I would like to study to become a reptile vet. There arent any schools that allow me to get my dvm near me. There is one however that will allow me to study to become a Veterinary assistant or Veterinary tech. Do i have to be an assistant before i can become a vet? And how do i go about specializing in reptiles?
2006-11-05 12:21:15 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Hi Trisha,
If you are in the US, there are only 30-some veterinary schools in the entire country and you have to attend one of those schools to get your DVM degree. You will receive preferrential acceptance if your state has its own vet school compared to trying to apply to a school in another state. If you let me know where you live, I can tell you which schools you would go to in your state. I am not sure how many vet schools there are worldwide but the requirement to go to an actual vet school still applies.
You do not have to go to tech school to be a vet, in fact very few vets were techs before they applied to vet school. It will definitely give you a great basis for your education and will help you decide if you really want to be a vet for the long run.
As far as being specifically a reptile vet, in most vet schools you will get very little specialized training on the exotic pets and you will have to do a lot of personal, independent study to get alot of specialization. Definitely start working for zoos, exotic pet vets, and pet stores now before you go to school and do as much reading as you can on your own. You'll have a big head start on the short period of time that you will actually study reptiles while in vet school.
The other thing to consider is that your chances of getting a vet job where you ONLY see reptiles are few and far between. Consider broadening your focus on all exotic pet species or possibly zoo species. That way you will be of greater value to who ever decides to hire you once you graduate.
If you have any more questions just let me know.
Dr. Anne Bujorian, DVM
P.S. I just noticed in your profile that you live in TX. Here is the link to the home page of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M (http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/index.shtml) which is the school you would apply to as a TX resident. There are also at least five schools in TX that offer a technician program as well. You can contact the vet school and they could probably tell you which vet school has the strongest reptile program; but you would be fighting with their state residents for their admission spots making it much more difficult for you to get accepted.
2006-11-07 01:38:55 · answer #1 · answered by drannedvm 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-05-22 02:18:33 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-09-01 05:32:26 · answer #3 · answered by Edmond 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If there are any Exotics veterinarians or zoos near you, you could get some experience which would be useful. Most veterinary colleges will focus on the basic Dog-Cat-Horse-Cattle, but then during rotations you can focus on what you want to more (such as Herps if a custom track is offered). You do not have to be an assistant/Tech first, but you can if you want. Some techs do decide to become a vet later, but it will cost more. Perhaps you can find a Herp vet and see what info he/she can give you.
2006-11-05 13:59:22 · answer #4 · answered by sweet_masquerade 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First off...I am not a vet but I was a large animal vet assistant for a long time and actually, the whole family were vets and good friends of mine.mom and sister were small animal vets and dad was a large animal vet. Here's what I know and maybe this will help you in your endeavors....No, you do not have to be a assistant before becoming a vet. first you become a regular vet then you branch off to your specialty which in this case, is an EXOTIC VET.My exotic vet not only has a practice but is the exotic vet for the Phoenix Zoo. hope this helps you in your endeavors. :)
2006-11-05 13:03:40 · answer #5 · answered by dhwilson58 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to try some work in a clinic before you should even think about becoming a vet. If you wanna be a vet, then don't go to school to be a tech because they are two totally different things. Techs are like animal nurses, but with waaaaay more duties and responsiblities. Vets are there to ultimately diagnose, prescribe medication and perform surgery, but you will need to become a vet before specializing as a vet in a certain field!!!
2006-11-05 12:24:12 · answer #6 · answered by Jada 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