Reviewer: Dr. Stacy Pritt,

Laboratory Animal Medicine. 2nd Edition. Chapter 18. Biology and Diseases of Reptiles.

Pages 827 to 857.

Questions

1. Which are reptiles more closely related to, endothermic birds or ectothermic amphibians?

2. Turtles are also known as ______or ______.

3. Diapsids include two groups. They are ______and ______.

4. T or F. Of the Alligatorida, the common caiman and the American alligator are rarely used in research.

5. The genus and species of the common caiman is ______.

6. The genus and species of the American alligator is ______

______.

7. Usually, the main reason for the use of reptiles in research is (chose one of the following):

  1. Venom research
  2. Hypoxia research
  3. Understanding and conserving the species
  4. Transmycoardial perfusion and environmental toxicology studies

8. The most common type of primary enclosure for reptiles in research is ______.

9. Chemoreception is studied in what type of reptile?

10. What type of reptile is used to study stress?

11. Reptile venom is a model for what one of the following conditions:

  1. Hypoxia
  2. Myoglobinuria
  3. Avascular Necrosis
  4. Neurotoxicity

12. What behavior do reptiles exhibit when they are shedding?

13. A ______gradient is needed in a reptile’s cage.

14. T or F. Chlorination of a reptile’s water is necessary.

15. Ultraviolet light, specifically ______, is needed for the manufacture of endogenous vitamin ______.

16. Usually, reptiles can be housed with what light cycle?

  1. 10 hours light, 14 hours dark
  2. 16 hours light, 8 hours dark
  3. 14 hours light, 10 hours dark
  4. 12 hours light, 12 hours dark

17. Why would you not hold reptiles by their tails?

18. Name three methods of reptile identification in the laboratory setting.

19. What is the most common zoonotic disease transmitted by reptiles? What are two of its common symptoms in people?

20. Aquatic reptiles are also known for two other recognized zoonotic diseases. What are they?

21. How many species of lizards are venomous?

  1. 2
  2. 3
  3. 4
  4. 1

22. Scales are made up of what type of keratin?

23. What are osteoderms?

24. Reptiles cannot concentrate urine above ______.

25. What major vessel is paired in all reptiles?

  1. Aorta
  2. Anterior Vena Cava
  3. Posterior Vena Cava
  4. Pulmonary Artery

26. All reptiles except crocodilians have a three-chambered heart. What are those three chambers?

27. What is the name of the upper shell of a chelonian? The lower shell?

28. The ______, a fold of tissue at the caudal aspect of the tongue, which meets the palate to form a watertight seal, permits reptiles to hold prey in their mouth while submerged.

29. Most reptiles have a non-existent or small/vestigial right or left (circle one) lung?

30. What vessel do reptiles have that needs to be avoided during abdominal surgery.

31. What type of enzymes has been modified to form venom?

32. T or F. In some snakes that eat infrequently, energy is conserved through atrophy of the small intestines and related organs.

33. Regarding the urinary system, aquatic reptiles usually excrete ______as the final protein break down by-product. Semi aquatic species excrete ______and terrestrial species excrete ______.

34. What type of kidneys do reptiles have?

35. Why is the renal-portal system so important in reptiles?

36. Snakes pick of particles of ______with their forked tongues. The particles are then carried to the ______.

37. Pit organs contain what type of receptors?

38. The reptile heterophil functions most like which mammalian cell?

  1. Eosinophil
  2. Basophil
  3. Neutrophil
  4. Lymphocyte

39. Why do you want to feed euthanized rodents to reptiles that eat rodents as part of their normal diet?

40. Most snakes eat how often?

41. Small turtles usually eat:

  1. Once a day
  2. Once a week
  3. Once a month
  4. Once every other week

42. For reptiles, what determines the sex of the offspring?

43. What does ophiophagic mean?

44. Of snakes, lizards, chelonians, and crocodilians, which are most likely to be territorial?

45. The inhalant anesthetic of choice for reptiles is:

  1. Desflurane
  2. Halothane
  3. Isoflurane
  4. Ether

46. T or F. Incomplete shedding, with or without retained spectacles, usually indicates a severe viral infection in the reptile, and carries with it a grave prognosis.

47. What percent of blood volume is safe to take in a reptile?

  1. 15
  2. 20
  3. 10
  4. 17

48. Name two areas for blood collection in reptiles

49. Name an area for injection in snakes and in chelonians.

50. Why is carbon dioxide not used for the euthanasia of reptiles?

51. T or F. Unlike amphibians, hypothermia is an acceptable method of euthanasia.

52. What is the treatment of choice for reptiles with Mycobacteriosis?

53. Mycoplasma infections usually result in what type of disease in chelonians?

54. Fibropapillomatosis is seen with herpes virus infections in what type of reptile?

55. ______(genus and species name) is the most clinically important amoeba infection in reptiles. What are its clinical signs?

