First exotic vet bill.

My BP is my first exotic pet, and I've just experienced my first vet bill. Here is what it looks like:

Physical Exam: $68.00
Gender ID (probe): $49.60
Fecal testing: $41.85
Biohazard Waste Mgmt: $4.99
---------------------------
Grand Total: $164.44

I'm concerned I was slightly hosed by my vet's bill... Especially since the three major questions which lead me to their office were left unanswered. For my 165$ I learned my snake is male (I feel stupid now for believing the previous owner when they told me he was female). I also learned that he does not have any parasites, and his overall health "seems okay".

I was surprised to see them passing along the waste management fee to me, and was also surprised a probing cost almost 50$. Plus, I can have my cat's poop tested for less than 15$ and it's far more foul than my snake's poop! :rofl:

So am I just a big crybaby, or am I justified in feeling a little raw about the bill considering the service I received? Any feedback would be appreciated :)

My vet bill seemed a little pricey too, but it was also my first.

$42 for the exam
$50 for a course of antibiotics

$50 for a probe seems kind of asinine to me though

I need to go in the snake probing business for that kinda dough :D

i know two or three well respected exotic pet stores that probe for under 10$ i think you got hosed a bit

Hosed in my opinion as well!

My prices for the following tests are....

Physical exam-20 bucks
Probing-Free
Fecal float and smear-15 bucks
Biohazard waste mgmt-uhhh free:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dianna

My BP is my first exotic pet, and I've just experienced my first vet bill. Here is what it looks like:

Physical Exam: $68.00
Gender ID (probe): $49.60
Fecal testing: $41.85
Biohazard Waste Mgmt: $4.99
---------------------------
Grand Total: $164.44

I'm concerned I was slightly hosed by my vet's bill... Especially since the three major questions which lead me to their office were left unanswered. For my 165$ I learned my snake is male (I feel stupid now for believing the previous owner when they told me he was female). I also learned that he does not have any parasites, and his overall health "seems okay".

I was surprised to see them passing along the waste management fee to me, and was also surprised a probing cost almost 50$. Plus, I can have my cat's poop tested for less than 15$ and it's far more foul than my snake's poop! :rofl:

So am I just a big crybaby, or am I justified in feeling a little raw about the bill considering the service I received? Any feedback would be appreciated :)

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Yep you got taken pretty hard. IMO the probing fee should just be part of the physical exam fee. The float fee is insanely high. For what they did the total should not have been more than around $50-$60 and I think that is even a bit high. Take it as a lesson learned. Find a new vet in the future, and only take him to the vet if he is sick. There is no need for checkups on ball pythons. I hope the vet was one of the few that actually knows something about reptiles at least. Good luck with your new snake. You might want to try to find a breeder in your area. Becoming friends with a good breeder will do you and your snake far more good than going to a vet (and it's free).

That is ridiculous. I'd write that vet a very nice, straight forward letter and let her know that she / he will not be getting any more of your business nor will you encourage any of your NUMEROUS reptile keeping friends to visit that clinic due to the outrageous nature of the billing.

as an edit. I would also like to let anyone in the Colorado springs area know that i took one of my pets to the Dublin Animal Hospital and got an exam, and wonderful care for a fairly decent price.

My vet didn't even charge anything for probing.

Well I have not yet been to the exotic vet .....but my breeder did recommend one ...just in case.

I can't even imagine what the price tag on that will be. I LOVE my dogs vet...LOVE LOVE LOVE him...however....I rarely get out under $350-

With that being said...I could find someone cheaper for the dogs...but they are amazing and thorough and really take the time with you.

I will pay more for excellent service and knowledge. But that Bio hazzard charge was crazy. Throw the poo out!

Thanks very much for the feedback, folks. The more I review my invoice and re-play the vet visit in my head, the more I feel I was financially abused by them. It is my fault for not asking the cost of the probing, but I truly was not expecting to be charged 50$. I was assuming (shouldn't have) it would be 20 dollars tops. I would feel a LOT better about the money I spent if my vet was actually able to answer my questions. She truly did not seem very experienced.

I was not taking my snake to the vet for just a check up, I was taking him in because I have been finding tiny pinpoint marks of blood on his substrate. He also has a small red mark under his chin. My vet was not able to help me with either of these issues. I also admit I was curious to find out his gender for sure.

I don't want to burn any bridges in case of an emergency as I do believe they may be the only exotics vet in my area, but I think I will write them a polite letter describing my feelings about their fees.

Thanks again folks :)

heck for the cost of probing you should of gotten a set and been taught how to probe the snakes yourself.

