Exotics

Question 1

True or false: Rabbits are part of the order lagomorpha.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

What is the difference between a lagomorph and a rodent?

Answer 2

Rodents have one pair of incisors and lagomorphs have two

Question 3

What is the difference between a rabbit and a hare?

Answer 3

Rabbits are altricial - born without fur, ears and eyes closed
Hares are precocial - born fully furred, ears and eyes open

Question 4

List some common rabbit breeds

Answer 4

Holland Lop, Dwarf, Flemish Giant, Dutch, Lionhead, Angora (any others as well)

Question 5

Where are rabbit eyes located and why?

Answer 5

Side of their head, they are a prey animal so need a wide range of vision

Question 6

True or false: Rabbits have a high bone to muscle ratio.

Answer 6

False

Question 7

Is a rabbit a carnivore, omnivore, or herbivore?

Answer 7

Herbivore

Question 8

What type of digestive system does a rabbit have?

Answer 8

Hind-gut fermenter

Question 9

True or false: The rabbit’s cecum comprises 40% of their total GI capacity.​

Answer 9

True

Question 10

What is a second type of rabbit poop produced by the cecum​?

Answer 10

Cecotrope

Question 11

Why do rabbits have to eat cecotropes?

Answer 11

To obtain further nutrients

Question 12

Why do we avoid using Elizabethan collars on rabbits?

Answer 12

Need to consume their cecotropes for their nutritional value.

Question 13

Can rabbits vomit?

Answer 13

No

Question 14

Why can’t rabbits vomit?

Answer 14

Lack a gag reflex and have a thin, weak diaphragm, incapable of reverse peristalsis

Question 15

How much hay should a rabbit eat?

Answer 15

It should be 80-85% of their diet

Question 16

What type of hay should NOT be fed to an adult rabbit from this list and why?
Timothy, meadow grass, oat, alfalfa, orchard grass

Answer 16

Alfalfa (can be fed to rabbits under 4 months of age) It promotes urinary stones and bladder sludge.

Question 17

Why is it so important for rabbits to eat hay?

Answer 17

Wears down their teeth, and promotes GI health

Question 18

What percentage should veggies be of the rabbit’s diet?

Answer 18

8-10%

Question 19

What percentage should pellets be of the rabbit’s diet?

Answer 19

0-10%

Question 20

What percentage should treats be of the rabbit’s diet?

Answer 20

0-5%

Question 21

What are common causes of malocclusion in rabbits?

Answer 21

Improper diet and genetics

Question 22

What type of ovulator is a rabbit?

Answer 22

Induced

Question 23

When can rabbits breed again after giving birth?

Answer 23

24 hours after

Question 24

What is a dewlap and what is used for?

Answer 24

It is loose skin hanging under a mature female rabbit’s chin, the rabbit plucks fur from it to line the nest.

Question 25

Should rabbits be fasted for surgery? Why or why not?

Answer 25

No, they can't vomit and they should never be fasted as it may cause GI stasis which may be fatal.

Question 26

Why should rabbits be spayed?

Answer 26

Reduces aggressive behaviour, prevents false or real pregnancies​, prevents uterine adenocarcinoma​, prevents pyometra and endometritis​ ​

Question 27

Why should rabbits be neutered?

Answer 27

Reduces aggressive behaviour, prevents testicular cancer, reduces urine marking A.K.A spraying behaviours, ​decreases urine smell and encourages better litterbox habits ​ ​

Question 28

True or false: It is easier to bond rabbits when intact.

Answer 28

False

Question 29

What are considered rabbit emergencies?

Answer 29

Anorexia (12-24 hours without eating), diarrhea, presence of cecotropes or lack of feces

Question 30

What zoonotic disease can rabbits and rodents have?

Answer 30

Ringworm

Question 31

True or false: Rabbits can have the same ectoparasites as dogs and cats.

Answer 31

True

Question 32

What should we do to minimize stress of rabbits in the veterinary hospital?

Answer 32

Separate waiting room or put in exam room right away, change into clean scrubs, rabbit should be in their travel cage with familiar scents, provide non slip surfaces

Question 33

What can rabbit thumping and stomping indicate?

Answer 33

Frightened/threatened​, mad, irritated and used to ​warn others of danger

Question 34

What does it mean when a rabbit circles your feet?

Answer 34

Originally a courtship behaviour​, indicates love and is a way to ask for attention​

Question 35

What does it mean when a rabbit grunts, growls and charges?

Answer 35

Angry, threatened and territorial, they want you to leave and may bite

Question 36

What is a rabbit doing when chinning?

Answer 36

Claiming ​their territory ​with scent glands under the chin spread the rabbit’s scent.​ Each one has a unique scent​.

Question 37

What is the best combination for rabbit bonding? What can be the most difficult?

Answer 37

Spayed female with a neutered male. Bonding two females can be the most difficult especially if unspayed.

Question 38

Why are pine and cedar shavings not recommended for any small animals?

Answer 38

They contain aerosols that ​are toxic to the liver and lungs​.

Question 39

Can rabbits be litter trained?

Answer 39

Yes

Question 40

What does tonic immobility mean?

Answer 40

A state of motor inhibition that can occur in prey animals as a last defense ​ against a predator – a fear response​

Question 41

What can trigger tonic immobility in rabbits?

Answer 41

Lying them on their backs

Question 42

What is the best way to restrain a ferret?

