Search the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV) member directory for reptiles, and the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV) directory for birds. Call before you need them: ask whether they see your species, whether they take emergencies, and what an exam and a faecal test cost. A dog-and-cat practice that "sees exotics occasionally" is better than nothing in an emergency, but not for routine care. We are happy to tell you who we use; message the rescue.

The animal in a secure, warm carrier (a tub with a heat pack wrapped in a towel for reptiles in winter). A fresh dropping in a sealed bag for a faecal test. Your husbandry numbers: basking and cool-side temperatures, humidity, UVB type and age, enclosure size, diet, supplements and feeding schedule. A weight log if you have one. Photos or video of the behaviour that worried you, because animals rarely perform it in the exam room.

Common practice is 60 to 90 days for reptiles and 30 to 45 days for birds, in a separate room, with separate tools and bowls, handling the established animals first each day and washing between. The point is to let parasites, mites, respiratory infections and viruses show themselves before they reach your other animals. A vet check and faecal test during quarantine is the standard we use at the rescue.

Yes. Reptiles commonly carry Salmonella without being ill, and birds can carry psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci), which causes a flu-like illness in people. Wash your hands after handling, keep animals and their equipment out of the kitchen sink, do not kiss them, and supervise children. People who are pregnant, very young, elderly or immunocompromised should take extra care. Tell your doctor you keep exotics if you get an unexplained illness.

It depends enormously on the species, age and season. Adult ball pythons routinely refuse for months in winter and lose almost no weight; a hatchling gecko or a parrot that skips two days is a concern. The useful question is not "how long" but "is it losing weight, and has anything else changed?" Weigh weekly. Steady weight and normal behaviour buy you time to check temperatures and routine. Weight loss, lethargy, or any of the red flags above do not.

No. Doses for exotics are calculated by weight and species, many human and dog medications are toxic to reptiles and birds, and the wrong antiparasitic can kill. Even "natural" remedies and essential oils have hurt animals we have taken in. A vet can prescribe the right thing after an exam, often for less than the cost of the wrong thing.

Reptiles and birds hide pain because showing it gets them eaten. Look for changes rather than cries: hiding more, a hunched or unusual posture, guarding a limb, not using a side of the body, reduced appetite, a bird that stops preening or vocalising, a lizard that stops basking. Any of those lasting more than a day or two is worth a call.

That is a conversation for you and a vet who has examined the animal, and we will not pretend to have the answer from a description. What we can say from the rescue side is that a reptile or bird that can no longer eat, breathe comfortably or hold itself up, with no treatable cause, is suffering quietly, and a vet can end that gently. Asking the question is not giving up.

Leopard geckos store fat in the tail, so a thinning tail means the animal is using reserves faster than it replaces them. Causes range from simple (too cold to digest, not enough food, a new arrival still settling) to serious (parasites, cryptosporidiosis, an infection). Check your temperatures first: a warm hide surface in the low 90s °F is needed for digestion. If the tail keeps shrinking over two to three weeks, or the gecko also has runny droppings or refuses food, a vet with a faecal test is the next step. Rapid wasting with a "stick tail" is a crypto suspicion and needs a vet quickly, and that gecko should be isolated from others.

It can become serious. Retained shed on the toes tightens as it dries, cuts off circulation, and the toe tips die and fall off. Soak the gecko in shallow warm water for 15 to 20 minutes, then gently roll the softened shed off with a damp cotton bud. Never pull dry shed. Prevent it with a humid hide of damp sphagnum moss available at all times. If a toe is already dark, swollen or the gecko is limping, see a vet; there may be dead tissue to deal with.

It happens as a defence, and it is not an emergency in itself. Keep the gecko on paper towel so the wound stays clean, offer food as normal, and avoid handling for a couple of weeks. The tail regrows over a few months as a smoother, fatter stump. See a vet if the stump looks infected: swelling, discharge, a bad smell, or the gecko stops eating. Work out what frightened it, because it should not happen twice.

