Background: Hibernation is encouraged for healthy Mediterranean and Horsfield’s tortoises. A controlled hibernation is essential to reduce posthibernation complications or deaths. Suboptimal husbandry before hibernation and incorrect hibernation techniques may increase the risk of posthibernation complications.Aim of the article: This article provides a guide to hibernating Mediterranean and Horsfield’s tortoises, covering the prehibernation, hibernation and posthibernation periods, and also outlines how to address any complications.

Background: An anorexic rabbit is a common presentation to a veterinary practice and it's vital to remember that anorexia is not a single syndrome but can occur because of multifactorial conditions that often cause pain. Rabbits are prey species and hide clinical signs, so when they present to the clinic, the disease process is often advanced. Anorexia is one sign that may be seen with rabbit gastrointestinal syndrome, and other clinical signs include abdominal pain/distension, lethargy and lack of faecal output. Pain is associated with these signs and must be effectively addressed, in addition to the underlying cause. Anorexia may be a sign of other diseases such as upper respiratory tract disease, urogenital disease or dental disease. Aim of the article: This article outlines the approach to the anorexic rabbit, highlighting the main differential diagnoses for the underlying causes of anorexia, and discusses how to provide supportive care and the treatment options available.

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This review discusses the general principles underlying responsible antibiotic usage in reptiles.Very little evidence underlies antibiotic usage in reptiles, and there are no published guidelines for responsible antibiotic usage. A literature search was performed to review the evidence for bacterial involvement in the pathology of selected common diseases of reptiles, allowing the development of recommendations for responsible antibiotic treatment of those diseases.

This article, the second in a series on reptile identification, discusses the methods of visually identifying lizard species now kept commonly in captivity and presented to the clinician in practice.

Hamsters are very popular pets in the UK and owner expectations regarding advice and treatment for their pets are increasing. Hamsters are frequently seen in general veterinary practice and may be presented for routine procedures such as health checks, but are more often presented for treatment of illnesses. As hamsters are prey species they instinctively hide any signs of illness and so often present later into a disease process. Conditions frequently observed in hamsters include diarrhoea, skin wounds, incisor malocclusion, weight loss and neoplasia.

Hamsters are very popular pets in the UK, and owner expectations regarding advice and treatment for their pets is increasing. Several species are commonly seen in captivity, including the Syrian or golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), the Russian Dwarf Campbell hamster (Phodopus campbelli), the Russian Dwarf Winter White hamster (Phodopus sungorus), the Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus) and the Roborovski hamster (Phodopus roborovskii). Hamsters may be presented for routine procedures such as health checks, but are more often presented for treatment of illnesses. As hamsters are prey species they instinctively hide any signs of illness, so frequently present later into a disease process, therefore it is important to provide aggressive supportive care for these patients. Diagnosis and common diseases will be covered in Part 2.