to many different applications...which is what I see in wildlife/zoo medicine.

 

[kate_g]

So...do you all really like all the species or is your motivation more skewed to one or two?

I don't necessarily consider myself in the wildlife/exotic/zoo track, but I am definitely not a purely SA or LA person. A large part of my interest in vet med is the variety and the comparative aspect. Reptiles, ferrets, parrots, other exotic pet species are fine. But add in seals and bats and racoons and tigers and naked mole rats... I just want to get my hands on (and mind around) as many species as I can. Except for bugs. Blech. Never had any curiosity in the bug direction. So yeah, I have my favorites but I'd say I'm in the same "love them all" boat as HorseyVet.

 

[birdvet2006]

My main area of interest is pet birds. Mostly psittacines, with some passerines (canaries and finches) and a lot of waterfowl/fowl. But I am easily convinced to branch out into raptors (wild and falconry birds) and others (ratites, wild birds). In the past, I have raised a few baby songbirds and have enjoyed it - so wildlife medicine isn't beyond me.

I particularly like pet chickens, ducks, swans and geese. There's just not much info out there about these, beyond lead toxicosis and phallus amputation! 🙂

Now I don't mind the idea of people keeping rabbits, hamsters, rats, reptiles etc. as pets. I even kept hamsters, rabbits and reptiles at some point in my life. But I am just not as "excited" about these species as I am about birds. I feel very ignorant of their diseases, though I feel I'm pretty up-to-date on their husbandry. I have almost no interest whatesoever in zoo medicine. I would never want to work for a zoo, and I hear it's mostly politics.

 

[Mylez]

I've shadowed at a zoo, and I've been involved in a lot of wildlife rehab and with exotics. Have to say I love 'em all. Not as horribly fond of the reptiles as I am of others, but they all really fascinate me and I just love the variety and the differences that come through the door.

 

[tygris]

I enjoy the large variety in zoo/wildlife, as others have said. I'm a big fan of the "charismatic megafauna," as we like to call it 😉 But I like the other species too... to be honest, I'm really not a huge fan of birds. They kind of annoy me actually. I like birds in the context of wildlife rehab, and perhaps even a zoo, but not in the context of pets. In fact, I'm not a huge fan of exotic wildlife in general as pets. I have a hedgehog, but she's a "rescue" from an owner who didn't want her because she wasn't social enough with people. But I don't necessarily support going to a pet store and buying an exotic pet...

So I guess that means my interests are more in wildlife and zoo medicine, with minimal preference of one species over another but intrigue with the charismatic megafauna (mostly big cats)... and not in exotic pets. 🙂

 

[rdc]

if i dont ever have to touch a bird or reptile it'll be too soon...

 

[Miranda]

I guess I'd agree that I'm interested in everything, and that's what I like most about wildlife/zoo. I especially like birds and all things marine, if I had to choose. And jaguars were my think when I worked as a keeper. Working in the zoo world, many keepers assign themselve a specific species ar taxa (i.e. "she's a gorilla girl"....), so I'm not surprised that some veterinarian do to. Not me. I find just about all animal groups cool (including the bugs!). Unfortunately I don't really approve of people keeping exotics as pets (everyone on this board exluded of course! I just get furious at the idiots who don't properly care for their exotic pets (I've been keeping my slider turtle in this sandbox...) and caged birds make me really sad...) so I don't know if I would want to work with exotics if I don't make it in the zoo/wildlife world...

I agree to the earlier comment about breed prejudice. I also have nothing nice to saw about chow's (or british bulldogs)!

🙂
Miranda

Another thread reminded me of something...Just curious...

Are most of you interested in all wildlife/exotics/zoo type animals....

I ask b/c I was very involved in my local zoo, did demos, keeping, feild studies, rehab, etc....and then for years I keep and/or bred a number of exotic critters. For a while I really planned to do the wildlife/exotics/zoo type medicine but have since, for various reasons, moved to equine/large animal....

Anyway...a number of people and vet students that I have talked to in the exotics type track only really like one or two species and sort of just put up with the rest. Like a common statement I've heard is something like: "I really like reptiles but hate birds, and will learn ferrets b/c they're where the money is..." When I wanted to do exotics I really liked everything and thought this was true of everyone....

So...do you all really like all the species or is your motivation more skewed to one or two?

 

[eaglemeag]

I also have nothing nice to say about chow's (or british bulldogs)!

🙂
Miranda

A chow bit my nipple. And left a mark. Despite (initially) him wearing a muzzle and me wearing a lead vest. Bastard.

 

[Miranda]

A chow bit my nipple. And left a mark. Despite (initially) him wearing a muzzle and me wearing a lead vest. Bastard.

Tee-hee. I mean, ouch! 🙂 At my hospital, there is a pole for the staircase in the surgery prep area; really nasty dogs that we can't even lasso muzzle have their leases wrapped around this pole. We call it the chow pole.

Possibly a new thread topic? What is it with animals and biting breasts?? I have suffered this unfortunate experience at the teeth of two horses, a spectacled owl, and a flamingo (they bite and twist! Oh the purple nurple!). I suppose its just an easy spot to get...

My apologies for being completely off subject and also really quite inappropriate! Eaglemeag's post made me giggle.

 

[PAThbrd]

Possibly a new thread topic? What is it with animals and biting breasts?? I have suffered this unfortunate experience at the teeth of two horses, a spectacled owl, and a flamingo (they bite and twist! Oh the purple nurple!). I suppose its just an easy spot to get...

My apologies for being completely off subject and also really quite inappropriate! Eaglemeag's post made me giggle.

Lol! I will contribute to the off-topicness. I was violated in a similar manner by a llama as a small child!

 

[HorseyVet]

I just get furious at the idiots who don't properly care for their exotic pets (I've been keeping my slider turtle in this sandbox...) and caged birds make me really sad...)

My bird (Nanday) makes me look bad....She was originally intended to be a breeder....as if the world needs more homeless ear-piercing Nandays...anyway she's basically a rescue and I did everything I could to get her to "play"....I think I bought or built every kind of bird toy known to man the first 2 years before giving up. Sometimes you couldn't find the bird in the cage there were so many toys...but aside from the occasional nibble or angry outburst she doesn't play or climb or anything....it's frustrating. I tried her in one of those really nice and expensive California cages....she sat in one corner 24-7....she's a big green perch potato.

I'm still debating getting her sexed and getting her a same-sex buddy.