On Jan 19, Dr. Maas and Dr. Temple from Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital paid a routine house call to Pacific Science Center’s animals.
Each of our snakes received a full physical exam from head to tail. The insides of their mouths were examined for broken teeth, pale gums, excess saliva, or loud breathing. The skin was inspected as well. Snake skin should be clear and unblemished, without old scales from previous skin sheds.
Snake’s undersides were felt for lumps or irregularities. Overall conditions were noted. Estella is a little heavy! Dr. Maas recommended we feed each of the boa constrictors a small rat on a weekly schedule.
It was in this exam that a strange lump was felt in Maizey, the corn snake’s abdomen. As previously explained, Dr. Maas took Maizey back to his hospital for further examination with sad results.
Lydia, the leopard gecko, looks great. She has a fat tail which is a sign of good health in these animals. We were warned to not associate her with other leopard geckos as they might not be as healthy.
Dr. Maas recommended that we house our African dwarf frogs separate from the axolotls. Their skin is toxic to axolotls. The frogs are currently partitioned from the axolotls with a simple tank divider. Should a frog escape and end up in an axolotl mouth, it could be fatal to both animals. Stay tuned! Plans for a separate dwarf frog exhibit are in the works!
The naked mole-rats were looked at for overall colony health. Most of them have gained weight over the last year. Pups from our two recent litters are nearly the size of the smallest adults. Unfortunately, a few individuals are not thriving. We discussed how best to monitor them, and set up a plan for a thorough colony clean. In future articles, we’ll discuss our naked mole-rat husbandry routines and report on the results.
All in all, the vets’ visit was careful, thorough, and exhaustive. Animal Care staff always learns a lot from these house calls which help us better care for our animals.
Thanks to Alice Enevoldsen, Pacific Science Center’s planetarium specialist, for photographing the veterinarians’ visit.
Gosh! The boas are huge! I remember when they first came to PSC and were so little and zippy!
ReplyDeleteAs a volunteer in the 1980's I have many fond memories interacting with the public as principle "wrangler" of Feather and Rocky, the 10 and 12 foot Boa's of that era. It's nice to know people can still interact with these charming, affectionate creatures.
ReplyDeleteHi Gerry, I have really enjoyed how this blog has put us back in contact with many former animal handlers at Pacific Science Center. I started in 1994 and knew Sly, Yogi, Otto, Adam and Myles but not Rocky or Feather.
ReplyDeleteHello, Antwatcher. I have many fond memories(and a few pictures)introducing "my" Boa's to the public in the Children's Museum and a few amusing stories... like the time a whole class of pre-schoolers were ushered in - and instantly out - when their fearful teacher got one look at me wrapped in Feather.... I most enjoyed watching the fear turn to fascination though.
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