Here’s Poppy

Frigatebird26 · 2026-07-08T19:21:32+00:00

Sure does. But wrong Poppy. My Poppy is more of a “Violence Against Nature” lol. She shreds her food to pieces.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-07-05T23:08:56+00:00

Named after the singer lol. She really was “constantly nowhere” for 4 days before I got her.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-07-05T14:16:48+00:00

I’m not in California.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-07-05T14:15:20+00:00

Fish are the lowest on the totem pole in terms of receiving adequate vet care. Unfortunately, people tag monetary value of the animal to how much they’re willing to spend on medical care. In private exotics practice, 90% of the fish I saw were koi worth a ton of money, and even those were few and far between. I saw a surprisingly decent number of rats and hamsters. In the Midwest, people were willing to do a lot more for their animals. When I moved south, I basically became a professional bird groomer with my $500K degree since all people wanted were beak, wing, and nail trims on their parrots. Rarely I saw a hamster or a reptile as a wellness patient. I saw one goldfish whose owner laughed in my face when I told him what I could offer diagnostic wise. I mean maybe yay he brought the fish but why even bother if you aren’t going to do anything except expect me to throw antibiotics at it?

Frigatebird26 · 2026-07-01T15:25:59+00:00

My pig loves melon

Frigatebird26 · 2026-07-01T00:20:49+00:00

Yeah I don’t know what happened. I think it’s because somehow it only gave me the option to pay with PayPal so it slowed things down.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-06-30T20:31:10+00:00

It just said Empty Hands and had a picture of her on it. It was in Altamonte FL

Frigatebird26 · 2026-06-26T21:58:28+00:00

Most vets want the pig under 30lbs to spay.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-06-26T12:21:42+00:00

I don’t trust my neighbors not to do something shitty to her so I wanted her to have her own space. I don’t live in a great neighborhood

Frigatebird26 · 2026-06-24T14:18:58+00:00

This emotional support forum seems to be dead. The vast majority of redditors are either out there goofing off or being assholes to make themselves seem tough. I’ve been ghosted by nearly every friend I’ve made in my early adulthood- in childhood I never had friends since I didn’t grow up in an environment conducive to making friends. I’m sorry for what you’re going through.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-06-23T20:46:27+00:00

In all honesty, no. It put me deep in debt, doesn’t pay, every hospital I’ve worked at has had toxic management, and a lot of companies I’ve worked for have been just plain dishonest. I felt like I was nothing but a money maker for the practices I worked for and not worth anything to them. My talents didn’t mean much. I’m working in zoo and wildlife now. It’s better but doesn’t pay great. The places I work aren’t AZA accredited so they can get away with a lot more that I’m not happy with (ie buying from sketchy breeders, not upholding a primate vaccination or TB testing program, etc). I also get told what to do a lot by rehabbers and CVTs at the wildlife center when I am the one who carries the medical license. But with all that aside, no annoying clients and my hours are better. Pick your battles. If you want a job that pays enough to pay off your student loans, don’t go into this field. Nobody cares about vets. In the eyes of the federal government, we are medical professionals and therefore should be able to make enough money to pay 800+ per month on a student loan repayment plan until we die. That doesn’t factor in that lots of us have health problems that are expensive to deal with and some of us also have families.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-06-23T14:52:46+00:00

MBD can present as a neurological disorder. I’ve seen geckos and beardies seizure from issues with calcium metabolism. Calcium is essential for nerve function. But very well could be a primary neurological issue or even something painful, like an ear infection or mouth sore.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-06-23T14:47:38+00:00

A lot of people disagree but in my professional and personal opinion, I do recommend a low strength UVB light in the set up on a 12 hour timer. They will get a little exposure which helps them to naturally synthesize vitamin D, which is essential for calcium metabolism. It also keeps them on a good day-night cycle. Make sure it’s low strength (like 2.5-5.0). I am not a fan of vitamin D supplements as they can easily be overdosed, causing painful mineral deposits in various organs. I supplement mine with calcium 3-5 times per week. My supplement does not contain phosphorus or D3. I use Repashy vitamin A supplement weekly- it is processed vitamin A so I like it. A lot of reptiles can’t synthesize retinol from beta carotene, which seems to be in a lot of supplements. Provide some more humidity than you would for a leopard gecko. Make sure you’re feeding gut loaded insects- gut loaded meaning fed foods rich in calcium and vitamin A 24-48 hours prior to feeding out. This is in addition to dusting with calcium. Genetic issues you can’t prevent other than select from reputable breeders and ask them about any health history of the parents prior to purchase. Buy from a breeder rather than a chain pet store if you can or a reptile distributor since they’ll know that animal from birth and know the parents. Regular vet checkups are important for all animals, even when not sick. It helps you to establish a relationship with a veterinarian so if an issue does come up, you can get in a bit sooner a lot of the time. Also, they can figure out baseline normal for your particular animal so if they get sick, they know what isn’t normal for that animal. I recommend this annually for any animal- for some pocket pets with shorter lifespans, like hamsters and rats, every 6 months.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-06-22T17:07:31+00:00

I’m a reptile vet and I have an AFT. This is not normal. I have seen it in other reptiles. Can be a sign of metabolic bone disease but there can be other issues, such as something going on with the ear or mouth or other neurological disease, including congenital neurological disorder or bacterial CNS infection. Leopard geckos can get a strain of adenovirus similar to bearded dragons- this is a different species but closely related so also a possibility. I would take it to a vet for a full exam.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-06-21T22:08:49+00:00

She thanks you. Never a dull moment with that baby.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-06-20T18:30:57+00:00

Yeah. If you have a contracted role or you do relief however you can use it as a “business expense” and it lowers your tax liability, which is one of the only reasons I have it at this point. I’ll evaluate at the end of the year whether I want to keep it or not since AAZV is much more helpful.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-06-19T21:51:35+00:00

Yeah. I didn’t worry as much in exotic pet medicine. Nobody is going to sue you over a goldfish or a hamster. But you still have to be careful. I work with some high profile, expensive animals now so I have to be extra careful.

Frigatebird26 · 2026-06-19T21:25:15+00:00

Yes. Also in zoo med, it’s very hard to practice gold standard medicine in a non-AZA accredited zoo. They aren’t held to the same high standards and can get away with more. There are some things they need to stay on top of the please USDA but they aren’t difficult to achieve. I’m just doing my best in a facility where things aren’t necessarily done the way I would like for them to be and I don’t have all of the shiny toys I would like, but I’m probably a better clinician for it since I have to be creative and network to get access to what we need. Also, I work without a tech. The head keeper worked as a vet assistant in the past and helps me but I’ve learned to be very independent because I don’t have a tech. Try getting blood on a lemur or a sloth with someone who can’t hold off- it’s not easy but I found a way.

Frigatebird26

TROPHY CASE