Veterinary Center for Birds & Exotics

I’ve been taking my Eclectus parrot there for as long as Dr. Hess opened that office. Dr. Hess as well as, Dr. Ravich and Dr. Thielen as well as all the staff there have been fantastic whether my bird friend has needed routine care or emergency care. While doing his well-​bird checkup, they give info for good bird husbandry and behavior management. I trust them with my parrot’s well-​being, health and life.

I drove over an hour to get here and it was totally worth the trip. The staff couldn’t have been nicer. Dr. Ravich explained everything — even as diagnostics were going on — and was incredibly compassionate. I received a full estimate of services before anything was done and they were very clear about describing what was going to happen and why. My actual bill was lower then the estimated cost The facility itself was spotless.
I am a licensed tech myself and have been in a lot of practices. I would recommend this practice to anyone!

I can’t say enough about the care at Veterinary Center for Birds & Exotics, Dr. Lauren Thielen and the fantastic staff. Our 7.5 year old Bearded Dragon Ziggy needed care for the first time ever urgently. Took us right away. We were very anxious about where to take him for the best care. He’s a bearded dragon, not a dog or cat… We made the right choice. Dr. Thielen took the time to reeducate us about the bearded dragon care while caring for or ailing pet. She took amazing care of him, gave of lots of information concerning the care during his recovery and eased the fears of my 14 year old who has cared for him since Ziggy was 4 weeks old. Thanks a million. Great staff, great care. See you for a check up in 1 year… thanks again…

I think that this practice gets away with a lot because they are the only avian/​exotics specialty vet in the area. I first brought my ferret to this practice on June 19, 2014. I had just purchased the ferret, and wanted to have an exam done to make sure she was healthy, especially because she seemed a bit overweight, and I had another ferret whose health I did not want to put at risk. As you can see in the first bill that I have attached, on that July 19^th visit my ferret received an examination, a distemper vaccination (from Purevax, the only approved distemper vaccination distributor for ferrets), a Diphenhydramine injection (the Benedryl shot), and Oxbrow carnivore care. Also, please note that this bill lists my ferret as a female (what I was told at the store), and despite the fact that I visited the vet initially because of concerns of a weight issue, the bill does not list my ferret’s weight. I had no objections to vaccinating my animal, because that’s the responsible thing to do, however, I was told by Dr. Hess that my ferret needed the Benedryl shot prior to any vaccination as ferrets are known for their reactions to shots, both rabies and distemper. I was given the Oxbrow carnivore care after telling Dr. Hess that I didn’t notice my ferret eating regularly. I had also mentioned that I was in the process of switching him over to a different food from what he had eaten during the year he spent sitting in a pet store, so I wasn’t very concerned and figured that he was just getting acclimated to a new food and environment. The carnivore care, which the vet insisted I buy, can be purchased online for $ 10. Although I am not opposed to having this on hand in case in the future something happens, I paid almost double resale value for it, it was not an emergency. There were a few aspects of the visit that did not sit well with me, and after being told that it would be $ 98 for another exam on top of the costs for the shots (which I was later told was the receptionist’s mistake), I came on Unilocal and wrote a detailed account of my first visit. Within a few hours of posting the review, Dr. Hess called me to discuss my complaints. While some of them were misunderstandings and confusion on my part, one that Dr. Hess was very adamant about was the thoroughness of her exams, which was one of my concerns detailed in my review. In exchange for removing my review, Dr. Hess offered to do my second distemper vaccination and rabies vaccinations free of charge. Not being in a financial position to turn down free vaccinations, I agreed, and so the review came down. I returned to Dr. Hess’s practice to get my ferret’s second distemper shot and my ferret was examined by a different vet. That’s when we discovered that the ferret which had already received a «thorough» exam by this practice was in fact a male, which you’ll notice is changed on the second bill. You’ll also notice that the weight is included on the second bill. My second bill includes an exam (despite the fact that my animal had an exam a month before), the Benedryl shot, and a distemper shot (this time from Nobivac). As I mentioned before, Purevax produces the only distemper shot that is approved for usage in ferrets, and while there is evidence that Nobivac’s distemper shot (which is for puppies) has successful usage in ferrets, it poses more risks, and is a shot where the pros and cons of vaccinating should be considered. Dr. Hess never had this conversation with me, she went ahead and vaccinated my animal with this shot without bringing this issue to my attention. You’ll notice that the cost of this shot on my bill is .01, because as I said, Dr. Hess gave me the shot for taking down my previous review. With some further research, consulting with other vets in the area, and the NYFRA, there is a clear consensus that a Benedryl shot isn’t something that is used as a preventative measure against a reaction in ferrets that have not had them in the past. It’s an expensive shot, more so than the vaccinations. The majority of ferrets are fine without it, and those who aren’t are treated for the reactions as they happen, rather than giving them an additional shot that they usually do not need.
If I felt that the well being of my animal was Dr. Hess’s primary concern I would not have written this. Unfortunately, I think that this practice has lost sight of what they’re there for. I’ve since taken both of my ferrets to a different vet in the area, and I’ve seen the drastic difference in the quality of care they received, and the quality of information given to me by the vet for almost half the price. I went to this practice because I thought a center with a specialty would have been the best thing for my animals, however I was very wrong. I highly recommend exploring your other options.
— attached bills

