At RVC Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital and vet practice, you can be reassured that you are getting exceptional reptile vet expertise. Your pet will benefit from our team’s specialist reptile vet training and extensive reptile care experience. From the day you get your reptile and throughout its lifetime - we can support and give you reptile care advice every step of the way.

Our exotics pet team has in-depth species knowledge and medical expertise – we are the most experienced reptile vet team in London and the South East. Dr Joanna Hedley heads up our reptile veterinary service and is an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine and European Boarded Specialist in Reptile Medicine.

In addition to running the Exotics clinical service at the RVC, Dr Hedley runs the European College of Zoological Medicine (ECZM) residency in Herpetological Medicine. The residency program lasts for three years and is specifically designed to provide the resident with the necessary training to credential for and sit the examination for the European College of Zoological Medicine (Herpetology).

In November 2022, Dr Hedley's research paper Antibiotic stewardship for reptiles won the 'Best Scientific Research Paper' 2022 Award from the British Veterinary Zoological Society (BVZS).

Thinking of buying a reptile pet?  

We recognise that buying a reptile as a pet is a big decision – which is why we are on hand to give pre-purchase/ownership guidance when you are choosing your reptile pet.

Specialist reptile pet facilities: We have a specialist temperate controlled reptile ward area which ensures that reptiles are kept in a safe and suitable environment to aid their recovery including: a variety of species-specific vivariums, tortoise tables and tanks for our aquatic species. 

Information and Care Sheets (PDFs)

Reptiles

• Reptile Heating and Lighting Guide
• Salmonella in Reptiles

Snakes

• Caring for your Corn snake
• Caring for your Royal python
• Caring for your Boa constrictor
• Caring for your Hognose Snake

Lizards

• Caring for your Bearded dragon  
• Caring for your Crested gecko 
• Caring for your Leopard gecko
• Caring for your Panther chameleon
• Caring for your Veiled chameleon

Tortoises

• Tortoise hibernation guidelines
• Outdoor tortoise care
• Caring for your Hinge-back tortoise
• Caring for your Indian Star tortoise
• Caring for your Leopard tortoise
• Caring for your Mediterranean tortoise
• Caring for your Red-footed tortoise

Terrapins and Turtles

• Caring for your terrapin  
• Turtle feeding guide
• Caring for your Musk turtle
• Caring for your Map turtle
• Vitamin A deficiency (hypovitaminosis A) in aquatic chelonians

RVC Research and publications about reptile health

Hibernation (brumation) problems in captive UK tortoises (April 2022)

Antibiotic Stewardship in reptiles (2021)

Neurological examination of reptiles (2021)

Complications associated with feeding tubes in chelonians (2021)

Dental disease in bearded dragons (2021)