Those are classic signs of metabolic bone disease: not enough calcium or vitamin D3 getting into the body, usually from missing supplements or, in geckos kept with UVB, a lamp that has aged out. Early MBD is treatable; late MBD leaves permanent deformity. This is a same-week vet appointment. In the meantime, make sure plain calcium is available in a dish at all times and that insects are dusted. Do not try to correct it with large doses of D3 on your own.

Signs are a swollen, hard belly, straining, no droppings for a week or more, dragging back legs, and a bluish patch visible through the belly skin. Loose substrate, cold temperatures and oversized or hard-shelled insects are the usual causes. A warm soak and a check that the warm side is actually warm may get a mild case moving. A gecko that is still not passing anything after two or three days, or is lethargic, needs a vet, who can image it and decide whether it needs fluids, an enema or surgery.

Adult leopard geckos often slow down between November and February even indoors, eating little and sleeping a lot. A healthy adult that keeps its weight and tail fat, drinks, and still moves to its warm hide is fine. A gecko under a year old, or any gecko that is losing weight, has runny droppings or looks sunken, is not brumating; it is ill, and needs a look.

A one-off after a diet change is usually nothing. Persistent loose, smelly or mucus-filled droppings, especially with weight loss, usually mean parasites (pinworms, coccidia, flagellates) or in the worst case Cryptosporidium. Collect a fresh sample in a sealed bag and get it to a vet for a faecal exam. Treatment depends on what they find; guessing with a dewormer from the pet shop often makes things worse.

Females can lay infertile eggs without a male. A healthy female digs, lays within a day or two, and recovers quickly. One that keeps digging for days, stops eating, becomes lethargic or has a hard, swollen belly may be egg-bound, which is a vet problem: it needs imaging and sometimes surgery. Always provide a lay box of damp moss or coco fibre for adult females in spring, and keep calcium available.

Floppy tail syndrome. The tail bends over the body when the gecko sleeps head-down on glass, and over time the pelvis can be pulled out of alignment. It is usually linked to calcium deficiency and to enclosures with nowhere comfortable to sleep head-up. Give plenty of cork bark, branches and foliage so the gecko sleeps in cover rather than on the glass, check that diet and calcium are right, and have a vet look if the hips look twisted or the gecko is dragging its legs.

They are nocturnal and can be raised on a complete diet without it, but low-level UVB (a 5 to 7% tube with shade available) is increasingly recommended and we use it. Signs that something is wrong with calcium, whether from diet or lack of UVB, include a wobbly gait, a kinked tail, a soft jaw and small or absent calcium sacs in the roof of the mouth. Those signs need a vet, not just a lamp.

Endolymphatic sacs, calcium stores on the roof of the mouth. Full, round sacs are a good sign. Flat or empty sacs in an adult female, especially one laying eggs, mean she is running out of calcium and is at risk of MBD. Correct the diet, offer calcium, and have her checked if she is wobbly or weak.

Correct, crested geckos do not regrow tails. "Frog butts" are common and perfectly healthy. Keep the stump clean on paper towel for a week or two and see a vet only if it looks infected.

First check it is actually not eating: a gecko licks diet in small amounts at night and the cup often looks untouched. Weigh weekly on a gram scale. Causes of a genuine hunger strike include temperatures above the low 80s °F (heat stress is the big one for this species), a recent move, shedding, a male nearby, or dehydration. Mist at night so they drink from leaves. A gecko losing weight over two to three weeks, or one that is lethargic and sunken, needs a vet.

Dysecdysis in cresties almost always means humidity dropped too low overnight. Raise humidity to 70 to 80% at night with heavy misting, keep a damp moss pot in the enclosure, and soak the gecko in a sauna (a deli cup with damp paper towel) for 15 minutes before gently loosening the shed with a damp cotton bud. Dark or shrunken toe tips need a vet.

Dehydration, and it can get bad quickly in a small animal. Mist heavily, offer water droplets on leaves and a shallow dish, and get the gecko into a sauna cup. If it is also lethargic, not responding, or not improving within a day, a vet can give fluids. Chronic dehydration is usually an enclosure that dries out between mistings; an automatic mister or a bigger drainage layer fixes it.

