World Snake Day 2023: Meet Marta
Friday, July 14, 2023
Djurkliniken Roslagstull Hospital is the leading veterinary clinic in Stockholm and Central Sweden for exotic animals. Ahead of World Snake Day on 16th July, we met with veterinarian – and snake enthusiast - Marta Marciniak, who tells us her story of how she came to specialise in exotic breeds.
“I’ve always had an interest in exotic animals. That’s why it didn’t come as a surprise to anyone that, as soon as I graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, my first job was at a clinic close to Warsaw Zoo!
My passion for exotics grew after attending the ‘Exotic Animal Summer School’ in Brno, where I learnt from some of the world’s best exotic animal veterinarians – a totally inspirational experience. After my degree, I completed postgraduate studies in the Washington CITES Convention at the Agricultural University in Poznań and studied animal psychology at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw.
Today, I am a specialist in diseases of non-domesticated animals. I treat all exotic animals, but my primary focus is on reptiles and amphibians. I am also used to handling more unusual animals that we don't often get into the clinic, such as monkeys, skunks, raccoons and even super gliders! I also run the ‘Egzotyka Foundation’ and I have published articles in both hobby and professional magazines on topics related to reptiles, pygmy hedgehogs, and monkeys.
When it comes to snakes, what I like most about them is that they are one of the easiest exotics to handle and all have very individual personalities.
Recently, I was lucky enough to operate plastic surgery on a female reticulated python – one of the world’s longest snakes - which weighed over 25kg. As you would expect, the anaesthetic process was long and complicated, but the operation went really well, and she made an excellent recovery. The owner did joke afterwards that she looked more like a Python Molurus, which are thicker, heavier and bulkier - which was funny as it was true!”
My passion for exotics grew after attending the ‘Exotic Animal Summer School’ in Brno, where I learnt from some of the world’s best exotic animal veterinarians – a totally inspirational experience. After my degree, I completed postgraduate studies in the Washington CITES Convention at the Agricultural University in Poznań and studied animal psychology at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw.
Today, I am a specialist in diseases of non-domesticated animals. I treat all exotic animals, but my primary focus is on reptiles and amphibians. I am also used to handling more unusual animals that we don't often get into the clinic, such as monkeys, skunks, raccoons and even super gliders! I also run the ‘Egzotyka Foundation’ and I have published articles in both hobby and professional magazines on topics related to reptiles, pygmy hedgehogs, and monkeys.
When it comes to snakes, what I like most about them is that they are one of the easiest exotics to handle and all have very individual personalities.
Recently, I was lucky enough to operate plastic surgery on a female reticulated python – one of the world’s longest snakes - which weighed over 25kg. As you would expect, the anaesthetic process was long and complicated, but the operation went really well, and she made an excellent recovery. The owner did joke afterwards that she looked more like a Python Molurus, which are thicker, heavier and bulkier - which was funny as it was true!”