First exotic vet bill.

[Big Gunns]

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.

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

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:

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.

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!

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

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.

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