Husbandry of commonly seen exotic pets – small mammals

Wendy started off training and working in a mixed practice in Midhurst, West Sussex and qualified as a veterinary nurse in 2000. Wendy then became keen to pursue additional qualifications with an Honours degree in Zoology and a Masters in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare. She has experience working as a keeper in a number of zoos and returned to vet nursing at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, where she spent 9 years as the dedicated exotics and wildlife vet nurse. During this time Wendy had the opportunity to be involved in vet and nurse student teaching and developed her passion for nursing exotic pets and their welfare needs. She has lectured at various veterinary conferences, contributed towards two BSAVA manuals, and other veterinary publications, and in 2019 organised and ran the nursing stream at the International Conference on Avian Herpetological and Exotic Animal Medicine (iCARE) in London. Wendy started her new role as Marwell Zoo’s RVN in 2015, and enjoys adapting what she has learnt to a wide variety of species, and contributing to the vet teams’ commitment to welfare and conservation.