Stahl Exotic Animal Veterinary Services

MJ Talbott

2024-05

Amazing clean and organized vet. It was such a soothing atmosphere for my two rats, for as much as going to the vet can be a stressful experience. My shy Lionel was having red tears and when I called with the concern the staff fit me in same day within an hour. I brought my other rat Richie as well and they offered to do both their checkups, and discovered a mild respiratory infection. Thankful we’d taken so much urgency and that Lionel was so dramatic earlier! They took the time to put myself and the handsome boys at ease, took joy in caring for them, gave me information about their care, as well as demonstrated how to give them their medication. While the service itself was above and beyond the call of duty, the fact the pricing is very reasonable just makes it that much better. Nobody should have to worry about paying out the nose for their beloved pets’ needed care.

M D

2024-02

Ok so I’ve never thought I’d be spending money on a Rat but my daughter is Autistic and they are her everything to her. They were absolutely awesome here! She loved coming. Seeing how much they cared. Her rat Lucy hurt her foot and is doing great thanks to the meds to help with pain until she got better on her own. They were not scared of Lucy although Lucy was not having it. The place is absolutely exciting! Many people there with other exotic pets. We enjoyed the visit and my daughter was happy. They are very knowledgeable and we learned quite a bit too!

Jay Perrine

2024-02

Dr. Bignall was amazing. I'm a first time pet owner and he answered all my questions and during our visit checked often to make sure I understood the technical terms he was using. This place is an hour from my house in another state and it's the only place I'll go in the future. Highly reccomend

EUNJEE JUN

2023-10

Unlike other "just called" exotic places, this place is real.My bunny had some kind of skin problem but I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. When I took him in, Dr. Fountain did an overall checkup and pointed out exactly what he had; also the doctor told me how to cure it and—WOW! it worked within one day like magic.It's really hard to find a rabbit specialty vet, but I feel very safe with them. They welcome you with a lot of care for your pet, full knowledge and honesty for their procedures.I finally found the perfect vet for my rabbit 🐇

Kay Pepper

2023-11

8/1/2023: She passed away… Same issue…3/30/2023: Previous Review was a 5 Stars, but after having an actually Emergency, I drew the short straw and got absolutely the most horrendous service and experience.My baby bunny came in for an emergency after having mucous like pooping problems and a serious case of GI. I came in and paid the Emergency pricing.The first doctor we chatted with didn't really explain much. A lot of "What if, Maybe, Not Sure, Etc.", I pre-paid $1.3K. They just did there thing I had to trust them.Next day, the next doctor gives me a worse experience, by saying a lot more of "Maybe, Not Sure, I can't say, Etc." and seems to upsell more add-ons to the services. Recommends another night and fecal test, because he isn't convinced and "Not sure, Can't Say, I can't confirm, Etc." got to pay for more services to look deeper.On the final day, this is where I am getting seriously irritated, because I have to call them to get back to me for a follow up. The same doctor again, "Not sure, can't say, maybe, another day, another test..." This is where to extremely angry because its just adding on random things you don't need and wants more observation. I just wanted my drugs and take my bunny home. We got there and they gave my bunny another feeding before I left and my charged me again. I ended up with $1.7K total for the emergency. When I compared it side by side with my NYC bill for a similar situation with another rabbit, its more expensive?!After nickel and diming me and trying to tack on more services, the doctors never followed up with me, receptionist never did either. My bunny did not get better, she was in as much pain as when it started, plus not eating or drinking or pooping, so why did I just throw money in the trash?I called back and talked to the first doctor I had and again, "Not sure, maybe this, can't confirm..." but you know what, "there is a slim chance its parasites, how about more drugs to counter that..." She said she would call around and try to get it for me, I said, "Why not..." and 100% knew she wasn't going to do it and she never got back to me. The other doctor said he'll show me x-rays labelled and circled for us to learn about it, he never did that... I had to ask the receptionist 3 times for my bunnies records... I asked them to send it to the new vet., they didn't even do it, am like "What the heck is going on?" This is terrible! This is exactly why I wanted my own copy, because I do not trust them to work properly.For a 2nd Opinion at another practice, the vet. examined the x-rays and documents and already with an "affirmative" voice said there is no way this is a parasite issue with these results and what he is observing with the bunny.Biggest difference is that the new Vet. isn't afraid to just do it and take action without pushing me to make a decision, "We think you should.../I recommend..." nonsense. As the new Vet. said do this and that. He sent me home with some extra drugs and instructions on what to do, he actually cared a bit more to listen, because they did not listen at SEAVS.Overall, I did what the new Vet. recommended and my bunny is better. All I had to do was get the drugs and adjust how I take care for my bunny while in this situation, there was never any reason to leave my bunny overnight! It should've only costed $700, including tests, x-rays, and drugs, and as an outpatient.SEAVS Vet's just think its all the same thing and talk nonstop without really asking me anything. My previous vet. would always check in and call, reception with follow up, and know that there is a owner behind the pet too to also be considerate of, and my previous place was equally as busy as NYC's top vet. hospitals as well. I can ramble on, it was just terrible...As I said, others may have a better experience, but I just straight up drew the wrong straw and came out feeling scammed and like the joke of the doctors office for the day.Note: My posted pictures here are old~

