METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) — How do you take an x-ray of an Amazon parrot? How do you draw blood from an iguana?
Dr. Gregory Rich, of West Esplanade Veterinary Clinic and Bird Hospital in Metairie, teaches future veterinary technicians how to perform medical tests on exotic animals.
“I bring out Buttercup — a big blue and gold macaw,” he says, “and you can see (the students) kind of ‘whoa’ … I can give them experience so they’re safe, so they’re comfortable.”
Turning students’ initial hesitation into a passion for the work he loves, Dr. Rich regularly teaches the tricks of the trade to Delgado Veterinary Tech students.
A frightened exotic bird, for instance, can be calmed if it’s wrapped in a towel. A boa constrictor won’t flinch if its head is secured in a student’s hand.
“I do get a big thrill,” he says, “out of watching fears kind of melt away. They’ve chosen a career that’s going to be around animals. It doesn’t mean they have to like every animal. But if they have a comfort zone that I’ve eased, that makes my day.”