Answer 42

Scruffing

Question 43

What is the issue with ferrets in pet stores coming from just 2 farms?

Answer 43

They have a small gene pool - many health issues

Question 44

What were ferrets originally bred for?

Answer 44

Their ability to hunt rabbits and control the rodent population​

Question 45

What does nocturnal mean?

Answer 45

Most active at night

Question 46

Is a ferret a carnivore, omnivore, or herbivore?

Answer 46

Carnivore

Question 47

Are vaccinations required for ferrets?

Answer 47

Yes - distemper and rabies

Question 48

What are some health issues of ferrets?

Answer 48

Fatal anemia, cancer, heart disease, epizootic catarrhal enteritis (ECE), ecto- and endoparasites

Question 49

What is the definition of a rodent?

Answer 49

Gnawing animals that have continuously growing upper and lower incisors​ - one set of teeth

Question 50

Why is it important to not lift a mouse or rat by their tail?

Answer 50

Tail can slough off

Question 51

What province is rat free?

Answer 51

Alberta

Question 52

What is the purpose of porphyrin in rats?

Answer 52

Lubricating the eye and pheromones

Question 53

Are mice and rats carnivores, herbivores or omnivores?

Answer 53

Omnivores

Question 54

How can we determine whether mice and rats are male or female?

Answer 54

Distance between anus and genitalia, males are farther apart than females

Question 55

Why are rats used in the laboratory setting?

Answer 55

Almost all disease-linked human genes are duplicated in the rat​, share the same physiology as humans

Question 56

Why wouldn't 2 white chinchillas be bred together?

Answer 56

25% chance of getting a homozygous version of these genes that is lethal (the fetus won't develop)​ ​

Question 57

What is the most common colour of chinchilla?

Answer 57

Standard grey

Question 58

What is fur slip?

Answer 58

Chinchillas can release a large patch of fur in response to being grabbed or handled too roughly

Question 59

Are chinchillas carnivores, herbivores or omnivores?

Answer 59

Herbivores

Question 60

Should we bathe a chinchilla? Why or why not?

Answer 60

No, their fur can take a long time to dry leaving​ the chinchilla open to possible fungal infections, and the fur also acts as a barrier that prevents water from evaporating, so​ they can get cold​

Question 61

What type of bath does a chinchilla need?

Answer 61

Dust bath

Question 62

Are chinchilla offspring altricial or precocial?

Answer 62

Precocial - fully furred with ears and eyes open

Question 63

What is something that can happen to male chinchillas that we need to make owners aware of?

Answer 63

Fur ring around penis

Question 64

How many teeth do rabbits have?

Answer 64

16 deciduous, 28 permanent

Question 65

Define malocclusion

Answer 65

Imperfect positioning or meeting of the teeth when the jaws are closed​ ​

Question 66

Birds have how many respiratory cycles?

Answer 66

2

Question 67

Birds have________ along with small rigid lungs.

Answer 67

air sacs

Question 68

Define coprophagy

Answer 68

The eating of feces

Question 69

What does dimorphic mean?

Answer 69

When males and females of the same species have different physical characteristics​ (ie. size, colour)

Question 70

What does monomorphic mean?

Answer 70

When males and females of the same species have the same physical characteristics​ (ie. size, colour)

Question 71

What is a jill?

Answer 71

Female ferret

Question 72

What is a male ferret called?

Answer 72

Hob

Question 73

What is a spayed female ferret called?

Answer 73

Sprite

Question 74

What is a gib?

Answer 74

Neutered male ferret

Question 75

What a baby ferrets called?

Answer 75

Kits

Question 76

What are baby rats called?

Answer 76

Kits and pups

Question 77

What is a fledgling?

Answer 77

Baby bird that has left the nest but is still reliant on parents to feed them

Question 78

What is a hatchling?

Answer 78

Baby bird that has not left the nest yet

Question 79

True or false: Leopard geckos are herbivores.

Answer 79

False, they are insectivores

Question 80

True or false: Reptiles can have skin or scales.

Answer 80

True

Question 81

True or false: The left lung of a snake is smaller than the right.

Answer 81

True

Question 82

True or false: Reptiles are able to cough.

Answer 82

False

Question 83

What are 4 temperatures zones that should be in a reptile enclosure?

Answer 83

1. Basking zone​ 2. Warm zone​ 3. Ambient zone​ 4. Cool zone

Question 84

True or false: Snakes are carnivores.

Answer 84

True

Question 85

What does gut loading mean?

Answer 85

An animal's prey is raised and fed nutritious foods with the intention of passing those nutrients to the animal for which the prey is intended​

Question 86

True or false: Amphibians are hot-blooded.

Answer 86

False, they are cold-blooded

Question 87

True or false: Brightly coloured amphibians are typically the most toxic.

Answer 87

True

Question 88

True or false: Amphibians have a 4 chambered heart

Answer 88

False, they have a 3 chambered heart

Question 89

True or false: It is very important to wear gloves when handling reptiles, amphibians and turtles.

Answer 89

True

Question 90

What does metamorphosis mean?

Answer 90

The process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages.

Question 91

True or false: An ectotherm relies on their environment to regulate temperature.

Answer 91

True

Question 92

True or false: An endotherm relies on their environment to regulate temperature.

Answer 92

False

Question 93

True or false: Reptile skin prevents water loss.

Answer 93

True