Yearly Archives: 2020

Oh why did the turtle have to cross the road?

Eastern Long Necked Turtle feed and thrive in the water, but have also evolved to be able to travel overland for large distances to nest and make the most of recently flooded water bodies. Although this ability to venture can help them to survive drought and changing weather conditions, when roads lie in their path,…
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Dystocia is a common problem in female chelonians (tortoises and turtles) and is defined as difficulty in passing eggs. Female turtles can produce eggs even when males are not present. Dystocia most commonly occurs due to lack of an appropriate nesting site, inappropriate environmental temperature, poor diet, or diseases of the reproductive system. Signs that…
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Meet the Vet – Dr Petra Schnitzer

Petra graduated at the University of Vienna, and after training in birds and exotics, she went on to complete externships in northern Italy and Brazil. Petra then worked as a vet at the Loro Parque (Tenerife, Spain) which has the most extensive parrot collection in the world before heading back to Northern Italy, where she…
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The healing power of fish skin for our bushfire victims

Dr Lorenzo Crosta along with a group of final year veterinary students, UC Davis, WIRES and Dr Michelle Oakley recently visited an area near Lithgow which was heavily impacted by bushfire. The team located injured macropods (mainly Eastern Grey Kangaroos) and then under sedation examined and treated a range of injuries. A relatively new treatment…
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