Sounds like you've got mites or an imported snake recovering from tick bites.

How did your vet determine the sex of your snake?

Get provent a mite and use as directed. They also have a product called reptile relief that is supposed to be good. I used another product from the line and it worked well. You can get the reptile relief from reptile basics. the provent a mite can probably be had from any pet shop.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wilomn

Sounds like you've got mites or an imported snake recovering from tick bites.

How did your vet determine the sex of your snake?

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I've been suspicious of mites as well, but I absolutely cannot find any signs of them. I've checked him over more times than I can count, never found mites in his water dish (he doesn't try to soak though) I've given him a few baths in the past 4 months that I've had him, never a speck of anything in his bath water. The vet looked at him under a magnifying glass for quite some time, but also could not find a single mite. Do you feel I should treat for mites anyway?

The vet probed him to determine the gender of my snake.

Edit: Also should probably add that my snake has been living in captivity at least since he was a baby (5-6 years old) though his previous owner was not taking very good care of him. My vet told me she did not feel his chin's red spot was tick related, but I am taking her word with a grain of salt at this point.

WOW THAT IS A LOT! my 1st vet bill was only about 38 bucks...

and that was for a check up and for probing...

well my vet was really nice.. he did the probing for FREE!!

lol i love my vet =)

my first vet bill for my snake with RI has been over $200.00 for only 2 visits and i have a 3rd one still. 50 dollars just to see an exotic at my vet.:(:(

WOW my last vet visit for one of my snakes was free. And she told me if the incident ever happened again she would do it for half off. I could not see paying 50 dollars for someone to probe my snake that should of been included in the vet exam.

That's crazy. The breeder I mainly deal with will determine the sex for $1-$2!

I haven't been to a vet yet. With all the horror stories I've heard, I'm avoiding them at all costs.

If you've looked that closely and haven't found any mites, you probably don't have them.

Got pics?

How far down the tail did the probe go?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Elise.m

That's crazy. The breeder I mainly deal with will determine the sex for $1-$2!

I haven't been to a vet yet. With all the horror stories I've heard, I'm avoiding them at all costs.

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You just have to search around and find one that actually knows herps. There are some good herp vets out there but theres also some that say they treat reptiles but know nothing about them

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dianna

My BP is my first exotic pet, and I've just experienced my first vet bill. Here is what it looks like:

Physical Exam: $68.00
Gender ID (probe): $49.60
Fecal testing: $41.85
Biohazard Waste Mgmt: $4.99
---------------------------
Grand Total: $164.44

I'm concerned I was slightly hosed by my vet's bill... Especially since the three major questions which lead me to their office were left unanswered. For my 165$ I learned my snake is male (I feel stupid now for believing the previous owner when they told me he was female). I also learned that he does not have any parasites, and his overall health "seems okay".

I was surprised to see them passing along the waste management fee to me, and was also surprised a probing cost almost 50$. Plus, I can have my cat's poop tested for less than 15$ and it's far more foul than my snake's poop! :rofl:

So am I just a big crybaby, or am I justified in feeling a little raw about the bill considering the service I received? Any feedback would be appreciated :)

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Diana,

Please don’t feel too bad. I paid about $85 for Muffin’s first vet visit. Her gender was determined in the exam (as she was sold to me as male) and I checked her later to confirm, but I was not charged extra for that. However, her fecal tests were $50, and the salmonella test was $141. That’s right, nearly twice the cost of the exam.

I licked my wounds by telling myself that because this was a high-end vet with a laser surgery center, these costs were in alignment. What I got was an extremely informative vet, who gave Muffin a thorough exam, using everything from stethoscopes to other more technical devices to measure the health of my snake. My vet is a herp vet and only deals with reptiles, and the Laser Center has a very large practice. I also liked how the assistants loved-up on Little Muffin, and washed their hands prior to and after handling. I don’t know, I felt really good about my exam, but thought I got hosed on the Salmonella test.

The reptile store in my area will probe for free. You should have asked around before going to the vet. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way! I know I have!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wilomn

If you've looked that closely and haven't found any mites, you probably don't have them.

Got pics?

How far down the tail did the probe go?

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The vet felt it was necessary to take my snake out back to do the probing, so I was unable to watch. This made me feel uneasy and uncomfortable, yet I stupidly did not speak up because I was the one who had requested the probing. I deeply regret this now. I should have never let my snake leave my sight. My poor decision has made me feel irresponsible.

Thus far I have been unsuccessful in getting a photo of the red spot under his chin, he refuses to hold still as you can imagine.

