Centre for Avian, Reptiles and Exotics

Centre for Avian, Reptiles and Exotics Veterinary service for birds, small mammals and reptiles based in Klapmuts with satellite consultations in Langebaan and Somerset West. Veterinarian
(1)

We are available for after hour emergencies, please contact to determine availability.

22/11/2025

The face Dr Coetzee saw at 5:58AM

🐦 Why We Don’t Mix Bird Species in Our Hospital at CAREIt might look harmless to place different bird species near each ...
20/11/2025

🐦 Why We Don’t Mix Bird Species in Our Hospital at CARE

It might look harmless to place different bird species near each other, but in a hospital environment, it is medically inappropriate.
At CARE, our focus is professional, evidence-based avian medicine — and part of that is strict species separation.

🦠 1. Preventing Cross-Infection

Different species carry different bacteria, viruses and parasites.
What is mild in one species can be severe in another.
Hospitalised birds are already compromised, so infection control is non-negotiable.

🕊️ 2. Protecting Medically Fragile Patients

Hospital patients often have respiratory disease, fractures, nutritional issues or are recovering from surgery.
These birds cannot tolerate additional physiological or psychological stress from another species nearby.

😥 3. Reducing Stress to Improve Recovery

Stress elevates cortisol, weakens immunity and delays healing.
Even the presence or vocalisation of another, incompatible species can create unnecessary stress for a recovering patient.

🪶 4. Preventing Accidental Injury

Aggression is not required for harm.
A single defensive or exploratory bite, a dominance display or a grab through the cage bars can cause significant injury — especially to weakened or immobile patients.

💚 Why CARE Does This

Because we are a medical facility, not a mixed-species display.
Our responsibility is to provide controlled, species-appropriate, professional hospital care.
Keeping species apart prevents complications, promotes healing and ensures every patient receives the standard of care expected from an avian and exotic veterinary hospital.

A diagnosis is only as accurate as the diagnostics behind it — and at CARE, we take that seriously.Every patient deserve...
20/11/2025

A diagnosis is only as accurate as the diagnostics behind it — and at CARE, we take that seriously.

Every patient deserves a correct diagnosis the first time. That’s why we invest in advanced diagnostic equipment and highly trained staff who know how to use it properly. Good medicine starts with good information.

🔬 Blood Tests
Blood samples must be handled with absolute care. Even slight trauma to red blood cells can cause false elevations or decreases on biochemistry. At CARE, our team is trained in proper collection, handling, anticoagulant choice, and rapid processing to protect sample integrity.

🩻 Radiographs (X-rays)
An X-ray isn’t “just an X-ray.” Correct positioning, exposure, contrast, and detail are essential for the image to be diagnostic. At CARE we use high-resolution digital radiography and strict positioning protocols to avoid misleading shadows or artefacts.

🧫 Microscopy
Cytology, feather/skin scraping, faecal exams, crop smears — all of these require correct sampling, slide preparation, and interpretation. Our microscopy work helps us detect infection, inflammation, parasites, yeast, bacteria, and early disease patterns long before they become obvious.

📹 Endoscopy
Our endoscopy equipment allows us to look inside the patient safely and in real time — evaluating the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, cloaca, and more. It also allows targeted biopsies, foreign body removal, and accurate visual diagnosis without invasive surgery.

🐦 Why this matters
Precise diagnostics prevent misdiagnosis, unnecessary treatment, and delays in care. When you choose CARE, you’re choosing a clinic that refuses to guess. We rely on evidence, accuracy, and high-quality diagnostics to guide every medical decision.

Advanced equipment + skilled staff = better outcomes for your pet.
That’s the CARE standard.

(And no, we don’t have a CT scanner… but if someone wants to donate one, we’ll love you forever.)

12/11/2025

🎥 From critical to comfortable 🐰💚

This little bunny came in with a severely bloated stomach — a life-threatening condition in rabbits. Thanks to medical management, not surgery, he made a full recovery. 🌿✨

We treated him with a lidocaine and fentanyl CRI (Continuous Rate Infusion) — a steady, controlled drip that delivers pain relief and gut-supportive medication over time — along with warmth, fluids and round-the-clock monitoring. Within hours, he started eating again! 🥬

Many cases like this can be turned around with timely medical treatment, avoiding the risks of surgery — but only if caught early.

If your rabbit looks round, stops eating or passing droppings — don’t wait. Early care saves lives.

📍CARE – Centre for Avian, Reptile & Exotics
🐦🦎🐰
📞 021 875 5063

10/11/2025

🎥 Behind the scenes at CARE 🐦
You don’t often get to see this part — our team performing X-rays and blood tests with care, precision, and speed.
Every step is done calmly and efficiently to ensure the very best for your feathered (or scaled, or furry) family member. 💚

Did you know? 🦜💚Dr Coetzee isn’t just a registered avian vet — it’s been in his feathers since day one! His dad’s an avi...
10/11/2025

Did you know? 🦜💚
Dr Coetzee isn’t just a registered avian vet — it’s been in his feathers since day one! His dad’s an avian vet too, and he’s been keeping birds since he was a kid.

