How to perform a reptile clinical examination

Abstract

Reptiles are adept at hiding signs of disease so the importance of a thorough clinical examination cannot be overestimated. Taking time to ensure a reptile is warm, and assessing behaviour from a distance will provide invaluable information. Handling takes practice and larger snakes may require two people for restraint. The hands-on part of the clinical examination can be performed by a logical head-to-tail approach. It is important to become familiar with the normal appearance of the commonly seen species so that abnormalities can be easily identified.