There are exotic vets... and exotic vets. A cautionary tale.

Myth Busters: Episode 12

This box turtle is in hiding... with good reason!

In an ideal world all exotic vets would be fully informed about every possible species that comes through the door. They would not only have a thorough grasp of diagnosis, surgery and pharmacology, but also be able to give reliable advice on identification, feeding, housing requirements and behaviours. That is a pretty tall order, however, and we do not live in an ideal world.

Exotic vets are expected to know virtually everything about everything from pet taratulas, to snakes, lizards, parrots, tortoises, turtles and other birds to fish. Most do in fact have a pretty fair, broad knowledge, but none of us can know everything and it is wildly optimistic and unrealistic to believe otherwise.

While the more common species and common health problems may well be fairly familiar, less frequently seen species or more obscure health problems can still prove very challenging. It is also the case that even though vets may be very skilled at surgery or diagnostics, there are thousands of species out there from very diverse habitats and with sometimes highly specific environmental or dietary requirements. Telling them all apart (an essential step to get right if appropriate advice and care is to follow) can also be extremely difficult in some cases.

Really, for these you need not just an exotics vet, but a specialist exotics vet with a real interest in and deep knowledge of that particular species.

These are simple and undeniable realities. Problems arise when people have totally unrealistic expectations, and on that basis, may place excessive trust in advice where it is not due. This can lead to some tragic outcomes.

We see this manifest on a regular basis. Some very recent real-life examples from group ands forum posts:

• "My exotics vet says that not hibernating tortoises that hibernate (brumate) naturally is perfectly OK and that there are no possible downsides to this"

• "I asked my exotics vet about feeding fruit and veg to my tortoise and they said it is perfectly harmless and in fact is good for them"

• "My exotics vet says it is best to keep tortoises inside because it is too cold outside"

• "When I asked my exotics vet about the best housing for my tortoise they recommended a glass vivarium tank. You say these are unsuitable, but I think I'll believe my vet"

These are just a very few examples. You can easily find plenty more exactly like these.

Taking these points in turn:

• If a species brumates naturally, forcing it to remain active and feeding 365 days a year inevitably leads to excessive growth and consequently, greatly increases the risk of metabolic bone disease. It also means, in most places, exposing them for months at a time to the damaging effects of heat lamps in close proximity. There are other serious effects upon their hormonal cycles too. None of this is guesswork or speculation.

• Feeding fruits to arid habitat species really is dangerous and should not be recommended. It is a different matter with certain tropical tortoises but we should never generalise and must take account of that particular species and their specific needs. Similarly feeding commercial "veg" is not recommended either. Always look at that particular species, consider where it comes from, and ask yourself "Would it eat this or something very like it in nature?". If the answer is "no", what exactly is the justification for feeding it in captivity? To avoid dietary disasters, learn about the natural diet of the species, be guided by this, and learn to avoid things that are known to cause problems. Genuinely specialist exotic vets will be very aware of this for the species that specialise in, but may not have such a thorough knowledge about species that are not within their own area of expertise.

• Indoor maintenance has huge challenges and many, many problems. Not only can it be incredibly difficult to get heating and lighting right, but tortoises need a lot of space. Far more than most people imagine or are led to believe. They also need a stimulating environment and natural, outdoor graze is vastly superior to the artificial diet you will be forced to employ indoors. To say it is "too cold" is not strictly true at all either. There are many approaches that can transform temperatures on a local scale, from greenhouses to mini-greenhouses. Again, this is not guesswork. The results are easy to demonstrate and to prove beyond doubt. Absolutely excellent outdoor habitats can be provided that entirely meet the physiological needs of many common species.

• We believe thsat glass vivarium tanks are the absolute worst of all possble options. We set out the reasons why very clearly, and we have previously published extremely detailed tests and measurements that support this view.

These are just a few examples, then, of how unquestioningly believing everything you are told, even if by a qualified exotics vet, can lead to very serious consequences. We also know of many cases where owners have been advised by exotics vets to hibernate tropical, non-hibernating species, for example, with fatal results. If these were not enough, they do say that "a picture is worth thousand words" and if so, these pictures should reinforce that point.

This is a three-toed American box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis). It was taken to a qualified exotics vet for advice on diet. The vet failed to identify it correctly and clearly had absolutely no clue whatsoever about the unique structure and physiology of this group of turtles. He told the owner it had a "degenerating shell weakness" and needed urgent surgery to stabilise it. He proceeded to do exactly that, drilling the shell and inserting wired sutures and supports. The UK based owner was billed £500 for all this.

The turtle declined rapidly... it could barely walk, breathe or eat,

There was absolutely nothing wrong with the shell in the first place, of course!

This is how box turtles are 'constructed' and indeed, it is the very characteristic from which they take their name!

Fortunately, it came to our attention and we were able to get it to a genuinely knowledgeable exotics vet who specialised in tortoises and turtles who immediately removed all the sutures, thus freeing it up and saving its life.

This is an extreme case, but it shows exactly how things can go badly wrong if you merely trust in qualifications 'on paper' without regard to genuine exerience and real knowledge. So, do seek recommendations from experienced keepers and from sensible tortoise and turtle groups. They can help you avoid some of the situations described here. Also, if you do keep exotic species, please learn as much about them as you possibly can yourself. That will also help you to avoid the pitfalls of relying on bad and misleading advice - whatever the source.

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Copyright 2025 A. C. Highfield/Tortoise Trust