I'm an Exotic Pet Vet | My Life

The thing about working with certain reptiles or even other wildlife is that you don't know how they're going to behave. They're unpredictable. They each are dangerous in their own way. That lizard has a really legitimately detrimental bite. If that thing got a hold of me, it could rip off some serious amount of tissue. My name is Evan Anton, and I'm a small animal exotic and wildlife veterinarian. This is not your typical hospital, and I'm not your typical vet. I never know what animal I'm going to see next. I've definitely gotten a few bites and claw marks here and there. Today we're going to be at the hospital seeing patients, and so we'll be working with a large anaconda as well as a very large Asian water monitor and some other neat reptiles. Well, that's good. That's fine. The big concerns with a 60-plus pound lizard or a 60-plus pound snake is, of course, you know, getting bit. That would be the big thing. Look at those teeth. You don't realize how big they are until they bite you, and then they're halfway to your finger. One time a 6-foot crocodile bit me right on the forearm, and I got a nice little scar where you can see some teeth marks. I'm seeing a black-and-white tegu, and she's coming in for not eating over the last few weeks, so we're going to start working that up with a general wellness exam and getting a weight on her. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if it's a seasonal hormonal something. I mean, we just see that in reptiles. I just start with a TV. Just the TV? Yeah. I mean, we're just trying to take a look. She just hasn't been eating. I just want to make sure we're not missing anything. My travels have hugely shaped my desires to become a wildlife vet. I mean, when I travel, I'm pretty much in the tropics looking for ways to work with exotics at wildlife rescues. Those are long, big fangs. You're in big trouble. I mean, those are just mean, big hypodermic needles. So that's been a huge way for me to, you know, interact and connect with these animals around the world and their natural habitats. She's never been hissy or, like, I've never seen her strike. Okay. It's nice to just take a look in the oral cavity. Stomatitis is common. It's inflammation of the mouth. The oral exam, nice color, no inflammation. Teeth all look good. Everything looks great. Yeah, so she's pretty cool. Something else I'm passionate about with wildlife and exotics is actually educating people about them. And doing social or television or online digital appearances is a great way for me to outreach the public. People magazine reached out to me and said, Hey, we're doing this piece on men at work. We thought you were the sexiest veterinarian wondering if you wanted to be in the magazine. I've always been into working out and fitness. And if it happens to get me positive attention in social media, then that's great. So today I got invited to be on a show called The Fab Life. What does this mean when this is an adult animal? How big will this pig get, the one that I have in my hand? Usually they're getting at least 60 or 80 pounds. Yeah, I love what I do. I love being a vet. I mean, I get to work with animals every day and, you know, making them healthy and better is extremely gratifying. Seeing their owners and how relieved and happy they are to have their loved ones and their pets go home healthy. This is obviously the best career path for me. I think I'm going to be the most successful as a person and as a professional being a veterinarian. So it's the best job for me.