After studying at one of the best universities in the world and learning from some of the top avian vets in Australia, he brought all that knowledge (and heart) home to South Africa. 🇿🇦

This lifelong passion and international experience are what set him apart — and why every bird and exotic patient at CARE is treated like his own. 🌿✨

📍 Centre for Avian, Reptile & Exotic Animal Care
📞 021 875 5063

🌿 Did you know?CARE (Centre for Avian, Reptiles & Exotics) is the only dedicated avian and exotics veterinary clinic in ...
09/11/2025

🌿 Did you know?
CARE (Centre for Avian, Reptiles & Exotics) is the only dedicated avian and exotics veterinary clinic in the greater Cape Town region that:
✅ Is open every weekend
✅ Offers after-hours support until 21:30
✅ Has a vet on premises for critical patients

We do this because exotic pets often hide their symptoms until it’s almost too late — and emergencies don’t wait for office hours. At CARE, your feathered, scaled, and furry family members are never left without help. 💚

📍 Located in Klapmuts
📞 074 134 3271 | 021 875 5063

🌿 CARE: South Africa’s Most Sustainable Veterinary PracticeAt CARE, we don’t just care for animals — we care for the pla...
07/11/2025

🌿 CARE: South Africa’s Most Sustainable Veterinary Practice

At CARE, we don’t just care for animals — we care for the planet they call home.

⚡️ We run on solar power
🛢️ We produce our own biodiesel
🌱 We work with EarthPet Dignified Farewells, a green composting service for ethical carcass management
🔌 We’re moving to fully electric vehicles — and soon, we’ll even have an off grid EV charging station on-site

We don’t do this for fun.
We do it for our wildlife. 💚

🎄 Festive Season Availability 🎄The CARE team will be available throughout the festive season to look after your feathere...
05/11/2025

🎄 Festive Season Availability 🎄

The CARE team will be available throughout the festive season to look after your feathered, scaled, and furry exotic companions. 🦜🐍🐇

We’ll be closed on the main public holidays, but open for emergencies — because we know health issues don’t take a holiday!

📞 For emergencies, please call or message 074 134 3271 prior to arriving so that we can ensure veterinarian availability.

💚 Dr Coetzee will be hanging around the practice during the festive season to ensure continued care for his patients.

✨ Remember: the earlier you detect an abnormality, the easier it is to treat.

💬 Why doesn’t Dr Coetzee have another vet helping him?We get this question a lot! The simple answer is that Dr Coetzee l...
03/11/2025

💬 Why doesn’t Dr Coetzee have another vet helping him?

We get this question a lot! The simple answer is that Dr Coetzee likes to have complete control and continuity of care for every patient who walks, hops, slithers, or flies through our doors. 🐦🐍🐇

Exotic and avian cases are often incredibly complex and unique — even small differences in technique or interpretation can make a big difference to recovery and long-term health.

By personally handling each case from start to finish, Dr Coetzee ensures that every patient receives the same high level of precision, consistency, and care that CARE is known for.

At CARE, it’s never about how many patients we see — it’s about how well we see them. 💚

⚡️Tiny Patients. Faster Recovery.At CARE, we use advanced electrocautery surgery — a technique that uses controlled elec...
30/10/2025

⚡️Tiny Patients. Faster Recovery.
At CARE, we use advanced electrocautery surgery — a technique that uses controlled electrical energy to cut and seal tissue at the same time.

For our delicate birds, reptiles, rabbits, and exotic pets, this means:
✅ Minimal blood loss during surgery
✅ Shorter anaesthetic times
✅ Less swelling and pain
✅ Faster recovery and a smoother healing process

Every detail matters when your patient weighs just a few grams — and our specialised equipment ensures that every exotic animal gets the safest, most precise surgical care possible. 💚

📍Centre for Avian, Reptile and Exotic Animal Medicine (CARE)
Where innovation meets compassion.

⸻

A client asked why we don’t treat dogs and cats. Here’s why. 🏥 A Calm, Safe Space for Birds, Rabbits & ExoticsWhy We Don...
30/10/2025

A client asked why we don’t treat dogs and cats. Here’s why.

🏥 A Calm, Safe Space for Birds, Rabbits & Exotics

Why We Don’t Hospitalise Dogs or Cats

At CARE – The Centre for Avian, Reptiles and Exotics, everything is designed for birds, rabbits, reptiles, and other exotic pets.
We do not treat or hospitalise dogs and cats — and that’s what makes CARE unique.

⸻

💚 Stress-Free Healing

Our patients are mostly prey species, and even the sound or scent of a dog or cat can cause:
• Anxiety and fear responses
• Loss of appetite or gut stasis
• Feather plucking or self-trauma
• Delayed recovery

By keeping our hospital quiet, calm, and species-specific, we create the ideal environment for healing.

⸻

🦜 Purpose-Built Wards

Each species has its own specialised space:
• Birds: warm, filtered, and well-ventilated rooms
• Rabbits & small mammals: soft bedding and gentle airflow
• Reptiles: precise temperature and humidity control

No barking. No meowing. No stress.

⸻

🧼 Safety & Professional Care

We use separate equipment, air systems, and cleaning tools for each species group — maintaining strict biosecurity and stress-free recovery.

⸻

💬 Our Promise

By focusing exclusively on exotic species, CARE ensures:
✅ Minimal stress
✅ Faster recovery
✅ A truly species-appropriate hospital environment

⸻

Thank you for helping us keep CARE calm, safe, and specialised — just as our patients deserve.

CARE – The Centre for Avian, Reptiles and Exotics
Calm • Advanced • Respectful • Exotic

Address

Pellmeadow Estate, Protea Road, R44, Klapmuts
Stellenbosch
7625

Telephone

+27218755063

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Centre for Avian, Reptiles and Exotics posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Centre for Avian, Reptiles and Exotics:

Shortcuts

Share

Category