Vet Visit

[JoeVet]

Sebastian made it to the vet and back with minimal fuss! The vet said that he looked healthy and we will get the fecal test results back tomorrow!
Cross your fingers!

Thanks for all the help and funny (yet somewhat scary) stories!

Glad it all worked out. Just out of curiosity, what does a wellness visit to the vet consist of? Was it just a fecal and physical check? Were you offered more such as x-ray or bloodwork? Is your vet familiar with chameleons or just reptiles in general?

 

[scs]

The vet I went to did a physical exam (feeling the stomach, light in the mouth, etc) and I'm not sure if she didn't offer x-rays and bloodwork because Sebastian looked healthy or for some other reason...

The vet implied that she had seen several chameleons but she isn't necessarily an expert because she either treats all reptiles or all animals, I forget which.

I wish there was a reptile specialist vet close to my area but when I looked on a 'Vet Locator' database the hospitals that see reptiles specifically are hours away.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I had a rehomed Swainson's toucan for about 8 years. He was a wc import sold to newbies who believed the seller's lies, so he wasn't handleable, but once he settled down and knew the daily house routine he was pretty approachable and a complete clown. Noisy and a huge mess maker (their GI tract must be about 6" long...never seen a bird eat or poop so much in one day). Swainson's can be huge...consider a big raven with a 10" beak! Now a manageable option to the big toucans are the aracaris. Hand raised they are amazingly sweet even as adults. Smaller, quiet, will snuggle with just about anyone, can't do much damage so no iron barred prison cages, don't get neurotic or mutilate themselves like parrots do.

Oh, wouldn't that be nice not to have to worry about a demolition crew! My Scarlet started snapping--snapping!!!!--12 gauge wire. I can't even cut that stuff with big sidecutters--I need bolt cutters. When I take them out to fly I have to be on guard in case they land on the roof or my deck.

Your little motmots are pretty. Do they have the really cool tail?

 

[Carlton]

Oh, wouldn't that be nice not to have to worry about a demolition crew! My Scarlet started snapping--snapping!!!!--12 gauge wire. I can't even cut that stuff with big sidecutters--I need bolt cutters. When I take them out to fly I have to be on guard in case they land on the roof or my deck.

Your little motmots are pretty. Do they have the really cool tail?

Yes! That tail is incredible. Its a constant barometer of what they are feeling, a display for potential predators, and a warning to other birds. The local people in their range call motmots "relojeros" or clock birds. They swing that tail like a pendulum almost 180 degrees in response to a threat...a silent way to inform predators that they have been detected. When the tailfeathers first grow in, they don't have the distinct racquet on the tip. After the feather matures there is one specific section of the quill that sheds the barbs to create that bare section. And, the size of that section is unique for each bird.

 

[MsCham]

Ill post a link here for handling. I found it most useful, and a lot of the stuff I had known, but I hadnt connected the dots. Luckily I researched it before I got my first boy! Good luck with the trip!

 

[scs]

Wow, I can't imagine taking care of such exotic, feisty birds! All I've got are chickens...who are sort of pure evil but I love them anyway

Also, Sebastian fecal tested NEGATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!
He obviously doesn't know what's going on but it seems like his introduction to the color green is some form of celebration! His head stays bright red but he wears a blue and green striped sweater quite often!