Sophia Christina

2024-02

This review has been years in the making. :) We live in MD and were referred to SEAVS several years ago for our sweet guinea pig, Jerry. Dr. Romo was able to quickly and correctly diagnose Jerry’s chronic neurological condition and improve his quality of life immensely through proper treatment. After Dr. Romo returned to FL, Jerry was treated by Dr. Nielsen for quite some time extending well into the pandemic era.Our piggy, Pablo, was treated by Dr. Stahl and Dr. Baley during the height of the pandemic when it was just such a tough time for everyone, everywhere. Pablo finally seemed to be on the right track recovering from a tooth root abscess, but he took a turn for the worse and did not make it. I will always remember and appreciate Dr. Stahl’s incredible outreach after Pablo died. He left a touching voicemail and then sent a card the following week with a heartfelt, detailed, handwritten message that clearly demonstrated his care for our sweet Pablo. His high level of compassion provided so much comfort and he even thanked me over the phone for giving them the chance to try and help Pablo. His profound sincerity and empathy cannot be overstated.Our piggy, CoCo, had two cystotomies performed by Dr. Carothers just 10 weeks apart and he fully recovered after both surgeries to enjoy life to the fullest! He was well over 4 years old at the time and received such superior care from the entire team. All of the staff have gone above and beyond with each of our guinea pigs over the years for every single appointment or procedure.Sadly, our sweet CoCo had inoperable cancer growths near his nose this past fall. I am thankful that Dr. Carothers was able to do a CT scan on CoCo so we knew for certain. Once the growths were interfering with CoCo’s quality of life and we were out of options, we returned to SEAVS where he was humanely euthanized. I want to extend a special ‘thank you’ to Vet Tech, Zack, who was with me and CoCo for this heart wrenching process.I also want to extend my gratitude to Dr. Carothers for the loving card she sent after CoCo’s passing. She was not there the day he died but she still reached out with a warm and genuinely compassionate message remembering CoCo and expressing how much everyone at SEAVS loved him (which was always obvious to me over the years!).Thank you to everyone at SEAVS who has provided love and care for our guinea pigs, Jerry, Pablo, CoCo, and even Archie (he was there one time for a check up with Dr. Carothers). :)

Sam M

2024-04

Stahl exotic saved my axolotl’s life, and I have no doubt about that. She was incredibly lethargic and not eating and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. They treated her with so much love and gentleness, and showed a genuine interest in her getting better. After the medicines they prescribed she seems to have fully recovered, and I am so grateful for their help and expertise.

Judi L

2023-12

Crinkle is a 1 1/2 year old skinny Guinea pig.She had lost weight and slowed down in her eating.So I called SEAVS. They got her in right away! She had a great physical exam she also had some dental issues. They trimmed them all up, I brought her home and she’s already eating hay! What? Thank you Dr. Currothers and Katie!

Angelica Rivera

2024-01

I was on the way to another exotic vet in Fairfax and something told me to come here. I couldn’t be more happier with how they treat us. Unfortunately, our pig didn’t survive. She was almost 6 years old. They were completely honest with us and we needed to take the hard decision. We will miss A LOT our little friend. Her personality was just beautiful. Our guinea was very special and this why was so hard to lose her. To the Dr, technician and receptionist, thank you very much for being so kind to us during this difficult time.

