Avians & Exotics

We provide complete veterinary care for an exhaustive variety of exotic pets including birds and reptiles, as well as rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and mice, hedgehogs, ferrets, degus, gerbils and chinchillas. Due to our extensive experience, we are very in tune with the particular needs that these creatures have. We are affiliated with a number of avian and exotic pet organizations and regularly attend continuing education courses to stay up-to-date on exotic pet medicine. We are also equipped to provide intensive care and hospitalization services, using temperature controlled incubators that provide oxygen, heat and humidity delivery, and nebulization of medication.

New Pet Exams

We recommend scheduling a post-purchase examination as quickly as possible so that we can begin determining a baseline of health for your pet. This initial exam includes:

• Complete physical

• Husbandry and nutritional consultation

• Disease screening

• Laboratory testing, as needed

​​

We recommend getting these examinations immediately so that you can determine your new pet's health before adding them to your household. If a pet carries a disease, it can be dangerous for your family and other pets.

Annual Exams

Exotic animals are often better able to hide signs of illness than our dogs and cats are.  Annual exams include checking for health conditions and abnormalities, as well as nutritional needs and weight changes. Often, by the time a physical change is obvious, the health condition of the pet has already advanced. Herbivores such as rabbits and guinea pigs must have regular dental oral health checks. Birds, in particular, have a very high metabolic rate so they can drop substantial amounts of weight quickly. Our annual physical examinations help us to identify problems before they have advanced too far.

Exotic Pet Dentistry

Rabbits and rodents are especially prone to dental problems. We provide exotic pet dentistry to identify and treat dental disease, including:

• Radiographic interpretation using detailed mammography plate and digital Imaging

• Photo documentation & grading of dental disease

• Incisor removal

• Abscess treatment

• Surgical tooth extractions

• Preventative maintenance

Nutrition & Husbandry Counselling

We provide individualized education on all of the nutrition and husbandry questions that you may have about your exotic pet. We also provide avian behavioural counselling.

Avian & Exotic Pet Surgery

We are equipped to provide both routine and major surgery for a large number of exotic species. Some more common surgeries performed at our hospital include: 

• Spays and Neuters for small mammals

• Abscess treatment

• Fracture stabilization or repair

• Cystotomy

• Biopsies

• Prolapsed repair

• Foreign body removal

Avian Blood Sexing

Often it is impossible to identify a bird's gender visually, with the exception of a few bird breeds that are sexually dimorphic. We perform advanced DNA sexing for gender identification using a single drop of blood. This sample can be easily and safely obtained from a vein causing minimal stress for the bird. A genetic picture is produced, analyzing the bird's sex. The results are available in 3-4 days and the results are extremely accurate.