Small Mouths Can Have Big Problems Too

I was so inspired after reading William and Harry’s dental blog the other day, I thought I should take time to discuss the importance of dental health and the exotic pet.

People are often amazed to find out that exotic pets are also susceptible to problems affecting the teeth, beak and oral cavity. It’s a bit different than our cat and dog friends, but often disease affecting this part of the body is a symptom of a more severe underlying condition.  Some common conditions encountered include:

• Rabbits with overgrown incisors (front teeth) – many of these rabbits actually have overgrown molars (back teeth), often due to a lack of hay or other fiber in their diet.
• Birds and turtles with overgrown beaks – many of these pets suffer from serious nutritional diseases, especially a lack of vitamin A in their diet.
• Snakes and lizards with mouth sores (aka stomatitis) – many of these reptiles develop these sores due to improper diet or problems with their environment.

While this is not an all inclusive list, these examples illustrate how many of our exotic pets suffer from similar ailments.  To make matters worse, it can be very difficult to identify a normal mouth from a diseased mouth, as there is much variation between species.  Your exotic pet veterinarian is best suited to help identify such problems during your pet’s yearly health exams. Remember Stow Kent Animal Hospital does have Veterinarians on staff that will see your exotic pets.

Until next time my friends, just keep smiling.

- Beardie the Bearded Dragon with the help of Dr. Brooks -