Many people like dogs or cats, others want a budgie, and still others bring a snake into their home. Perhaps a somewhat unusual choice of pet, but with expertise and a love for this particular species, it can become a special relationship for both human and animal.
Snakes are fascinating and sometimes dangerous animals. It is therefore particularly important to create a species-appropriate habitat so that the animals can live healthily and you, as the owner, remain safe.
There are various types of snakes: small, large, and both poisonous and non-poisonous. Different species have different requirements in terms of care. As an inexperienced owner, you should opt for a non-poisonous species. The corn snake, for example, is a snake that is not too demanding to keep.
Purchase the snake from a specialist store where you can get qualified advice or from a reputable breeder. There are certain regulations to observe when purchasing the animal, which the retailer will inform you about in detail. For example, venomous snakes must be officially registered, and each state has its own regulations. You will also need proof of your ability to handle and keep snakes that require registration, which can vary from species to species. Please inquire about this in detail.
The dimensions of the terrarium depend on the species and size of the snake. Be sure to ask your retailer for advice. Snakes are cold-blooded animals and need at least one place to rest where a heat lamp provides sufficient warmth. You may even want to equip the terrarium with underfloor heating. Snakes need a temperature of around 30 to 40 degrees Celsius during the day. You can create the ideal conditions with a timer. The same applies to humidity—snakes like to live in humid areas. An automated "water spray system" can help create the perfect climate. Of course, you can also maintain humidity using simpler methods, such as a spray bottle. This is cheaper but also more time-consuming.
Snakes are shy animals and need places to retreat where they can hide. They like to be high up and love "climbing trees."
Here are a few more important facts for anyone considering whether a snake is really suitable as a pet. They are not made for cuddling. A snake is not like a lap dog that you can pick up and cuddle. Contact with snakes requires a lot of attention and caution. They are therefore not suitable pets for households with children.
Snakes are sensitive animals that can quickly become ill. As soon as you feel that your snake is not well, you should always consult a veterinarian who is familiar with snakes.
In the wild, snakes are not actually scavengers, but catch, kill, and devour their prey. However, snakes kept in human care are usually accustomed to being fed dead animals and will readily accept them as a food source. This is not only much easier for you as a snake owner, but also has animal welfare reasons. You can obtain suitable feed animals that have already been killed from specialist shops.
Bearded dragons are somewhat reminiscent of miniature dinosaurs – a fascinating species of reptile. These interesting lizards can become very attached to their owners and form close bonds with them.
Stomach ulcers have long been considered an "occupational disease" in racehorses and competition horses. It was thought that early training, the stress of the racetrack, or frequent transport to international competitions caused stomach ulcers. However, we now know that this condition can affect horses of all breeds and performance levels. Even your neighbor's pony, grazing peacefully in the meadow, could be suffering from a stomach ulcer. Although around 90% of all racehorses are still affected by stomach ulcers, the proportion of leisure horses with the condition now stands at 37%.
It's pretty much every cat owner's worst nightmare: your cat has eaten something poisonous! Now you need to act fast—take them to the vet immediately.
This herpesvirus specific to dogs (CHV-1) is the main pathogen responsible for kennel cough and is also the main cause of fertility problems with a high mortality rate in dogs. Like the human herpes virus, the canine herpes virus can retreat into the host cell and cause latent (present but not visible) and persistent (ongoing) infections that can be reactivated by stress.
Ultrasound, medically known as sonography, is a standard procedure in veterinary medicine alongside X-rays due to its simplicity and non-invasive nature. It can be used to visualize various internal areas of the body in two dimensions.
As the name suggests, anemia means that your dog has too little blood, or more precisely, that the number of erythrocytes (red blood cells) and hemoglobin (the pigment in blood) is reduced. Anemia is not a disease in itself, but a symptom that can accompany many different diseases.
Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone tumor in dogs. This aggressive tumor develops in the bone, has a high metastasis rate (spread rate), and occurs mainly in large dogs and giant breeds. Bernese Mountain Dogs, Great Danes, Dobermans, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Rottweilers, and Greyhounds are at increased risk of developing osteosarcoma. In these breeds, the tumors mainly occur in the long bones of the limbs. Smaller dog breeds are significantly less affected. Here, the tumors are more likely to be found on the short, flat bones of the trunk.
During intraocular pressure measurement (=tonometry), a special pressure measuring device (=tonometer) is used to measure the physical pressure inside the eye.
Hematology is a branch of internal medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the blood, bone marrow, and lymphatic system. Hematological diseases include anemia, blood clotting disorders, cancer of the blood-forming cells or lymphatic system, and autoimmune diseases of the blood.
Many eye surgeries that have long been common in humans are now also performed on animals. There are now a number of veterinary specialists in ophthalmology (=ophthalmologists).
Even after centuries of domestication and breeding, the horse remains a flight animal. Some behaviors are undesirable to us humans, but they are not behavioral disorders; rather, they are part of the horse's natural nature. These include, for example, shying, bucking, or bolting. A typical behavioral disorder, on the other hand, is cribbing.
Sebadenitis is a progressive inflammatory change in the sebaceous glands of the skin in dogs and cats, which ultimately leads to their irreversible destruction. The disease was first described in dogs in 1986.
