#227: Martha Rivera, curator of the Everglades Outpost, talks about the joys and challenges of running a refuge facility where people dump unwanted exotic pets. They also rehabilitate and release wildlife, often with Dr. Doug’s veterinary expertise. 

 #226: Musician Alex Rybek lists the advantages of having a snake as a pet --- Petula is quiet, hypoallergenic, undemanding and an object of beauty. [However, Petula’s weekly meal does require dangling a defrosted mouse with a forceps.] 

#228: Protect your vulnerable exotics from mercury-busting temperatures. Parrots, Jackson's chameleons, bunnies, small birds and mammals can all die in un-air-conditioned indoor spaces or outdoors, too. Dr. Doug suggests ways to keep them cool. 

 #225: Dr. Doug extols the virtues of friendly, easy to keep and affectionate guinea pigs as his favorite “starter pet” for kids. But he cautions to house them correctly or they can get bumblefoot! 

 #224: Dr. Doug Mader extols the wondrous sophistication and utility of a snake's forked tongue and explains “tongue flicking.”