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Our Staff
Dr. Chris Griffin
Dr. Carrie Edgerton
April Strickland
Eric Vail
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Dr. Chris Griffin
Diplomate, American Board of Veterinary Practitioners Certified in Avian Practice
Dr. Chris Griffin grew up in Augusta, Georgia, and has been interested in curious creatures for his entire life. Much to his parent’s dismay, he kept a variety of reptiles and amphibians in the house growing up, a passion encouraged by his grandfather (although not encouraged by most of his aunts and uncles).
After high school, Dr. Griffin attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry in 1991. He attended veterinary school at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating in 1995. After three months in St. Martin during which he survived a grade 4 hurricane, he returned to the states to pursue his interest in birds, reptiles and other exotic pets. After spending time visiting some of the most prominent veterinary facilities that focus on avian and exotic pet medicine (Kaytee Externship program, Chilton, Wisconsin,1996; Angell Memorial Animal Hospital, Boston, Massachussettes, 1996; and The Animal Medical Center (AMC) in New York City, New York, 1995), Dr. Griffin took a job in Chicago.
Dr. Griffin discovered that it is just too cold up there, and found a position in Largo, Florida, working with two ABVP – Avian boarded veterinarians, Dr. Teresa Lightfoot and Dr. Lucy Bartlett, at the Avian and Animal Hospital of Bardmoor. Within 3 months, his position was certified as a Residency for ABVP (American Board of Veterinary Practitioners) avian practice specialty training, and he completed this Residency in 1999. He also coordinated the student extern program for the hospital during that time, hosting students from many veterinary schools, including Iowa State, Auburn, Mississippi State, Tufts and Texas A&M.
After leaving Florida in 2001, he joined South Ridge Veterinary Hospital in Kannapolis, NC, looking to expand the current avian and exotic medicine service. He passed his specialty boards in 2002, and is now one of approximately 115 veterinarians in the world with this distinction. After more than 2 and 1/2 years at South Ridge Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Griffin decided to open an exclusively avian and exotic pet hospital, catering to the needs of pet birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals (including rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, rodents and small marsupials). He is thrilled with the promise the future holds, and is excited about continuing his education and building his skills as a veterinarian for ”non-traditional” pets.
In the past several years, Dr. Griffin has been a presenter at the Association of Avian Veterinarians Annual Conference (1999, 2004 and 2005), the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Annual Conference (1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009), the European Association of Avian Veterinarians Conference (2003), and the First International Conference of Reptile Medicine and Surgery (in Munich, Germany March 2010). He is the co-author of a chapter in the Gastroenterology issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Pet Practice. He was honored to co-author that chapter with his Dad, Joseph W. Griffin, Jr., MD. He is the guest editor of the issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America:Exotic Pet Practice – Topic: Common Procedures.
Dr. Griffin was the conference chair for the 2009 ARAV annual conference in Milwaukee (held in August of 2009). He is also the 2009-2010 President of the ARAV after serving as Treasurer, Secretary, and President Elect over the past 3 years.
Dr. Griffin and his wife Stephania currently share their home with their daughter Aralyn (Born January 23, 2010), 2 leopard geckos, Fred and Wilma, one (sometimes ”Dill”) Pickle (a male Eclectus Parrot), two African violets that somehow continue to survive, and things that go bump in the night. In his ”free” time, he enjoys music (acappella, especially Rockapella (http://www.rockapella.com), playing and watching a variety of sports, traveling, reading, playing on his computer, cooking and spending time with his family and friends.
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Dr. Carrie Edgerton
Associate Doctor
Dr. Edgerton grew up in eastern North Carolina in the town of New Bern. She has wanted to be a veterinarian for as long as she can remember and began her dream as a volunteer at a local vet hospital. With her family’s support she completed her undergraduate degree at North Carolina State University and was well on her way to vet school. While attending NC State’s veterinary school, she became heavily involved with the Wild Turtle Rescue Team which helped develop her interest and passion for exotic pet medicine. As a senior veterinary student, Dr Edgerton spent several weeks at Griffin Exotics during an externship rotation and enjoyed her experience so much that she joined the GAEVH team in June 2007. Since then, she has become a part-time associate veterinarian with Griffin Exotics and spends the other portion of her working-life at a dog/cat clinic in Durham, NC.