56. What drug is the usual treatment for protozoal infections in reptiles?

57. What is the genus and species of the snake mite?

58. What chemical is used to treat infections with snake mites?

59. T or F. Fungal infections usually stem from direct contact with other infected animals, rather than poor environment.

60. What two drugs are commonly used to treat fungal infections in reptiles?

61. What are three factors that can lead to the formation of metabolic bone disease in herbivorous lizards and chelonians?

62. Box turtles commonly suffer from hypovitaminosis ______.

63. Uric acid is the end product of ______breakdown.

64. Hyperurecemia leads to uric acid ______. Those deposits then appear in various organs. The condition is called ______.

65. T or F. Cloacal prolapse is usually a primary problem with no underlying causes.

66. Name four conditions that can lead to dysecdysis.

67. Should retained spectacles in reptiles be removed?

68. T or F. Bite wounds are best healed by treating them as open wounds and allowing them to granulate in.

69. Why should reptiles not have direct contact with heating devices or sources?

70. The treatment of choice for neoplasms in reptiles is:

  1. Chemotherapy
  2. Radiation Treatment
  3. Euthansia
  4. Surgical Removal

Answers

1. Endothermic birds

2. chelonians or anapsids

3. Saurians and lepidosaurians

4. F. The common caiman and American alligator are the two most commonly used reptiles for research of the Alligatorida.

5. Caiman crocodilus

6. Alligator mississippiensis

7. C

8. Glass aquariums

9. Snakes

10. Lizard

11. Myoglobinuria

12. The soak in water

13. Thermal or heat

14. F

15. UVB, D3

16. D

17. Their tails may break off.

18. Shell notching, tail notching, scale clipping, skin pigmentation, implantable transponders, non-toxic dyes – anesthesia/analgesia may be needed with the some of these methods

19. Salmonellosis – Fever, vomiting, diarrhea

20. Atypical mycobacteriosis (Mycobacterium chelonae) and Edwardsiella tarda

21. A - 2

22. Beta

23. Bony plates in the dermis

24. Blood osmolality

25. A - Aorta

26. There are two atria and one ventricle

27. Carapace, Plastron

28. Basihyal Valve

29. Left

30. Midventral abdominal vein

31. Digestive

32. T

33. Ammonia, Urea, Uric acid

34. Metanephric

35. In many reptiles, the blood drained from the lower half of the body drains into the kidneys. Drugs injected into the lower half of the body go to the kidneys first, before being diluted with the rest of the blood volume. Kidney damage may result, or the drug will be cleared form the circulatory system before it has a chance to reach the rest of the body.

36. Odor, Vomeronasal organ

37. Infrared heat

38. C - Neutrophil

39. To avoid bit injuries from live rodents being fed to reptiles

40. 1 to 2 weeks

41. A

42. The temperature that the eggs incubate at.

43. Eats snakes

44. Lizards

45. C

46. F. Incomplete shedding is usually indicative of poor environmental conditions. It can indicate that animals are sick, but it may not be viral and the prognosis may not be grave.

47. C

48. Ventral tail vein, cardiocentesis

49. Snakes – epaxial muscles in the cranial half of the body, Chelonians – front legs

50. Reptiles are relatively resistant to hypoxia, which makes hypoxia by carbon dioxide inhalation an unsuitable method of euthanasia for them.

51. F – Hypothermia is unsuitable for both amphibians and reptiles.

52. Euthanasia, there is no suitable treatment

53. Upper respiratory disease

54. Sea turtle

55. Entamoeba invadens

56. Metronidazole

57. Ophionyssus natricis

58. Ivermectin

59. F – Fungal infections usually arise from poor environmental conditions and other stressors rather than direct contact.

60. Ketoconazole and itraconazole

61. Low dietary calcium, a negative calcium to phosphorous ratio, inadequate levels of UVB light

62. A

63. Purine

64. Crystallization, gout

65. F – Cloacal prolapse is usually a secondary problem due to an underlying cause

66. Poor husbandry, inadequate environmental temperature, the wrong humidity, improper nutrition, ectoparasites, bacterial infections, fungal infections

67. Yes

68. T

69. The reptiles tend to lay on them, and then they get thermal burns.

70. D