Ball pythons are famous for fasting. Adults in good weight often refuse through winter, during breeding season, and after a move, and lose almost nothing. Check the basics: warm side 88 to 92°F surface, cool side mid-70s, humidity 55 to 65%, two tight hides, nobody handling it, and prey offered warm, at night, in the enclosure. Then weigh monthly. A fasting adult that holds within 10% of its weight is fine. A hatchling that has never eaten, any snake losing weight steadily, or a snake that refuses and also looks dull, wrinkled or has other symptoms, is a vet visit.

Regurgitation (bringing up a partly digested meal days after eating) is different from a quick refusal and is hard on the snake. Common causes are handling too soon after a meal, temperatures too low to digest, prey too large, or stress. Leave the snake alone for 10 to 14 days with no food, check temperatures, then offer a meal about half the usual size. If it regurgitates again, that is a vet problem: it may be an infection, parasites or something physical.

Those are signs of a respiratory infection and they do not clear up on their own. Raise the warm side slightly, make sure humidity is not sitting over 70% with poor airflow, and get to a vet within a day or two. Open-mouth breathing or the snake holding its head up to breathe is the same day. Respiratory infections in snakes usually need prescription antibiotics, and the vet may test for the viruses that cause chronic cases.

Tiny black or red dots moving on the snake, around the eyes and under the chin, specks floating in the water bowl, and a snake soaking constantly. Mites spread between enclosures and can carry disease, so treat the animal and the environment. Strip the enclosure to paper towel, discard substrate and porous décor, clean everything, and talk to a vet or an experienced keeper about a mite product that is safe for the species; several common sprays are not. Check every other reptile in the house. Expect to repeat treatment to catch hatching eggs.

Retained shed means humidity was too low during the shed cycle. Give the snake a humid hide or a soak in shallow, warm water for 20 to 30 minutes, then let it crawl through a damp towel. Never pick at eye caps with tweezers; a retained cap usually comes off with the next shed if humidity is right, and a vet can remove one safely if it does not. A snake that retains shed repeatedly at correct humidity may be dehydrated or ill.

Scale rot or blister disease, almost always from a wet, dirty substrate or a soaked enclosure. Move the snake onto clean paper towel, dry the enclosure out, and keep it spotless. Early redness clears up with dry, clean conditions. Blisters, open sores, or any discolouration that spreads need a vet for antibiotics, because the infection can go deep.

Burns come from unregulated heat mats, heat rocks and bare bulbs. They are far deeper than they look and get infected. Remove the heat source, put the snake on paper towel, and see a vet the same day or the next. Every heat source needs a thermostat; it is the single most important piece of snake equipment.

Mouth rot (infectious stomatitis). It often follows another problem: an injury from striking at glass, a respiratory infection, or poor temperatures. It needs a vet: cleaning and prescription antibiotics, sometimes injectable. Left alone it spreads to the jawbone.

A prolapse, and it is an emergency. Keep the tissue moist with clean, lukewarm water or sterile saline on a damp towel, keep the snake calm and on paper towel, and get to a vet immediately. Do not try to push it back in and do not let it dry out. Prolapses can be caused by straining, parasites, dehydration, or breeding injuries, and the vet will treat the cause as well as the tissue.

The spider gene and its relatives carry a neurological wobble that ranges from barely visible to severe head-tilting and corkscrewing. That wobble is inherited and does not progress or get better. A snake that did not wobble before and starts to, or any snake that stargazes, holds its head at odd angles, cannot right itself or looks disoriented, needs a vet: those signs can also mean an infection, toxins, overheating, or viral disease, which are serious and in some cases contagious.

Metabolic bone disease until proven otherwise. It means calcium is being pulled from the bones because the dragon is not getting enough calcium, vitamin D3, or usable UVB (an old tube, a coil bulb, UVB through glass or mesh). Twitching toes, a rubbery jaw, bowed legs, a dragon lying flat and unable to lift its body, and tremors are all signs. This is a same-week vet visit; early cases recover with corrected husbandry and vet-directed calcium, late cases are permanent. Replace the UVB with a proper linear T5 at the right distance and check the supplements while you wait.