Here is a photo of the blood I've been finding on his newsprint paper:

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...62302d8a0a.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by seeya205

The reptile store in my area will probe for free. You should have asked around before going to the vet. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way! I know I have!

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The closest thing I have to a "reptile store" in my area is Petco :-/

I have also been unsuccessful at finding other reptile vets. The closest thing to a "breeder" I have come across is someone in southern New Hampshire that breeds pastels and spiders and sells them on craigslist :rolleyes:

Don't beat yourself up, we all make mistakes in the beginning and yours aren't so much mistakes just not knowing what to do.

Find a breeder or go to a show and have someone double check your snake's sex. Ask the vet how far the probe went and if that was the only method used to determine sex.

Then move on and have some fun with your snake. You sound like you care, don't dwell on what you can't change.

Yeah that bill is outrageous, but i know thats what i'm going to pay when i have to go. I called them up just to see how much to walk in the door, $70. I also asked how much to probe a snake and she didn't know but i asked if it was lower than $20 and she said no. Thats why i am being very careful with my quarantine process and buying healthy legitimate animals to avoid the vet trip, but at least i have a very good one near me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Denial

WOW my last vet visit for one of my snakes was free. And she told me if the incident ever happened again she would do it for half off. I could not see paying 50 dollars for someone to probe my snake that should of been included in the vet exam.

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This is probably because she felt guilty taking your money because she had no idea what she was doing. BG would bet on it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dianna

The vet felt it was necessary to take my snake out back to do the probing, so I was unable to watch. This made me feel uneasy and uncomfortable, yet I stupidly did not speak up because I was the one who had requested the probing. I deeply regret this now. I should have never let my snake leave my sight. My poor decision has made me feel irresponsible.

Thus far I have been unsuccessful in getting a photo of the red spot under his chin, he refuses to hold still as you can imagine.

Here is a photo of the blood I've been finding on his newsprint paper:

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...62302d8a0a.jpg

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The Vet may have not known how to sex it and had someone else do it, or they just guessed. Believe BG, some Vets are totally clueless. Someone told BG that a Vet was putting the probe in the wrong direction....then told him the sex of his snake.:rage:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dianna

My BP is my first exotic pet, and I've just experienced my first vet bill. Here is what it looks like:

Physical Exam: $68.00
Gender ID (probe): $49.60
Fecal testing: $41.85
Biohazard Waste Mgmt: $4.99
---------------------------
Grand Total: $164.44

I'm concerned I was slightly hosed by my vet's bill... Especially since the three major questions which lead me to their office were left unanswered. For my 165$ I learned my snake is male (I feel stupid now for believing the previous owner when they told me he was female). I also learned that he does not have any parasites, and his overall health "seems okay".

I was surprised to see them passing along the waste management fee to me, and was also surprised a probing cost almost 50$. Plus, I can have my cat's poop tested for less than 15$ and it's far more foul than my snake's poop! :rofl:

So am I just a big crybaby, or am I justified in feeling a little raw about the bill considering the service I received? Any feedback would be appreciated :)

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Do not assume this Vet is correct and the previous owner is wrong. BG has heard so many stories over the years about Vets from people at reptile shows. When BG tells the people that their Vet is clueless...he gets a lot of "who are you...he's a Vet" looks. To be perfectly honest, if our snakes were humans, there would be so many malpractice suits, lawyers would do nothing else.:taz:

When Crittervet shows up, he can tell you if you got hosed. Well, he might, or he might defend the Vet no matter what.;):D

Girl if i were u i would send them a not so nice letter explainging everything. I then would also contact the BBB. You got jacked. But i would be pretty upset that they didnt answer you questions. I would have demanded more answers, or simply not paid the bill.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by singingtothewheat

That is ridiculous. I'd write that vet a very nice, straight forward letter and let her know that she / he will not be getting any more of your business nor will you encourage any of your NUMEROUS reptile keeping friends to visit that clinic due to the outrageous nature of the billing.

as an edit. I would also like to let anyone in the Colorado springs area know that i took one of my pets to the Dublin Animal Hospital and got an exam, and wonderful care for a fairly decent price.

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Say under $130 please:please:

Haven't brought a reptile in but I do have a dwarf bunny with an underbite. When I first got him I wasn't comfortable with cutting his teeth so I called the vet that my mom had used for her cats. $17.95 to cut the teeth so I schedule an appointment. Before I left:

$17.95 teeth cutting
$55.00 put him to sleep
$39.00 first time visit
$25.00 shot for dehydration

I'm missing something... All I know is that I went in thinking ~$20 and left paying over $160. Last time I ever went there. I'll never support a facility that cares more about money than the animals.

