Exotic365 - hosted by the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians (AEMV), the Association of Reptile & Amphibian Veterinarians (ARAV), and welcoming the American Association of Fish Veterinarians (AAFV) in 2026 - is thrilled to invite you to Philadelphia this August! We are excited to deliver exceptional educational opportunities for veterinary professionals dedicated to the health and wellbeing of exotic companion mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and soon, aquatic species.

If your company is looking to connect with a highly engaged, multispecialty audience committed to advancing veterinary medicine, you’ve found the perfect place. Should you have interest in a sponsorship opportunity not listed, we encourage you to reach out - our team is happy to collaborate with you to create a customized package that aligns with your goals.

We look forward to partnering with you for an outstanding event!

The wait is over - our Exotic365 program is now live and ready for you to explore! This year’s lineup is shaping up to be one of our most dynamic yet, and we’re especially excited to welcome the American Association of Fish Veterinarians for the very first time.

Join us in Philadelphia this August for an unforgettable experience filled with fresh perspectives, collaborative learning, and a few surprises along the way. We can’t wait to see you there!

ARAV

Advanced Reptile Clinical Techniques
Meera Music and Anneliese Strunk
Sunday, August 30, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Cost: $600 USD
Registrants: DVM, Intern, DVM Student
This wetlab is designed with the reptile clinician in mind. Lab participants will learn a variety of practical and surgical skills, ranging from routine to emergency practices. Skills include, but are not limited to, tail amputation, cloacal prolapse fixation, skin biopsy, tracheal wash, enema, follicle check, positioning for radiographs, stimulating defecation in lizards, addressing aural abscesses in chelonia, spectaculotomy in snakes, fluid administration, intubation, toe amputation, probing snakes, and IO catheter placement. Skills to be learned and practiced will be based on cadaver availability, and the lab will end with a detailed necropsy and celiotomy (spay/biopsy procedures can be attempted based on availability).

Be a Lizard Wizard: Introduction to Lizard Surgery
James Bogan
Sunday, August 30, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 1:30 - 5:30 PM
Cost: $750 USD
Registrants: DVM, Intern, Student
Surgical intervention to manage disease involving lizards can be performed routinely in general practice. The objective of this laboratory is to introduce and expose clinicians to the different surgical techniques frequently utilized in lizards. In this laboratory, the following procedures will be performed: intraosseous catheter placement, exploratory celiotomy, liver biopsy, intestinal resection and anastomosis, enterotomy, cystotomy, and ovariosalpingectomy or castration. Procedures will be performed on cadavers and each pair of participants will share one lizard specimen. 

Turtle Shell Repair
J Jill Heatley
Sunday, August 30, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 1:30 - 5:30 PM
Cost: $600 USD
Registrants: DVM, Intern, Student
Turtle shell repair most applicable to freshwater hard shelled and box turtles will be demonstrated and materials necessary for 8 different repair options with comparisons based on species, area of placement, materials and tools, removal method will be demonstrated; participants will then have 8 stations to complete on their turtle shell which will be shared with a single lab partner:

Methods will include but may not be limited to: metal bridges, sewing hooks, screw cerclage, builders ties, epoxy/fiberglass, dental acrylic, acrylic gel uvb, and cerclage wire. Tips and tricks for recommend diagnostics prior to shell repair, shell preparation, preliminary fixator application and fixator removal will also be reviewed. Participants may take their shell home.

For memory support of materials needed and methods suitable for use and for demonstration to clients at their practice, if local state and federal regulations allow. 

Bearded Dragon Dental and Skill Surgical Techniques
Stacey Leonatti Wilkinson
Sunday, August 30, 1:30 - 5:30 PM
Cost: $600 USD
Registrants: DVM, Intern, DVM Student
Bearded Dragons (Pogona vitticeps) are the most common reptile pet in the United States, and as such they are commonly presented to the reptile veterinarian for care.  Many clients want advanced care as they would for other pet species.  Periodontal disease is a unique condition that affects these animals (along with other reptiles with acrodont dentition).  Despite the fact that most practitioners routinely perform dental scaling and polishing on small animal patients, many are apprehensive about doing the same in reptiles.  This lab will teach participants how to overcome these reservations and become confident in performing dental procedures and other procedures involving the head of the bearded dragon.  Didactic lecture will instruct participants on how to perform these procedures, followed by spending the majority of the time in lab practicing these procedures on bearded dragon cadavers.  Participants will spend most of the time practicing dental scaling along with removal of necrotic bone. Additional procedures to be performed include hemimandibulectomy, gingival mass removal, enucleation, pharyngostomy tube placement, and tracheal wash. Additional clinical techniques may be performed if time allows.