Yasmin

2024-05

Taking pets here is a mistake. My brother took his two conures here to get their blood drawn to test for diseases, because an aviary required proof (through blood work) that the birds are free of diseases in order for them to board the birds. My brother and his wife took his birds here and was told by Dr. Fountain that it was a safe procedure to get a birds blood drawn and when my brother asked if there was any risk, he mentioned that there is a risk for bleeding out and possibly death but made it seem like it was an extremely rare, unlikely event and told them that that has never happened at their establishment. He assured them that it would be ok and it was extremely unlikely that a bird wouldn’t survive a blood draw. Well- he took the first bird back for a blood draw and they said he bled too much, stopped breathing, and his bird died at the vet. I understand mistakes happen and unlikely and rare situations still have a chance at occurring, but I feel it is extremely irresponsible on the Vet to not sit and COUNSEL the owner on the risk vs benefit of doing anything on an animal, especially something that I now know is unnecessary and does have a huge risk. Instead of making it seem like “oh this never happens, you’re good, this is a safe procedure”, you could have sat down and told my brother this risk and really talked to him about it, especially because this was not an emergency and something my brother requested. It’s up to the doctor at the end of the day to talk to the owner and really explain to them the downsides of it and if this is really necessary, and talk to the owner about possibly not doing it if it has a large risk involved. It’s up to the vet to EDUCATE not only themselves but the owners on procedures, not just brush things off and then you end up with a death at your clinic. Had my brother known that, he would have immediately changed his mind and decided not to do the blood draw and searched for other options for boarding his birds without a required blood test, and his bird would still be alive. I also think because this doctor acted so nonchalantly about this blood draw and didn’t think it was a big deal, he was not properly prepared to administer life saving meds and take life saving measures, especially in a case like this where it was a matter of seconds that my brothers bird started bleeding out and stopped breathing. I’m extremely frustrated at the lack of attention and lack of care from the doctor, and how he made it seem like a blood draw on a bird was no big deal when in reality, after doing research it IS common that blood draws are not safe for healthy birds and it’s not even something that should be done under the standards of care for avians. he could have counseled my brother on that prior to doing it. Instead, my brother went into it trusting the doctors word for it and it ended so horribly. I’m extremely disappointed and disheartened at this Vet’s lack of care and we trusted this place due to the high number of good reviews especially with dealing with exotic animals. Your doctors, vet techs, and whomever else need to be better trained on counseling owners on procedures rather than just doing them, because it is the Vets responsibility to make sure it is safe to do so and that the animal will not die under your care. You also need to be properly trained on what is safe and necessary for different animals, and know when not to do something, especially when it is not necessary for the health and well-being of the animal.

Sarah Brunsmeier

2024-01

I take my African pygmy hedgehogs here. The vets/techs are so kind and understanding of concerns. They are honest about risks and pricing. The pricing is also great. I have an exotic vet closer to my home but I choose to drive 45 minutes out of my way because I trust this team. It also helps that I can usually get an appointment the week that I need it. Highly recommended.

Dara Satterfield

2024-04

The veterinarians and staff at SEAVS are remarkable and provide the best veterinary care to their patients. The team is super knowledgeable, caring, and organized. They helped my rabbits live many years in health and comfort.

Ryn Miller

2023-06

The staff at Stahl are very caring and professional. We are so appreciative that there is an exotic vet who can care for our rabbits. We are able to schedule appointments within a reasonable timeframe and they have been helpful with troubleshooting emergencies over the phone to avoid an unnecessary and potentially costly visit.

James Calderon

2024-04

Kind and helpful staff. Their service is speedy and I learned a lot about ferrets and their health issues thanks to them. Have been using them the entirety of my ferrets life, and they really helped during the passing if my pet

Chelsea

2024-04

Best Vets I have been to. They took care of my Rat with thoroughness and remembered me as I came in the second time for a checkup. It was not an exorbitant fee to take care of my baby girl and I will only go here for my exotics.

Madeline Ridings

2024-04

I highly recommend this vet and Dr. Nielson! She helped take great care of my bunny and she is recovering very well thanks to her. She is extremely knowledgeable and great at what she does. I’m super thankful to have had such a great experience here!

