Reproductive performance and follicular dynamics in captive female ball pythons (Python regius) were investigated to evaluate reproductive efficiency, assess the usefulness of ultrasonography, and examine the relationship between follicular size and...
Background: Hyperuricemia is a common problem in captive reptiles and is associated with gout and renal disease. Rasburicase is a recombinant urate oxidase that converts uric acid into allantoin, a more water-soluble metabolite. This study evaluated...
A two-year-old ball python with a submandibular mass was evaluated. Fine needle aspiration resulted in debris containing purulent materials and bacterial cells on cytology. Radiography demonstrated multi-focal radiopaque lesions in the mass, which we...
Chryseobacterium indologenes is an opportunistic pathogen isolated from human infections and, rarely, from some aquatic animals. A 3-year-old male ball python (Python regius) was admitted to the veterinary clinic by a pet owner because of acute respi...
Parthenogenesis is an asexual form of reproduction, normally present in various animal and plant species, in which an embryo is generated from a single gamete. Currently, there are some species for which parthenogenesis is supposed but not confirmed,...
Ferlaviruses are a cause of respiratory disease in snakes. Four genogroups (A, B, C, and tortoise) have been described. Disease development is believed to depend on virus, host, and environment-specific factors. There is evidence of transmission of i...
The oral microbiota has a diversity of microorganisms that together maintain the homeostasis of the oral cavity. Disruptions in the balance of these microbial populations can lead to the development of oral and dental diseases. To characterize the no...
Background: Respiratory diseases are among the main causes of morbidity and mortality in captive reptiles. In Romania, pneumonia is a frequently observed illness affecting pet reptiles. Key factors contributing to the high incidence of pneumonia incl...
Extensive numbers of Ball pythons are caught, bred, traded and subsequently kept in captivity across the world as part of the exotic pet industry. Despite their widespread availability as pets, relatively little is known about the potential welfare c...
Ball pythons (family Pythonidae) remain a commonly exploited species, readily available for purchase in North America and Europe. We assessed the housing conditions of more than 5000 Ball pythons across six exotic pet expositions and 113 YouTube vide...
Viral pathogens represent an increasing threat to wildlife health and biodiversity. Most studies of reptile viruses are in captive populations, while knowledge of viral occurrence and diversity in free-ranging reptiles is limited. Some reptarenavirus...
The recent discovery of two independently evolved XX/XY sex determination systems in the snake genera Python and Boa sparked a new drive to study the evolution of sex chromosomes in poorly studied lineages of snakes, where female heterogamety was pre...
Invasive species represent an increasing threat to native ecosystems, harming indigenous taxa through predation, habitat modification, cross-species hybridization and alteration of ecosystem processes. Additionally, high economic costs are associated...
The evolutionary interplay between predator and prey has significantly shaped the development of snake venom, a critical adaptation for subduing prey. This arms race has spurred the diversification of the components of venom and the corresponding eme...
Ophidian serpentoviruses, positive-sense RNA viruses in the order Nidovirales, are important infectious agents of both captive and free-ranging reptiles. Although the clinical significance of these viruses can be variable, some serpentoviruses are pa...
Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) are widely used to assess hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) activity in vertebrates, but their applicability to reptiles, and more specifically to snakes, remains poorly explored. The objective of...