11/21/2025
Have you ever wondered how we are able to obtain a blood sample from our reptile friends?
Our approach will vary depending on what kind of reptile we are trying to obtain a sample from. Besides reptiles having scales, we run into other challenges we need to navigate like having a big protective shell or no legs!
For most of our lizards (and snakes) the collection site will be from their tail vein. We can't actually see the vein, but we work with anatomical landmarks. First we want to make sure the site is clean and we rub some betadine on the scales. We then look for the middle point on the ventral tail portion. For males we have to make sure we don't poke too close to their vent as we don't want to accidentally hit their hemipenes. Once we find out middle point, we go in at a 90 degree angle. We might have to make small adjustments until we see blood filling out syringe.
For most of our patients we can do this with minimal restraint and we don't need sedation. Any reptile species that will drop their tail as a defense would have to be sedated first and the sample collected from a different location. Once we have our sample we apply some pressure and check the site. Easy, right?
Check out the second picture showing what the blood looks like under the microscope. The red blood cells are nucleated and you can see a white blood cell called heterophil as well. The morphology of these white cells can show some variations between all the different species!
We hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into the world of reptile blood collection.
