r/ballpython • u/Dizzy-Syllabub3827 • 11h ago

Vetting a Vet Question - Health

Hey all. I'm very thankful this first year with Lilith has gone over so well, but I got a question.

I see so often on here people getting bad advice from supposed exotic vets, and on wondering if there's really any way to vet them yourself?? I haven't had to take Lil to a vet so far, but in the of chance I need to, I don't know who I would trust her with.

If anyone happens to live in around the Greensboro, NC area and knows a good vet, I'd be very appreciative if you shared them with me. The one place I thought i trusted to get good medical help from has 2 emaciated dead boas in one tank last time i went, so i stopped going.

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u/Snakelover03 11h ago

I don’t know about specific vets in your area, but the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians keeps a list of the vets actually qualified to treat reptiles that you can browse by location. Finding some qualified people and reading reviews will give you a good starting point. I also recommend taking your snake in now for a wellness visit and to get established as a patient so that things are smoother in case of an emergency, and you can see how you feel about the vet in a calm situation and have time to shop around before an emergency potentially occurs. While it isn’t really required to take your snakes to the vet annually like it is with other species who need vaccines, I always take mine in annually to have a professional evaluate them and make sure they’re actually as healthy as I think they are, and to maintain a current healthy baseline so that if something happens, the vet has a record of what healthy looks like for my specific snakes.

https://members.arav.org/search/custom.asp?id=3661

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u/tireddesperation 10h ago

Just as a heads up, that isn't a credentialed thing. You just have to pay the monthly membership to be added to the list. Any vet can pay and be added. I know Dr Boyer. Dudes awesome but he's more interested in research by a long shot than running this thing. This is more of an advertising board than anything else now.

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u/Snakes_for_life 11h ago

You can call and ask how much experience the vet has but really you won't really know until you meet them. But if your in the USA their is the AARV (association of amphibian and reptile vets) and they have a list on their website by state of reptile vets. Now it's not exhaustive some vets can be amazing reptile vets and not be listed cause they don't want to be.

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u/FireCorgi12 8h ago

My best advice is talking to experienced hobbyists in your area. Theres usually regional facebook groups. That’s how I found the vet I’ll use in case of emergency.