Pain in Exotic Pets

Updated: 9/5/23

Signs of Pain in Your Exotic Pet. Rabbits: hunched, not responsive, vision defects, molar grinding, indifferent when handled. Chinchillas: no barking, hiding, avoidance, hunched, tooth grinding, biting at flanks. Guinea pigs: infrequent lying down, hind leg either lifting, writhing, or flinching, increased breathing, decreased body weight. Ferrets: closed eyes, retracted snout, lethargic. Rats: vision defects, hunched, mazing around edge of cage, increased breathing, decreased appetite. Hamsters, Gerbils, & Mice: decreased appetite, decreased mobility, hunched, closed eyes. Sugar Gliders & Hedgehogs: closed eyes, mutilation, decreased appetite, decreased interactions with owner. Hedgehogs may hide or act cryptically. Birds: decreased social behaviors, guarding, increased aggression, biting at painful areas. Reptiles: social avoidance, decreased interactions with habitat, decreased appetite and mobility, increased withdrawals and aggression. Amphibians: closed eyes, decreased movement, decreased appetite, writhing and/or scratching.

 

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Avian & Exotic Pet Medicine

About Avian & Exotic Pet Medicine at AMC AMC’s Avian and Exotic Pet Service was established in 1984 as the first specialty service for exotic pets in New York City

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