Dick Vet Rabbit and Exotic Practice

Yesterday was World Poultry Day, a day to recognise the importance of chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese to people around the world.

This includes the UK, which has a thriving community of pet poultry keepers.

Our practice treats a variety of birds, from fancy breed chickens to ex-commercial birds that have become beloved pets. Pictured is practice vet Dr Megan Kiln, who has a special interest in poultry, and some of her own chickens.

Chickens are able to hide illness well, so by the time they begin to show clinical signs, they are often very unwell.

Here are some subtle signs of ill health in pet poultry:

🐔Weight loss – chickens tend to eat less before showing signs of illness, resulting in weight loss. Weekly ‘weigh-ins’ can help owners track trends and identify sudden weight loss

🐔Change in posture – when feeling unwell, chickens may fluff up their feathers and tuck their head in to their body and their tail downwards in a hunched posture.

🐔Change to flock dynamics - chickens that are ill may be quieter than normal. They can be bullied by their companions and may separate themselves from the flock

🐔Change to egg-laying – reproductive problems are common in pet chickens, especially ex-commercial birds. Sick chickens may spend more time in the nesting box, lay abnormal eggs, or stop laying altogether

🐔Change in movement – several conditions can result in fluid accumulating in a bird’s body. This can change the way they move, as the fluid weighs the back end of the bird down, leading to a “penguin walk” or waddle.

If you notice any of the above signs in your chickens, please contact your local vet.

Our experienced team welcome poultry patients at our practice. We recommend 6-monthly health checks, and offer advice to owners on how to keep their birds happy and healthy.

To learn more about our practice, visit https://edin.ac/43SgIbC

Congratulations to Dr Marende de Gier, who was awarded second best small mammal presentation at the Exotic Animal ICARE conference earlier this month.

Marende, who was voted Guinea Pig Vet of the Year in the 2026 Burgess Excel Vet Awards, gave a presentation on the prevalence of Chlamydial infections in guinea pigs, which attracted the praise of the judging panel.

The five-day International Conference on Avian, Herpetological and Exotic Mammal, Zoo and Wildlife Medicine attracted veterinary professionals from around the world, keen to learn more about the latest developments in exotic animal medicine.

Pictured below are some of the members of the practice's vet team, (l-r) Emma, Laëtitia, Marende and Michaela, who attended the conference to top up their existing knowledge and enjoyed talks on a range of subjects including reptile, avian, and small mammal pet surgery and medicine.

The conference marked the end of Marende’s one year veterinary internship with us, and she has now headed home to the Netherlands. We wish her every success in her career.

Our highly trained staff ensure that your pet receives the very best of veterinary care. For more information about our practice, visit https://edin.ac/43SgIbC

Happy World Rat Day to all of our patients and their owners!

Did you know that a group of rats is called a ‘mischief’?

We think it's a correct description of these inquisitive, affectionate animals. Rodents can make wonderful pets due to their intelligence and social nature.

Here are some of our rat friends from the exotic teaching facility. We’d love to see photos or videos of your pet rats in the comments below.

It’s the time of year when hibernating tortoises are waking up.

Here are some top tips from our vets to help owners support their tortoises post-hibernation.

Provide them with:

☀️𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁: Let your tortoise warm up gradually at room temperature before returning them back to their regular enclosure with their heat bulb and UV-b light. A sleepy tortoise should not be placed under the heat lamp as they may be unable to move away.

💦 𝗛𝘆𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Once awake and able to move around, your tortoise can be placed in a warm, shallow bath for 10 minutes, twice a day, until they are back to their pre-hibernation energy levels. You should also expect to see your tortoise pass urates – a white substance containing protein and calcium with the consistency of toothpaste - within three days of waking up

🥗𝗡𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: Once warmed and hydrated, you can start offering your tortoise their normal mix of leafy greens, along with their calcium and multivitamin supplementation.

If your tortoise is not passing any urine or urates, has a poor appetite, has lost a concerning amount of weight during hibernation, or is showing any signs of being unwell, please get in touch to book an appointment for a full health check with our veterinary team.

We also recommend performing faecal parasitology checks at least once a year and ideally every six months. Please bring a sample of faeces with you to the consultation for testing.