Possible impaction, which is a blockage in the gut from loose substrate, cold temperatures, dehydration, or oversized or hard-shelled food. Check the basking surface is 100 to 110°F, give a 15 to 20 minute warm bath, and make sure the dragon is drinking. A dragon that is straining, dragging its back legs, has a hard swollen belly, or is lethargic needs a vet, who can X-ray and treat it. Do not force oils or laxatives down a dragon on the strength of a forum post.

If it is an adult, it is winter, and the weight is stable, this is brumation. Many adults slow down for weeks to months. Weigh weekly, keep water available, keep the lights on a shorter schedule, and let it be. If the dragon is under a year old, is losing more than about 10% of its weight, has sunken eyes, or has any other symptom, it is not brumating; get a faecal test and an exam.

Possibly yellow fungus (CANV), a contagious fungal infection that spreads under the scales and does not shed off. It needs a vet for diagnosis and long antifungal treatment, and the dragon must be isolated from other reptiles. Catching it early matters. Dry, crusty, discoloured patches that are not simply the next shed are worth a photo to your vet this week.

Usually parasites: coccidia, pinworms, or flagellates. Dragons from pet shops carry them very often, and stress lets them bloom. A fresh faecal sample to a vet tells you what it is and what to treat with. Untreated parasite loads cause weight loss, poor appetite and a dragon that never quite thrives. Deworming blind with a product from the shop is a poor substitute.

Tail rot, often from an injury, a retained shed ring, or a bite from a cage mate. A dark, dry tail tip that is not the normal pre-shed dulling is a vet visit, because the dead tissue spreads up the tail and needs to be removed before it reaches the body. Dragons should always be housed alone.

A black beard is stress, discomfort, display or cold. Occasionally it is normal, especially in males in spring or when a dragon sees itself in a reflection. A dragon that is black-bearded for hours, day after day, and is also off its food or lethargic, is telling you something is wrong: temperatures, pain, a cage mate, or illness. Check husbandry first, then a vet if it persists.

She is probably gravid. Females lay infertile clutches without a male. Give her a lay box of damp, diggable substrate at least as deep as she is long, keep calcium up and keep her warm. Laying usually follows within days. A female that keeps digging for more than a few days, becomes lethargic, or has a hard swollen belly may be egg-bound, which needs a vet quickly.

Gaping while basking is normal thermoregulation. Gaping away from the heat, with mucus, bubbles, clicking, or forced breathing, is a respiratory infection or something stuck, and needs a vet. The difference is where and how long.

Common and usually solvable. Make sure the enclosure is small with tight hides (a bare 20-gallon tank is terrifying to a hatchling), the warm side is around 85°F, and nobody is handling it. Offer a thawed pinky warm, at night, in a deli cup placed inside the enclosure, and leave it overnight. If that fails, try braining the pinky, scenting it with a lizard or chick down, or a different prey size. A hatchling that has not eaten for six to eight weeks since hatching, or is losing weight, needs help from a breeder or vet.

Rest it for 10 to 14 days with no food, check that the warm side is warm enough to digest and that the snake was not handled within 48 hours of the meal, then offer a meal about half the usual size. Two regurgitations in a row is a vet visit; it may be an infection, parasites or a physical problem. Cryptosporidium in snakes causes repeated regurgitation and a swollen mid-body, and it is serious and contagious.

Respiratory infection, usually from cold, damp conditions. Raise temperatures to the top of the range, dry the enclosure out, and see a vet within a couple of days for antibiotics. Open-mouth breathing is a same-day problem.

Kingsnakes eat snakes, including their own species and their own siblings. They cannot be housed together, ever, and should be fed with tongs so they do not learn that hands mean food. If a snake was partially swallowed and pulled free, it will have crush injuries and saliva in the wounds; see a vet.

Mites. Treat the snake and the entire enclosure, strip to paper towel, discard porous décor, and ask a vet or experienced keeper about a species-safe product; some common ones are not safe. Check every reptile in the house and expect to repeat the treatment.

