Petra Schnitzer

Exotic

Petra Schnitzer graduated with the highest mark in veterinary medicine in 2010 from the University of Vienna (Austria), defending her thesis: "Evaluation of the normal bacterial flora in Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) based on repeated examinations in the course of the breeding season”.

Prior to her graduation she worked as a scientific assistant at the Hospital for Birds, Reptiles and Fishes of the same University of Vienna.

Dr. Schnitzer has been a veterinary surgeon at the Loro Parque (Tenerife, Spain), and then completed her residency at the European College of Zoological Medicine (speciality Bird Medicine and Surgery).

In 2014 she attended the specialisation course on "Care and Welfare of Laboratory Animals", and in 2015 she obtained the ISVPS General Practitioner Certificate in Exotic Animal Practice. After having worked at the Exotic and Free-Living Animal Hospital of the University of Sydney (Australia), in 2021 she successfully passed the Australian and New Zealand College Examination in "Australasian Free-Living Species Medicine" and is therefore the only European veterinarian to have been awarded this qualification.

Since 2023 she is a Diplomate of the American College of Exotic Animal Medicine (ACEPM).

Petra Schnitzer is a native German speaker, speaks Italian (C1) and English (C1), and has a basic level of Spanish.

Finally, Dr. Schnitzer has been a speaker and instructor at several international postdoctoral courses, has co-authored books on avian medicine, and has authored or co-authored several scientific articles.