Diana, can you take a real good pic of the vent of your snake? Obviously from underneath. BG wants to see if he can tell what sex it is from the pic. If it was a boa it would be easier for BG. If BG thinks the Vet may have made a mistake, you may be in for a refund....if we can get someone BG knows up your way to confirm it first though.

The fact that the Vet went in the back makes BG suspicious, but then again, BG is always suspicious.;)

Vet visit $52.00

Fecal $30.00

Probing $10.00

Meds for RI $72.00 for 30 day treatment

My only question is are you sure it was just a probe, and not an x-ray or something to that nature? I know that my Vet does the probing for $10 and a more expensive way of sexing. I can't remember if it is DNA or X-ray or something different. I just know it costs more than $10. Maybe that is why the Vet took your snake in the back.

I hate paying even $10 for probing, but until I can get someone to show me how to do it in person properly around here. I won't attempt it. I have seen a lot of the videos and how to's on it, but still am afraid I will hurt my snakes. Nor have I paid $10 to have any of mine probed yet lol.

There have been videos posted on here, and I am sure you could probably find them if you search on youtube, but have you thought about "popping" your snake?

I have never tried it, for fear of hurting my snake (plus I got my snake from a very reputable breeder, so I have no reason to question the sexing). It does look fairly simple though, and from what I understand it is more reliable than probing?

Later,

George

Quote:

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Originally Posted by singingtothewheat

Get provent a mite and use as directed. They also have a product called reptile relief that is supposed to be good. I used another product from the line and it worked well. You can get the reptile relief from reptile basics. the provent a mite can probably be had from any pet shop.

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I wouldn't use provent a mite. I've personally seen where that stuff has killed small, young snakes. You can kill mites by covering the snake with cooking oil. There's also a garden product (I can't remember the name at this time) that you can dust the snake with and kill the mites.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Big Gunns

Diana, can you take a real good pic of the vent of your snake? Obviously from underneath. BG wants to see if he can tell what sex it is from the pic. If it was a boa it would be easier for BG. If BG thinks the Vet may have made a mistake, you may be in for a refund....if we can get someone BG knows up your way to confirm it first though.

The fact that the Vet went in the back makes BG suspicious, but then again, BG is always suspicious.;)

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I will do my very best this evening when I get home from work. Just a photo of the underside of his tail? I don't need to "pop" him in order for you to tell? I have to admit, I'm afraid to pop him because I don't want to hurt him :oops:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BullsBPs

My only question is are you sure it was just a probe, and not an x-ray or something to that nature? I know that my Vet does the probing for $10 and a more expensive way of sexing. I can't remember if it is DNA or X-ray or something different. I just know it costs more than $10. Maybe that is why the Vet took your snake in the back.

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Absolutely nothing was mentioned about x-rays. The vet said they would "probe" him a couple times, so I don't think it would be a mix up in words.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Big Gunns

Diana, can you take a real good pic of the vent of your snake? Obviously from underneath. BG wants to see if he can tell what sex it is from the pic. If it was a boa it would be easier for BG. If BG thinks the Vet may have made a mistake, you may be in for a refund....if we can get someone BG knows up your way to confirm it first though.

The fact that the Vet went in the back makes BG suspicious, but then again, BG is always suspicious.;)

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I wouldn't trust a visual sexing. I've got this Lavander Albino that has the short tail and small spurs. But when I popped HIM, HE had a fine example of a male hemipenis. I would have bet $100 he was a she.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chapskis1

There have been videos posted on here, and I am sure you could probably find them if you search on youtube, but have you thought about "popping" your snake?

I have never tried it, for fear of hurting my snake (plus I got my snake from a very reputable breeder, so I have no reason to question the sexing). It does look fairly simple though, and from what I understand it is more reliable than probing?

Later,

George

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I think she said the snake is 5 or 6 years old. I wouldn't want her to try to pop a 5-6 year old ball python. These are very muscular snakes and you may hurt the snake when you use too much pressure to pop the snake. A snake this size should be probed if you haven't popped one a number of times. There are people that can pop a snake this size, but if you've never done it before, I wouldn't want to tell someone to try it. Start with a small ball, they are easy to pop. The easiest way to learn is to watch someone and then try it. Then the "expert" can help you place you fingers in the correct location. Teach you how much you need to bend the tail, but not too much. When to stop pushing when you're popping a female. Some people pop the snake and only see the scent glands and stop, calling the snake female. When in fact, they didn't push hard enough for the hemipenis to pop out. You can also pop a female and apply too much pressure and possibly hurt the snake.

