Reptile Veterinarian--How do you find one in your area.

[redtailhawk]

Hi!
I'm a DVM and starting a mobile practice in my area. I have a lot of experience in exotic animals (was a zookeeper for five years prior to going to vet school and then have studied medicine related topics on an ongoing basis since then). I was wondering how you as reptile keepers go about finding a vet? I know how I found my exotic vet when I was in high school/college, but times have changed. Phone books aren't that popular anymore. I know AAV and AARV have member lists and one can be found that way. Do you guys do more word of mouth or internet searches?

Thanks!
Brittney

P.S I have two ball pythons and 2 crested geckos.

[carlisleishere]

I found one through my local herpetological society. Local reptile groups on facebook can be a good place to ask for people's experiences as well.

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[GoingPostal]

Online listings through herp societies and forums only bought up vets located in the southern, more populated part of MN. I ended up finding a vet via word of mouth from different vets I called.

[bcr229]

I found mine on VAHerps.com even though I'm in WV, it turns out the nearest exotic vet is located across the state line.

I would definitely look into the local herpetological societies and any state or even city-specific reptile facebook groups, especially if they have permit classified ads.

[SamO]

I did a search on the Internet for reviews. Turns out the highly reviewed vet had moved to a different clinic before I went to that clinic. The new/replacement vet did an ok job, I haven't bothered tracking down the vet who moved.

I excluded one highly reviewed vet because their care sheet for ball pythons declared 12/12 lighting was manditory. Actually the entire care sheet read like one for a snake that lives in a desert biome.

[hanzo_baseball]

The reptile shop where I go to pick up feeder mice keeps next to the register a stack of business cards for a local vet who handles reptiles.

[mlededee]

You can also check here: http://thereptilereport.com/category/vet-directory/ and here: http://arav.org/find-a-vet/.

[John1982]

I always found my vets through local reptile shops.