AEMV

Rabbit Hepatic and Intestinal Surgery
Nicola Di Girolamo
Sunday, August 30, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Cost: $750 USD
Registrants: DVM
During this hands-on lab, performed multiple times at previous international conferences, we will focus on (1) the main surgical techniques that are performed on the intestinal tract in rabbits, including enterotomy, enterectomy and appendectomy, (2) on the two different approaches to liver lobectomy (midline vs paracostal) and the different options to provide hemostasis during liver lobectomy (encircling ligature, passing needle technique, others) and (3) on the approach to cholecystectomy. Guillotine liver biopsy will be also performed. A 1-hr lecture will introduce the topic, followed by 3-hr wetlab. Workshop will be performed on cadavers.

Ear Surgery in Rabbits and Rodents
Charly Pignon
Sunday, August 30, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Cost: $750 USD
Registrants: DVM
Ear diseases are a common presentation in rabbits and rodents. Unfortunately, most of the time medical treatment is unrewarding. Depending on the location of the disease, the surgical technique could be challenging. After a theoretical presentation of 1 hour, participants will practice and learn for 3 hours how to perform otectomy, ear hematoma surgery, partial ear canal ablation, bulla osteotomy, myringotomy on rabbits, guinea pigs and rats. These techniques will be performed by the participants under the direct supervision of the lab instructors.

How to Intubate Almost Any Exotic Companion Mammal
Alissa Tepedino, Ashton Boon, and Dan Johnson
Sunday, August 30, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Cost: $600 USD
Registrants: All
Endotracheal intubation provides airway control and improves patient safety. However, small exotic mammals – especially rabbits and rodents – can seem nearly impossible to intubate. Lab participants will learn how to overcome the obstacles to intubation in these species. Didactic lecture will be followed by on-screen demonstration of rabbit/rodent glottal anatomy and various blind and visual intubation techniques including blind intubation with and without a tracheal guide (catheter or wire), direct visual intubation using laryngoscope or otoscope, side-by-side intubation with the aid of an endoscope, and over-the-endoscope intubation. Participants will then practice these on rabbit cadavers and a variety of other small exotic mammal cadavers.

Options for Surgical Elective Altering for Exotic Companion Mammals
Angela Lennox, Sayrah Gilbert, and Rae Porter-Blackwell
Sunday, August 30, 1:30 - 5:30 PM
Cost: $650 USD
Registrants: DVM, Intern, DVM Student
This wet lab repeats laboratories done here in the past, and also at other venues including VMX. Using ECM cadavers we will learn and practice a variety of techniques in various exotic mammal species, focusing on non-carnivores such as rabbits, guinea pigs, rodents and sugar gliders. Please note I have not heard if Capello's dental lab is a go, but we are prepared to offer this twice if desired and will shuffle instructors as needed. With enough room, we can open this to more participants than the typical 20 or so. We will try to expand the species in the lab, understanding acquiring non rabbit/rodent species may be challenging.

Rabbit and Rodent Dentistry
Jeffrey Applegate, Jr. and Alison Savo
Sunday, August 30, 1:30 - 5:30 PM
Cost: $750
Registrants: DVM
One hour of didactic lecture followed by 3 hours of hands-on experience performing dental procedures on rabbit cadavers. Procedures include, but are not limited to incisor trimming, cheek teeth occlusal adjustment, incisor extraction, and cheek teeth extraction. Odontogenic abscess management may be included depending on cadaver availability. 

