Exotics - Homework Assignment # 3

docx

School

University of Massachusetts, Amherst *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

345

Subject

Medicine

Date

Apr 3, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by dd4884

Homework Assignment # 3 Exotic Animal Medicine Spring 2023 Name: BLANK Mr. Smith has brought in his 2-year-old iguana, Herman, for a swollen left hind leg. Mr. Smith reports that Herman hasn’t been moving much lately and is not eating as well as he used to. Mr. Smith tells you that he feeds Herman a diet of iceberg lettuce, crickets and occasionally carrots. He has Herman in a 50 gallon aquarium lined with newspaper. Herman has a large flat rock to sit on in his cage. He also has a “hot rock” for heat and has a mesh lid for the aquarium to allow room lighting into the cage. Herman does not have a water bowl, but Mr. Smith sprays Herman with a water bottle every day. Mrs. Johnson has brought in her bearded dragon lizard named Sam. She noticed that Sam wasn’t interested in the crickets she placed in his aquarium. Also, there appears to be a small wound on Sam’s face. Mr. Reardon has brought in his newly purchased captive reared boa constrictor named Clyde. Mr. Reardon tells you that Clyde has not been interested in the rats Mr. Reardon has been trying to feed him. 1. What is the dietary classification (insectivore vs. carnivore vs. herbivore) of your three patients? - Herman the two-year-old iguana is a herbivore /insectivore. - Sam the bearded dragon lizard is an omnivore/ insectivore. - Clyde the boa constrictor is a carnivore , but they can eat insects too. 2. What nutritional requirement needs to be addressed in both Herman’s and Sam’s diets? Why are you not concerned about the same thing in Clyde’s diet? - Both Herman and Sam need Calcium and phosphorus (as well as Vitamin D3). These are important for the diets of lizards. It is important to have calcium regulation. The Calcium: Phosphorus ratio should be 1:1 to 2:1. However, too much phosphorus is a nutritional concern. - Clyde is a snake. Snakes feed on their prey whole. They do not require any extra supplementation. They already obtain adequate levels of calcium, proper Ca:P ratio, and preformed vitamin D in their whole prey meat diet.

Homework Assignment # 3 Exotic Animal Medicine Spring 2023 3. For Herman, what nutritional based disease could be causing his swollen leg? What diet recommendations would you make for Herman? - Gout is the nutritional base disease that could be causing Herman’s swollen leg. Gout causes swollen joints. A diet recommendation that could be made is giving him mainly plant protein and make sure he has water (sprayed with water). Metabolic Bone Disease. 4. What do you suggest to Mr. Smith about Herman’s cage lightening? - The room lighting is not sufficient for Herman. Since Herman is considered an insectivore/herbivore he needs ultraviolet light for vitamin D3 synthesis. Another thing that would be beneficial is direct sunlight. So, maybe moving his enclosure to an area where direct sunlight comes in would be the best option for Herman. Salads containing leafy greens such as beet greens, broccoli leaves, outer green cabbage leaves, collards, dandelion leaves and mustard greens are calcium rich. They should be included in the diet - UVB Light. - Protein. 5. What could have possibly caused the wound on Sam’s face? What recommendations can you give Mrs. Johnson regarding how and what to feed Sam? - There are a few things that could have caused the wound on Sam’s face. There is no specific information that was provided that indicates where the wound is located. So, it could be an abrasion from rubbing against the glass of his enclosure. It could be a thermal burn from the lighting provided. - Could be an abscess. - Dysecdysis which is caused by low humidity and malnutrition. This can cause necrosis to tissues (more common with their legs and tails). - Sam is an omnivore. However, their diets mainly consist of insects and vegetables. It is recommended that he eats romaine lettuce, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, clover, dandelion, bean sprouts, and bamboo shoots for vegetables. Crickets, mealworms, etc. for insects. It is also important to make sure that they get their calcium requirements. - Crickets may have tried to feed on Sam. Use feeding station when feeding insects in small bowl and remove if they are not eaten. Dust with a vitamin and mineral supplement. Try different sizes of crickets to see if they are too large or small for Sam. 6. What recommendations can you give Mr. Reardon about how and what to feed Clyde?

Homework Assignment # 3 Exotic Animal Medicine Spring 2023 - All snakes are considered to be carnivorous. They tend to feed on their pray whole. Most snakes tend to eat mice, rats, gerbils, rabbits, guinea pigs, crickets, worms, etc. - There are many reasons why a snake might not eat their food. This includes: the food is too cold, motion triggering the snake, they are about to shed, respiratory disorders or other illnesses, improper husbandry requirements, not their natural diet, scenting prey, etc. - One thing to do is to make sure that the rats that Mr. Reardon is feeding Clyde are completely thawed and warm. If that doesn’t work, he can always try live prey. - If those options do not work, it might be important to have him checked for any underlying issues like respiratory or other illnesses. - Confirm that the rats have been killed. They should be fed warm. The movement with tongs may help to simulate “live” prey. 7. What suggestions can you make about Herman’s cage? - Make sure the enclosure is customized for the particular species and that it has proper ventilation. The lids must be able to lock into place and must not be a fire hazard if heat lamps are used. They all need light, heat, humidity, ventilation, etc. - Mesh can cause abrasions. - Since it is a larger species, a custom built enclosure might be beneficial. - Screens for proper ventilation. - Water bowl for drinking and bathing. - Tree branches should be provided because he’s arboreal. Make sure branches are clean. - Newspaper should be provided as a substrate. 8. How should Mr. Smith improve the heating in Herman’s cage? - Heating can vary. Glass or plastics tanks can cause overheating for lizards due to the lack of ventilation, so it is very important to avoid that. - Also, hot rocks should be avoided because they have a poor sense of conductive heat. - Instead, a heat lamp would be more beneficial for heating. - Heat lamps above the enclosure (can use heating pads taped under the enclosure).

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

Homework Assignment # 3 Exotic Animal Medicine Spring 2023

Exotics - Homework Assignment # 3

Related Documents