Reddit reviews Exotic Animal Formulary (3rd Edition)

I think the Exotic Animal Formulary would be exactly what you need. It's not too expensive and it focuses just on drugs.


Yeah, rabbits are really, really tough and very different from dogs and cats. Have you tried just asking something like "how many rabbits do you see?" or "How much experience do you have with rabbits?"
I would hope that most vets would be completely honest. Do you also have any practices that just specialize in exotic animals nearby? A practice that sees even 50% exotics will have more experienced vets than your typical dog/cat place.

I don't know what treatment you would use for the URI, but when/if you need to deal with the coccidiosis what you want is a drug called ponazuril. If his immune system is compromised it may cause the parasites to flare up, and the sulfa drug antibiotics that are commonly used do very little to kill parasites. Get a postage scale and weigh him daily until he recovers. Panacur(fenbendazole) does NOTHING for coccidia in reptiles. (It should kill the rods though.) I lost two baby beardies to ignorant vets and the wrong medication before I did my own research - The Ponazuril brought appetite back in three days. Down side is it needs a prescription, so you have to talk a vet into writing it. I found the dosage in http://www.amazon.com/Exotic-Animal-Formulary-3rd-Edition/dp/0721601804 which I unfortunately no longer have a copy of.

Also, another trick I learned is using the pointy q tips you get in the beauty supply section to open their mouth. You poke the tips in at the very front of their beak/nose where there aren't any teeth, and pry open gently. He'll open his mouth, and you just let him gnaw on the qtip while you squirt medicine onto his tongue. He'll spit the qtip out on his own.

I've sadly had many experiences with vets that don't know how to treat reptiles before. The worst are vets that think they know what they're doing but are really just guessing to save face. Sometimes you have to take things into your own hands and learn how to take care of your babies yourself. I hope your little guy feels better.