Small Pet Veterinary Care: Check-Ups, Vaccines and Finding an Exotics Vet

This page is for keepers who want a rabbit, guinea pig, ferret, rodent, bird or reptile checked before something goes wrong. It covers how often to book check-ups, which species actually have vaccines, when to neuter, and how to find a vet who knows your species. For the moment something does go wrong, see small pet first aid.

Preventive care by species

All cells below come from Merck unless another publisher is named.

Species	Check-ups	Vaccines	Neutering	Problems to screen for
Rabbit	On arrival, then yearly	UK: triple myxomatosis/RVHD1/RVHD2 vaccine from 5 weeks, yearly, plus a second vaccine covering RVHD2 “highly virulent” strains (RWAF). US: RHDV2, two doses 3 weeks apart, then yearly	Males once the testicles descend at 10–12 weeks; females preferably at 16–20 weeks (RWAF)	Teeth; uterine cancer, “common and often fatal” in unspayed does over 3
Guinea pig	At least yearly	None needed	Neuter males before housing them with females	Teeth; vitamin C deficiency; Bordetella pneumonia
Ferret	Yearly, with vaccines	Canine distemper and rabies yearly; rabies first at 16 weeks or older (US, depending on local law)	Spay females before the first heat to avoid adrenal disease	Insulinoma, very common over 3 years; adrenal disease from about 1.5 years
Chinchilla	Mostly seen for injuries or age-related problems	None described	No routine advice given	Overgrown teeth and jaw abscesses; toe and leg injuries; ringworm
Rat	No interval given; “routine veterinary care”	None	Neuter males in mixed groups (RSPCA)	Respiratory mycoplasmosis; mammary fibroadenomas
Hamster	No interval given	None	No routine advice given	Wet tail in young hamsters; polycystic disease over 1 year
Pet bird	Before you bring it home, then yearly	A polyomavirus vaccine exists; most pet birds aren’t vaccinated	No routine advice given	Screening tests for chlamydia, polyomavirus and beak and feather disease (VCA)
Reptile	Soon after purchase, then yearly	None	No routine advice given	Parasites; mineral deficiency, frequent in turtles, tortoises and lizards

For the rabbit vaccine schedule the RSPCA and RWAF differ. The RSPCA describes one annual combined vaccine. Since the RVHD2 highly virulent strain was reported in continental Europe, the RWAF advises two vaccines a year for every rabbit. Its FAQ admits no commercial test can yet tell whether that strain is in the UK. Ask your vet which they stock. Species details are on the rabbit, ferret and guinea pig pages.

Finding a vet who sees your species

Search before you buy the animal. Merck gives that advice for ferrets, and it applies to every species here.

• Rabbits, guinea pigs, rodents, ferrets: the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians’ Find an Exotic Vet map (AEMV). In the UK, the RWAF also lists RWAF-approved “Rabbit-Friendly Vets” (RWAF).
• Birds: Merck suggests looking for an ABVP board-certified avian vet. Both the ABVP and the Association of Avian Veterinarians run find-a-vet tools (Merck).
• Reptiles and amphibians: the ARAV Find A Vet directory. ARAV can’t give medical advice by phone or email (ARAV).
• Ferrets: ferret clubs and your state veterinary medical association (Merck).

Find out who covers nights and weekends. A general out-of-hours service may not handle exotics, so ask whether it does and save the number.

Questions to ask a new vet

Use the answers to judge whether a practice really knows your species:

1. “Do you fast rabbits and guinea pigs before anaesthetic?” The answer should be no for rabbits, which can’t vomit and should be offered food and water up to surgery (RWAF).
2. “Which rabbit vaccines do you stock, and how far apart do you give them?” The RWAF advises at least 2 weeks apart.
3. “Which distemper vaccine do you use for ferrets?” Merck warns against vaccines grown in mink or ferret tissue culture, which can cause the disease.
4. “Can you screen a new bird for chlamydia, polyomavirus and PBFD?” VCA lists these among wellness tests for new birds. They belong on the same visit as the quarantine exam.
5. “Which antibiotics do you avoid in this species?” In rabbits some oral antibiotics, including penicillin, can trigger fatal enterotoxemia, and not all antibiotics are safe for chinchillas (Merck).
6. “Will you check the back teeth at every visit?” The RWAF recommends a mouth check for spurs at each vaccination visit.

Bring the animal in its usual cage or carrier with some fresh droppings. Merck notes that a bird’s cage setup helps the vet spot problems.

Mistakes that cost animals their lives

• Waiting for obvious signs. Prey species hide illness, so by the time a bird or rodent looks unwell it may be very sick (Merck). Annual exams exist to catch what you can’t see.
• Leaving a female rabbit unspayed. Uterine cancer is common and often fatal in does over 3 years (Merck). The RWAF adds that spaying gets harder over about 9 months because of fat around the uterus.
• Leaving straight after a ferret’s vaccine. Reactions can include shock and death, and can appear up to several hours later (Merck).
• Assuming the old rabbit vaccine still covers everything. The RWAF changed its advice for the RVHD2 highly virulent strain. A rabbit on a single yearly vaccine may not be protected against it.
• Not checking out-of-hours cover. Out-of-hours clinics may not treat exotics, and you can lose time finding one during an emergency.