Small Bodies, Big Skills: Technician Clinical Foundations for Exotic Mammal Care
Colleen Roman and Nia Chau
Sunday, August 30, 1:30 - 5:30 PM
Cost: $450
Registrants: All
Exotic mammal patients such as rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, and chinchillas are now routine in clinical practice, yet formalized procedural training for veterinary technicians remains limited. This cadaver-only wetlab combines structured didactic education with repetitive, anatomically accurate skill practice to establish foundational proficiency in small mammal vascular access and injection techniques. The lab begins with a technician-centered lecture co-instructed by a dual-credentialed DVM and RVT, emphasizing comparative anatomy, sedation and stress considerations, vessel fragility, catheter sizing by species, and complication prevention. Detailed visual guides will review jugular, cephalic, lateral saphenous, and cranial vena cava access landmarks, species-specific muscle mass limitations for IM injections, ideal SC zones, and safety considerations unique to rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, and chinchillas, including bone density differences, cardiac sensitivity, cavity proportions, and IO placement tolerances. Following instruction, participants rotate through cadaver-based skill stations to practice IM and SC injections, IV catheterization, and intraosseous catheter placement (tibial and humeral). Directed coaching reinforces needle angle, tactile feedback, catheter advancement, IO flush confirmation, securement, and clinical decision-making for IV vs IO access. Repetition facilitates confidence while prioritizing anatomic respect, procedural safety, and proper tissue handling. This lab builds repeatable, evidence-supported competency in essential small mammal nursing skills, improving patient safety, procedural success, and the standard of exotic mammal clinical care delivered by veterinary technicians.

AAFV

Gill to Tail: The Complete Fish Physical Exam
Robert Martinez and Shane Boylan
Sunday, August 30, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Cost: $400 USD
Registrants: All
In this hands-on workshop we will demonstrate how to properly sedate and perform a physical exam on fish. These skills gained in this lab can be used in several species of fish. The goals of the lab include: 1. Safely calculate, prepare, and administer MS-222 sedation for individual fish 2. Recognize stages of anesthesia and monitor sedation depth 3. Perform a complete sedated physical exam on a fish 4. Collect basic diagnostic samples (skin scrape, gill clip, fin clip).5. Perform gill endoscopy. 6. Gain familiarization with the use of ultrasound on fish. 7. Discuss and/or assist with recovery and monitor return to normal behavior.

Beyond the Scales: Practical Fish Necropsy for the Exotic Clinician
Robert Martinez
Sunday, August 30, 1:30 - 3:30 PM
Cost: $200 USD
Registrants: All
In this hands-on workshop we will demonstrate proper necropsy skills of fish. You will perform external/internal examination, detailed dissection, and proper tissue sampling for diagnostic testing. Using the microscope to evaluate samples and learn normal. Learn how to perform clinical skills: skin scraps, gill clips, fin clips, venipuncture, diagnostic sampling, etc.

HYBRID

Exotic Animal Hematology
Ian Kanda and Susan Fielder
Sunday, August 30, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Cost: $450 USD
Registrants: All
The goal of this workshop is to offer hands-on experience and guidance for participants to learn how to approach hematology in both common exotic species, and species they may have never seen before. With a combination of lecture and wet lab time, this workshop will cover common venipuncture sites, laboratory techniques, multiple white blood cell count methodologies, cell differentials, and how to get the most out of the smallest blood sample.

Cytology, Sample Collection, Clinical Pathology of Reptiles and Exotic Companion Mammals
Heather Bjornebo and Kristen Turner
Sunday, August 30, 1:30 - 5:30 PM
Cost: $450 USD
Registrants: All
This wet lab is designed to give participants hands-on practice with common sampling techniques used in reptiles and exotic companion mammals. Using ballistic gel models covered with real rabbit and snake skin, attendees will be able to experience how different skin types affect needle placement, control, and overall technique in a way that closely mimics live patients.

Participants will rotate through guided stations to practice fine needle aspirates, fluid collection, and basic ultrasound-guided targeting. The models are designed to simulate realistic tissue resistance and allow repeated practice without the need for live animals, helping build confidence and technical skill in a low-pressure environment.

This approach focuses on improving practical, everyday clinical skills while highlighting important differences between reptile and mammal handling and sampling techniques.

American College of Zoological Medicine

Jorgensen Laboratories

Kerrier

Mount Laurel Animal Hospital

Multi Radiance Lasers

Pennsylvania Bat Conservation and Rehabilitation

RICA Animal Health

Rose Micro Solutions

Supreme Petfoods

Surgitel

Universal Surgical Instruments

UMiami Avian & Wildlife Laboratory

Veterinary Books by Success Concepts

The Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
1201 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107

The conference rate is $229/night plus all applicable taxes. To secure the conference rate, please book on or before August 6, 2026.