We board our Amazon Parrot Bubba at the Vet Center for Birds and Exotics and he gets his routine checkups there as well. We could not be happier with the level of care and service. My wife and I have had birds, dogs, cats, fish, rabbits and a slew of other pets throughout our lives. The doctors and staff are the most courteous, knowledgeable and helpful. We live in New Jersey and travel over 40 miles to bring Bubba to this facility. We have been to three other avian veterinary hospitals — none come close. All of the doctors and techs there are intimately familiar with bird behavior and the doctors are available to speak to you ²⁴⁄₇ in an emergency scenario. Plus, they allow you to tour the boarding facility prior to bringing your pet there and have video surveillance of all the pets when everyone leaves for the day. The hospital and its doctors and staff are second to none in my opinion.

This place is a rip off! They take so many unnecessary tests and things just to get more money out of you. They intentionally mess up a test so they have to do it again. Furthermore, after a $ 2,000 bill they couldn’t even make a diagnosis. All they did was guess! How about just doing your job and stop bleeding people dry?!
Note to Laurie: This is not a mistake Laurie. My wife and I were at your center and registered under her name.

Amazing place !! Dr. Laurie Hess is truly an avian and exotic guru !! Highly recommend this facility ! Practices up to date and cutting edge medicine and is wonderfully caring and compassionate !

I have been taking my African Grey, Remi to Dr. Hess for many years. Her and her staff have always been extremely kind and helpful. Remi usually gets very nervous around new people, but she is surprisingly calm and comfortable with Dr. Hess and her team. I usually have a lot of questions for them which they answer with a smile. They always give me tips and advice on how to care for her. I enjoy hearing about new toys and snacks that my bird might enjoy. I’ve recommend Dr. Hess to many people throughout the years and everyone has had nothing but great things to say about their experiences.

I went to the center for my daughters parakeet and met the very Dr. Laura Hess personally. Thank goodness I did when she heard that I needed help she not only took care of our bird she was able to make my little one smile and even laugh. Thanks for your help folks I highly recommend these vets… we came from Connecticut being referred by our vet… they were really great and we will be back for our check ups Thanks dr. laura…

I’ve had my budgie parakeet for four years and today I finally came to the decision that I would bring him in to see a vet. I waited a week and my bird’s behavior was still the same. He was sleeping a lot and he was having trouble making his way around the cage. He wasn’t acting himself. I finally went online this afternoon to make an appointment for my bird. I called the Veterinary Center for Birds and Exotics in Bedford Hills, NY and without even hearing the symptoms of my bird, the receptionist said «bring him in as fast as possible». I didn’t think it was that serious, but as soon as she said that I made the earliest appointment.
When I brought in my bird to the Veterinary Center For Birds and Exotics, the place seemed normal. I was just happy that I made my appointment because there was traffic and I live an hour away from this place. When I was called in, Dr. Michelle Ravich took a look at my parakeet and immediately suggested $ 300-​$ 400 tests without even taking the time to really talk to me about what was going on. I didn’t think it was this serious because he was eating and drinking and doing everything normally except he was sleeping a little more than usual and had difficulty getting around his cage.
I agreed to the Xray which was a little more than $ 100 and there wasn’t serious damage in his stomach (which was the last thing I thought was the real issue). They were suggesting at least 10 types of medication which were way too pricey and absurd. I agreed on two, which was the injection that would kill any viruses in his stomach and this omega-​3 fluid that would help his stomach as well.
During my checkout, the receptionist came to a total of $ 500 which was disgustingly a large amount of money and could not have been possible since I only got two treatments. It should have been around $ 300 dollars. Being a teenager with a credit card, they probably thought I was stupid and wouldn’t notice that they overcharged me on THREE items that I never approved. Calmly, I told her to take a second look because it could not be that much. That’s when she said there was triple an item that was supposed to be on there and «apologized».
Turns out, after my appointment, my bird was 100x worse than he ever was. He slept the whole car ride and was breathing very heavily. I was extremely concerned, however I felt that the medicine perhaps didn’t kick in yet. When I arrived home, he couldn’t move and was on his side in his cage on the bottom. He was never like this before the appointment. It was too late to call them because it was 8:30 pm. I had to drive my boyfriend home because his car broke down and sure enough when I got home, my bird was dead.
Denise Q couldn’t of said it better (the comment before mine). These «veterinarians» are money hungry, selfish individuals who only care about their «business» and not about doing their job by treating animals. My bird could’ve lasted months more, though by making $ 200 more off of the injection they put in my bird made him die 2 hours later.
This happened tonight, and tomorrow morning they will face serious consequences against their business and I will get my money back. Especially teenagers; they WILL take whatever they can get. I will never suggest this place to anyone unless they are looking to have these «doctors» kill their animals.