Kinks present from hatching are usually a developmental defect; many snakes live full lives with them. A kink that appears suddenly, or a snake that cannot move part of its body, has been injured (dropped, caught in a lid, a heavy décor item) and needs a vet to assess the spine.

It is scared, and it is a baby. Musking and tail-rattling are bluff. Short, calm, frequent handling sessions, lifting from underneath, almost always produce a relaxed adult in a few months. An adult that suddenly becomes defensive after years of calm is often in pain or about to shed; check the eyes and look it over.

A bird that is fluffed and quiet for more than an hour or two, especially if it is sitting low on a perch or on the cage floor, is sick. Birds fluff and hunch to conserve heat because they are ill, and by the time it is obvious they have been ill for a while. Keep the bird warm (80 to 85°F) and quiet, make food and water easy to reach, and call an avian vet today. Do not wait until morning if it is on the floor.

Tail bobbing is laboured breathing and in a bird that is a same-day emergency. Possible causes include a respiratory infection, aspergillosis, an inhaled toxin, heart disease, or an egg or mass pressing on the air sacs. Keep the bird calm and warm, minimise handling, and go.

A normal dropping has a formed dark faeces, white urates and a little clear urine. Changes that last more than a day are worth a call: bright green or yellow urates (liver or psittacosis), black tarry faeces (bleeding), undigested seed (infection), very watery (polyuria, which can be diet or disease), or blood. Diet changes (beetroot, berries) explain colour for a day. Bring a sample on paper to the vet.

A broken blood feather (a growing feather with a blood supply) can bleed a lot. Apply gentle, firm pressure with gauze and corn starch or styptic powder at the feather base for a few minutes. If it will not stop, or the bird is weak, go to a vet; the feather may need to be pulled under restraint. Do not pull it yourself unless a vet has shown you how, and never use styptic powder on skin or wounds, only the nail or feather shaft.

Egg binding, and it is an emergency. A hen that is straining, sitting on the floor, has a swollen abdomen, or is weak needs an avian vet immediately; birds can die of it within hours. Keep her warm and humid in the carrier on the way. Hens on seed diets, with low calcium, laying repeatedly without a mate, are the usual cases.

Feather destructive behaviour has medical causes (skin infection, parasites, allergies, liver disease, pain, heavy-metal toxicity, psittacosis) and behavioural ones (boredom, lack of sleep, hormones, a possessive bond, dry air, stress). The first step is a full avian vet work-up to rule out the medical list, because no amount of toys fixes a liver problem. Then address sleep, bathing, foraging, diet and the bird's social life. Plucking is easier to stop early than late.

Yes. Zinc and lead toxicity from galvanised wire, cheap cage hardware, old paint, curtain weights, stained glass, costume jewellery and some toys is common and can be fatal. Signs include vomiting, weakness, green or bloody droppings, seizures and excessive thirst. A vet can test blood levels and chelate. Keep the bird away from the source in the meantime.

A night fright, most common in cockatiels. Something startled the bird in the dark and it panicked. Check for injuries: blood on the cage, a wing held oddly, a broken blood feather. A dim night light and a cover that leaves one side open prevent most of them. Repeated night frights with no obvious cause are worth a vet visit; some are seizures.

Overgrown beaks and nails are usually a symptom, not the problem: fatty liver disease from a seed diet, mites in budgies (scaly face), or lack of rough perches. Have an avian vet trim the beak and look for the cause; never trim a beak at home. Nails can be managed with rough perches and careful trims with styptic powder on hand.

An occasional sneeze is normal. Repeated sneezing, wet or crusty nostrils, swelling around the eyes, or a bird wiping its face constantly means a respiratory or sinus infection, possibly psittacosis, which is contagious to other birds and to people. Avian vet within a day or two; same day if breathing looks laboured.

Keep them in separate rooms. Reptiles can carry Salmonella that infects birds, bird dander and droppings are a problem in reptile enclosures, and a loose bird is one step from a snake's mouth. Wash hands between handling the two.