Stephanie Myers

2023-12

They fit us in same day as a new client when we had an emergency for our rabbit. Unfortunately he had to be euthanized. We met with two different doctors at the practice and they were both so kind and compassionate. They took all the time to answer our questions and walked us through every possible scenario and option. It was clear they cared. Even though our experience with them was short it was impactful and we felt well taken care of.

Kylie Byrd

2024-01

We were able to get a new patient appointment on short notice to address a possibly ingrown toenail and they did a great job evaluating my sister's guinea pigs, trimming their nails which we had struggled with doing, and giving us specific husbandry guidance with thorough explanations on the why of things. The facility is impressive and clean. Highly recommend this exotic animal vet!

Christine Lynn

2024-01

I first found this clinic when one of my Muscovy ducks had a soft tissue injury to his throat after getting his head stuck in a fence and I brought him here to be evaluated. They were curbside at the time (which I didn't mind) and they were fantastic with their communication and walking me through the exam and the possible routes of treatment we were facing. I'm a veterinarian assistant myself (my clinic doesn't see exotics) and hail from a family of veterinarians, so I'm incredibly picky about what clinics I bring my exotics to, and this place checked all my boxes. Their prices weren't terribly exorbitant (especially for the area), their staff was friendly, their doctors were professional, friendly, very knowledgeable and good with the animals, and they were straight forward and upfront about diagnostics, treatment and cost. I drive 3 hours both ways to bring my animals to this clinic and I have no intention of going anywhere else. Highly recommended!

Constanza Miguel

2024-04

Dr. Carothers was just awesome with my conure Cinnamon. Even though they were running behind that day she never rushed us and she took the time to thoroughly explain everything about avian hormonal behavior. Additionally she didn't push any unnecessary tests on us. I highly recommend seeing her for any avian needs.

Mya Fisher

2023-05

I love the vets and techs here! I have two guinea pigs that have been seen here for the last 4 years. Both have had some form of serious health issue. And the techs and vets take time to explain and help you understand what is going on with your fur baby. I've had them walk me through X-rays and CT scans which can be scary. Techs have returned my calls after hours and spent time answering my many questions. I never feel like I am pestering them with all of my questions. They are patient and know their stuff. They care about all the animals they see. I live farther away now, but I trust them, so I recently brought my piggies in after 2 stressful and unsatisfying ER visits. Taking the time to explain things to me was so helpful with my own anxiety that even though things aren't perfect for my piggy, I feel better prepared to handle his situation. That kind of educational and empathetic care is hard to find these days, even for us humans. I wish every state had at least one practice like Stahl Exotics available. They are a very special practice and I treasure them for their care of my piggies. (Pics of my piggies for joy!)

Iliana Sanchez

2023-05

My rabbits Baby and Sweet P have been going here for their annual check ups and nail trims. They also got neutered/spayed here which was a stressful thing for me but the staff always provided me with updates and were so kind through it all. Baby had to be checked into their emergency care a few days after his spay and the staff took the best care of him and were very informative through it all. I love my pets and Stahl Exotics has provided the best care!

Vee

2023-12

This is a review on boarding services: The first time I left my Guinea pigs here it was wonderful. Not only were they weighed every day to show me their progress, they even gave a cute little progress report at the end of their behavior.The second time became extremely detrimental to my pig’s health. When I left them here I wrote specifically on the observation form “He has teeth issues. If he stops eating please call me.” And I assumed they would know by the weight because guinea pigs lie all the time in their behaviors to hide illnesses.I don’t get a call. I picked them up on the 4th day and this pig had lost a LOT of weight - over 100g. I asked two different techs what happened and both chalked it up to stress, but I knew better since I had prior experience leaving them here, and even mentioned to them “I wrote down on the observation form he has teeth issues and to watch if he stops eating.” And they both said to me “Oh, so you know what it is then.”Due to this severe weight loss he was unable to recover properly from his teeth surgeries (since both added more stress to him), and passed away yesterday. I did my part feeding him 4 times a day, in the middle of the night even, for the last (about) two months. Both our main vet from another hospital (whose hospital recommended Stahl Exotics to me) and I agreed that if Stahl staff did their job, if anything, there could have been more time.What I gather from my experience is - if your pet is healthy, you can board them here - but if you have a specific worry, don’t leave them here. I also asked them to cut another pigs nails for extra and they barely cut them at all - she was still in pain and I had to do it myself anyway, so I don’t recommend the extra services either.Also to mention - the first time I left them there, when I came to pick them up it was an incredibly swift pick up. The second time, the front desk called the back 3~4 times to get them to bring my pigs out and I waited a much longer time for my pets to come out (10~15 minutes). While taking care of my Guinea pig for the last two months, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on that weekend.I will not be back to use their services.