Jim Smith

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Big Gunns

This is probably because she felt guilty taking your money because she had no idea what she was doing. BG would bet on it.

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Nah I have a very good herp vet. I actually have two. I use to drive all the way to spartanburg to dr.fay but it was such a long drive I kept searching closer to me and went to meet with dr.miller and she really knows her stuff. She has treated my anaconda, one of my albino retics and one of my female albino labyrinths. My albino labyrinth had a very bad prolapse and when she fixed it she gave her four stitches and wanted me to come back in a week to see her. When I returned she wanted to take one stitch out and when she did some urates came out so she removed another stitch to let the urates come out easier. She told me she wasnt 100 percent sure if two stitches were ready to come out but there were two still holding everything in and to come back in two weeks and she would take the others out. I came back in two weeks she removed the other two she didnt charge me for anything and told me if she prolapsed again then she would charge me for half of what it cost the first time because she thought she might of took that second stitch out to soon. I still go to dr.fay in spartanburg because dr.miller does not see venomous. So my non-venomous go to dr.miller and my venomous and monitors go to dr.fay. Both are amazing vets and if anyone is in south carolina I really recommend them. Both have very decent pricing also

For ariels entire operation with the anesthesia and all the medication she was prescribed the total of the vet bill came to 188.55

that included
exotic exam
baytril oral suspension 40mg/ml
metronidazole suspension 100mg/ml
metacam oral 1.5mg/ml per cc
panacur suspension -sa
anesthesia- inhalent/min - isoflurane
baytril injection- sa

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chapskis1

There have been videos posted on here, and I am sure you could probably find them if you search on youtube, but have you thought about "popping" your snake?

I have never tried it, for fear of hurting my snake (plus I got my snake from a very reputable breeder, so I have no reason to question the sexing). It does look fairly simple though, and from what I understand it is more reliable than probing?

Later,

George

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Popping is pretty simple and I have done it to mine. A local pet store asked me to do it it to confirm a couple of (small) BP - I just happened to be in there at the time. You do have to know what you are doing, and be very gently, using both hands, but it 100% accurate.

122 dollars


Exam
RI Testing
Full Dose of One month injections with 15 viles and syringes

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SS4Luck

i know two or three well respected exotic pet stores that probe for under 10$ i think you got hosed a bit

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Same.

Bruce Delles (sp?) of Twin Cities Reptiles used to advertise that he'd probe animals for $10. I haven't seen that sign in the store for a while but I bet if I asked I could get it to happen.

I'm in Canada, where prices for everything reptile related are at least a third higher than in the US, and Baby's first vet visit cost just under 100 CAN at a very good vet.

$60 checkup fee, whereas standard for a dog or cat is $50, and $30 for a fecal test. The vet asked me questions about the setup, checked his eyes, mouth, vent, weighed and measured him, and was very comfortable handling him. Baby was very well behaved until the doc opened his mouth - he didn't like that at all! :giggle:

The nurses loved him too, they were fawning all over the little guy. Little casanova, he is.

imo probing should be free
here in manila we only have a handful of vet's who can treat reptile's
and they charge half the price compared to what you have posted :gj:

Yeah, my vet wouldn't even charge for a probe. He'd just do it as part of the exam. Also, his exam fee is only $25 and he's a former zoo vet so very experienced with exotics.

Wow $50 to probe...

My first visit to the vet went very well (to have my baby checked out- she has an RI) Vet definately knew what to look for and was comfortable with my snake.

Appt.- $49
Meds- $34.50
Total- 83.50

I generally don't like to comment on these types of things, but $50 to sex the snake is highway robbery. Heck, it takes longer and is more of a PITA to do a courtesy nail trim on a dog or cat than to probe a snake. :colbert:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Big Gunns

The fact that the Vet went in the back makes BG suspicious, but then again, BG is always suspicious.;)

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I have to agree with BG on this....when you stated they took the snake in the back...I totally thought........hmmmmm.

A common fee for an office visit is $40 to $60, so expect to pay that--if you find a vet who is cheaper, you lucked out. That part is barely reasonable.

Charging $50 for probing is completely insane.
The charge for the fecal float seems too high as well.

I would say you got robbed, yeah. I would suggest finding a new vet--one who will probe the snake in front of you, also a good idea.

I am not sure if someone has mentioned, but bleeding around the spurs can occur post shed, this would not be abnormal......didnt go thru all the posts so if someone already discussed I apologize.....tvo

In the same vein as Kysenia's post, if your snake is in fact female those could be the little blood spots saying she's ready to breed, depending on the size of your snake.