I have to agree with the person below. Unfortunately, this vet is very money hungry. I took my lovebird there in dare condition and I can pretty much say she knew my bird wouldn’t make it much longer but still insisted in doing several tests…$ 1,200 and 24 hours later my beloved Yucca passed. Do not recommend this office.

LOVE Dr. Ravich & Dr. Hess. SUPER knowledgeable about my bunny & my wife’s cockatiel. Their staff is always nice. The office is always clean & well kept. What I like is that not only are the vet techs hands on but also the doctor.

By far THE BEST place to go for your exotic animal. We had an emergency & they took Skye right away & he is now on the mend. Dr. Ravich was GREAT with Skye & it looks like they’ve inherited another patient! Thank you!!!

My sons Guinea Pig was not looking good at all, it had been vomiting, was unable to move her rear legs and looked hopeless. I called several vets and Dr Hess was the only one willing to see the poor little critter. I had thought that Charlie needed to be put to sleep and had prepared my son for the worst.
The vist cost me a small fortune but I am happy to report that Charlie spent a full week in a shoe box under intense care and has fully recovered. Additional my 10 year old son has learnt a valuable lesson in responsibility and caring for a living creature.
Dr Hess was very kind and gave good care advice as well as excellent treatment to the little critter. My husband thought I had lost my mind when he found out how much I had paid, but honestly I did it for my son and it was worth every penny.

Took my blue tongue skink to Veterinary Center for Birds and Exotics for a flare up of a previous, non deadly, scratch on her cornea. Although the staff was friendly, they were unable to give driving directions after my GPS couldn’t locate the building; no big deal. Upon finally finding it myself and entering the building with my exotic, was surprised by the very lovely waiting room. The vet tech sitting at the desk was chatting with me about my exotic. When it was our turn to see Dr. Hess, she had two interns assisting which had never even heard of my pet, again, no big deal; they are there to learn.
Dr. Hess did not even greet me nor the exotic. She walked in and begin her EXTREMELY ROUGH examination of my skink’s eye, which was very swollen and oozy from the cornea scratch. A reptile, let alone any animal, is something you handle delicately, not drop on the table like she did. My skink, who liked to be handled and was every day, was visibly upset. I told Dr. Hess that she was upsetting the skink but she just ignored me and continued manhandling the poor thing, flipping her around, pressing in her eye, not having any compassion for the hurting animal. She didn’t talk me through what she was doing and the supplies she was using. Might be a «mother’s instinct» but I was besides myself with how Dr. Hess was as a vet.
After she violently handed my exotic, Dr. Hess wanted to talk money. Lots of money. Dr. Hess tried to get me to spend even more money on other tests which I was not there for to try and link the cornea scratch to. Last time I checked, cornea scratches are caused externally, not internally. She then started blaming the cornea scratch on diet and habitat. Could my skink scratch her eye on something in her terrarium? Of course. But parasites are not going to. She’s a vet not a salesperson.
Left Dr. Hess’s office after spending close to $ 400 on the eye exam and eye goop culture. The topical antibiotics cost $ 15. Returned home, put the skink back to settle in her terranium after being tossed around, did a few things around my house then went to give her the first dose of antibiotic. Upon opening the top of the terranium, I found my beautiful little girl’s EYE FELL OUT AND WAS DEAD. This was an hour after we had got home from the visit. Immediately called Dr. Hess’s office and was told «she had left for the day.» When Dr. Hess called me back the next day, she blamed my skink’s premature passing on anything she could think of. Did not have any compassion, didn’t even say my name, my skink’s name or any further detail. No personalization. No refund. Nothing. It was like she was reading from a script that she had clearly had practice with.
Would not recommend Veterinary Center for Birds and Exotics to anyone. Even if my skink did not pass immediately after her vet visit, still would not recommend anyone even drive pass it.
Money hungry veterinarian that only cares about her pockets, not healing animals.

I can’t even put into words how grateful I am to Dr. Hess and her staff. I’ve had my parrot for over thirteen years, and have always been dedicated to giving her the best care and love. However, there was so much that I didn’t even know about parrot nutrition. After a horrifying incident with egg binding, Dr. Hess saved my wonderful bird’s life. Thanks to Dr. Hess’s impressive knowledge, my bird is recovering and doing well on a new diet. I can’t stress enough how thankful I am and how important it is to put your bird a pellet diet. If you have a bird, even in the best of health, bring it to Dr. Hess for a checkup. You will learn so much and be able to give your bird a happier and healthier life.
I was so impressed with the kindness and organization of the office. I couldn’t be happier.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Dr. Hess and her staff are best for miles when it comes to exotics. They have treated my ferret Taz for since their opening. Their care and compassion are top notch. I always feel confident bringing Taz to the center whether it’s for a check-​up or major surgery (which he had 6 months ago). I would recommend anyone with a bird or other exotic to Dr. Hess and her staff! Check them out on facebook for great pictures, videos and other great animal information!