Yvonne

2024-03

This team went above and beyond to make sure that my Guinea pig was okay and that I was able to get him the help he needed in an emergency situation.I live in Northwest DC and felt the trip was absolutely worth it. From the receptionists, the vet techs, Dr. Bignall and cleaning crew thank you for all your help and hard work day in and out for these animals!

Geb

2024-01

Reptile vets are few and far between in my area, and even fewer are accepting new patients. Stahl is around 2 hours from where I live, and the care my bearded dragon has received, the friendliness of the staff and their knowledge, makes every minute in the car worth it. Vet care is expensive and specialists are usually more expensive (especially when comparing rural to more metropolitan areas), and, in my experience, the cost has been very reasonable. Especially considering the care my lizard has received. Can't recommend SEAVS highly enough.

Anthony Verdicchio

2024-03

My 10-y/o bearded dragon, Mushu, recently developed a bump on her face that began to bleed and cause her pain. After searching painstakingly for a reptile specialist, I was recommended Stahl by an emergency vet. The care my reptile has received here is beyond description. I live 2 hours away in another state, but every minute of the drive has been worthwhile to see Dr. Bignall. Three months, a blood transfusion, numerous visits, and one surgery later, Mushu is recovering and already starting to get back to her regular self. I cannot thank SEAVS enough for saving her life, and treating a part of my family with so much love and care.

Apryl Harris

2024-04

Today was our first doctor’s visit with our new bun daughter and it was phenomenal! Dr. Bignall, Joe, Asia, and Courtney were very thorough and took exceptional care of our bun! If you are in the market for an exotic doctor, Stahl’s Exotics is the place to be!

Bob L

2024-02

I have not had a lot of experience with vets taking care of my tropical birds. When I did have a serious problem with my birds Dr. Bignall was always availabe and highly concerned for there health. I don't know what I would do with out such a wonderful veterinarian. One life couldn't be saved the other probably would of died without his help. God bless him and you couldn't get a more caring and concerned Dr. for your precious little creature.

Lauren Deasy

2024-02

I love stahl's and the staff that works there. They are always very friendly and get so excited to see my little conure, which makes me feel better when I have to board him. The doctors are very knowledgeable and I always know he is in good hands when I have to leave him for a few nights. They are also very helpful if you need to call and have any health related questions. I would recommend stahl to anyone who has a bird or another exotic pet.

Charlie milanés

2023-05

Look, I'm going to be honest in the review. I really didn't want to write this but my experience has haunted me and I need to get it off my chest. This place has wonderful staff and facilities. They are very nice, and you can tell they genuinely care about the animals. That said, for an exotic vet, my unfortunate experience was that the vet staff was not as knowledgeable of techniques for treatment of rare animals as one would hope. They really, really, messed up the euthanasia of our Amazon. It was one of the worst experiences of my life and left me with trauma and guilt. I know it's difficult to get an IV in a bird, but I would have hoped that they'd be able to do it as an exotic vet. Instead of being able to put him to sleep peacefully, I had to hold him while the tech stabbed him over and over and over with the lethal injection while she tried to find his heart. He was so scared and clearly in pain, despite being on the pain killers and gas. He really died terrified and panicking. It was so upsetting because I trusted that the vet would be able to perform this procedure with ease. I suppose she had only done it a few times prior, given how much she struggled. I have never cried so hard in my life. I'm not trying to say these guys don't know what they're doing because they do. But I just wish it had gone better. -And with what we paid, it should have. You don't get a lot of choices with exotic vets though, so I'd still recommend going to them for check-ups and most routine treatments. I'm still grateful for their hard work, patience, and empathy. I really can't stress enough how kind the vets and techs are. Hence 3/5