Went to the vet -- some things he recommended

[Starscream]

I would have been out of there at breaking the skin. And I would have been snarky back the entire time lol. That's just me though.

The vet sounds like a douche canoe without paddles. Ugh!

I'm too polite for my own good lol. Although I think I started giving him the stink eye at some point. I'm not good at keeping my emotions off my face. lol.

Yeah, defo glad I found the local reptile group on FB. Apparently most vets in the area have about the same amount of "expertise" -- which is to say, next to none. Oh, well. They can't all be good eggs.

[Godzilla78]

When I said I had two different sides (for thermoregulation), he shot me down and immediately replied with, "They're not the smartest, so some stuff you kind of have to do for them or they hurt themselves."

'not smart enough' Yeah, well this is nonsense. Their nervous system is quite different than ours. Obviously, in many ways, our nervous systems are far more sophisticated...but not in temperature regulation and some other areas critical to the DNA of pythons. They are FAR SUPERIOR NERVOUS SYSTEM FOR HEAT SENSE AND THERMO-REGULATION! Humans comparatively are terrible at it. A wild snake will sense heat from a distance even, follow the heat signature and find it as needed. Wild snakes are often found in homes, curled up near the water heater of homes. Pythons even have heat-sensing pits on their faces, I mean come on! They are awesome at heat sense, second only to vipers I would guess.

So for him to suggest a snake is not smart enough to thermoregulate means he is clueless about reptiles in general.

[Crowfingers]

Sorry you had such a poor experience! I would also recommend finding a good reptile vet - the closest to me is 2 hours away but the drive would be worth it.

I work in the veterinary field and there is no excuse for a vet to talk at you not to you, granted they probably were rushed and started to vent facts they learned at some point instead of listening to their clients, but you should never feel like you can't talk to someone. A good veterinarian should be open and listen to your history, even if you were doing something wrong they should correct you in a professional manner and also explain the 'whys' behind their advise. Even if it is a bit of a long haul you should try and find someone you are comfortable with, it will make all the difference for you and your pet

I also keep a "medical file" on mine where I record temps and humidity (used to be daily before the AP cage, now weekly), food offered (size, gender, brand, whether eaten or not), bowl movements / urates, shed dates, and any other notes that I need. This way should he ever need a vet I can give them his history in a format that they understand and can follow - also helps me to learn his patterns. I know this isn't realistic for large collections but it helps me lol

[Starscream]

Sorry you had such a poor experience! I would also recommend finding a good reptile vet - the closest to me is 2 hours away but the drive would be worth it.

I work in the veterinary field and there is no excuse for a vet to talk at you not to you, granted they probably were rushed and started to vent facts they learned at some point instead of listening to their clients, but you should never feel like you can't talk to someone. A good veterinarian should be open and listen to your history, even if you were doing something wrong they should correct you in a professional manner and also explain the 'whys' behind their advise. Even if it is a bit of a long haul you should try and find someone you are comfortable with, it will make all the difference for you and your pet

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I also keep a "medical file" on mine where I record temps and humidity (used to be daily before the AP cage, now weekly), food offered (size, gender, brand, whether eaten or not), bowl movements / urates, shed dates, and any other notes that I need. This way should he ever need a vet I can give them his history in a format that they understand and can follow - also helps me to learn his patterns. I know this isn't realistic for large collections but it helps me lol

Yeah, I keep a calendar with all of Maze's important dates. Feeding, sheds, cleaning. I don't record the weights of the rats, but I put down what size they were listed at and how many. Also keep track of her weight, but that's a given. I've been working on organizing it all into nice little spreadsheets for sharing/personal organization purposes. Will definitely try to remember to share them with the next vet I see.

(And I have picked out a new one with a very good reputation in the local reptile community. He's 1:15 away but it's worth it to get actual helpful feedback instead of condescension.)

[tttaylorrr]

glad you got a second opinion on this vet besides our own views. it's nice to have validation of your feelings, right? that's also nice that you have a local community you can talk to, i'm honestly jealous!!!

your guts were right. that vet is traaaaaash.

[Starscream]

glad you got a second opinion on this vet besides our own views. it's nice to have validation of your feelings, right? that's also nice that you have a local community you can talk to, i'm honestly jealous!!!

your guts were right. that vet is traaaaaash.

LMAO a liiiiiittle. ok, maybe a lot nice. As for the local community thing, I just got curious one day and started searching '*town* reptile' and who've thought, a whole group of folks keeping herps locally. it's also a classifieds group so i can maybe nab some cheap decorations/cages in the future 👀

been trying to listen to my instincts more lately. glad it's working? lol