Dr. Edgerton shares her home with Sprinkles, her cat, Colby and Monty, her two neutered male rats, and Jasper, her Red-Footed Tortoise.
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April Strickland
Veterinary Nurse
April Strickland, fills many roles at Griffin Exotics.
April has been involved in veterinary medicine since 2000 and began her experience at Banfield the pet hospital. While there, she became proficient in running the office (behind the scenes), providing nursing care for patients, and meeting any client needs. In 2003, she became interested in working with avian and exotic pets while at South Ridge Veterinary Hospital (working with Dr. Griffin) and assisted Dr. Griffin in achieving his dream of opening his own exotic pet hospital. April has continued her education and nursing skills through practice and continuing education opportunities (including attending the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas in 2004, the AAV conference in New Orleans in 2004, in Monterey in 2005, and in San Antonio in 2006, as well as the ARAV conference in Tucson in 2005, Baltimore in 2006, and New Orleans in 2007). She has also co-presented a lab on Reptile Nursing Care at the 2007 ARAV conference in New Orleans.
We are excited that April went back to school in the fall of 2007 (and continuing to work here as her time allows). After several successful semesters on the Chancellor’s and Dean’s lists, she will be graduating this fall, 2010 with her Bachelors Degree in Accounting. April plans to further her education and continue on to grad school as well as obtain her CIA and CPA designations.
She currently shares her home with her dog, Arial, and her cat, Lilly and her two Leopard Geckos, Merlin and Escher. Her outside interests include yoga, music (an eclectic blend), spending time with friends and working towards her business degree.
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Eric Vail
Veterinary Nurse/Client Relations
Eric Vail was born and raised on a farm in Jacksonville, New Brunswick, Canada. He knew he liked animals after eating the fur off of the back of a barn cat at the age of five. However, his interest in veterinary medicine began when the local veterinarian made visits to his family’s farm. In addition to potatoes and cattle, they also raised foxes. Eric had many animal friends as a child including a rabbit named Bunny and two chickens he named Chicken, and Chicken. Spring and summer days were spent hunting down the newest litter of barn kittens to tame and picking rocks from potato fields.
Eric’s career in veterinary medicine began in 1999 when he worked for a small clinic which serviced farm and equine patients in addition to companion animals. In the summer of 2000, Eric moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked at an eight doctor, twenty-four-hour small-animal hospital. It was at that time that he knew veterinary medicine was the right career choice for him.
In the fall of 2001, Eric enrolled as a student at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, in Nova Scotia, Canada, where he studied Agricultural and Animal Science . In the summer of 2002, Eric accepted a summer position at an emergency veterinary clinic in Tampa, Florida. Eric returned to the emergency clinic in Tampa, for three consecutive summers before deciding to relocate to Florida full time. Living and working in Florida allowed him time to grow and continue gaining invaluable experience in the fast-paced world of veterinary medicine.
In the summer of 2005, Eric began working at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium as a summer student technician. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a rescue, rehab and release hospital for marine species. The summer of 2005 was a horrendous time for red tide blooms along the Gulf Coast of Florida.
During his time there, Eric was able to gain a unique perspective on veterinary medicine while working with a variety of marine species including dolphins and Loggerhead and Green sea turtles.
In addition to working in a veterinary emergency room in Tampa, Eric also worked at a very busy 3 doctor, companion animal family practice. He helped treat many types of animals while in Florida including American Bald Eagles, Sandhill Cranes, Nine-Banded Armadillos, Eastern Brown Pelicans and Great Horned Owls.
Eric joined Griffin Exotics in the fall of 2007 working part-time as a Patient Care Nurse and Nutrition Husbandry Counselor. He continues to work full-time at a local emergency veterinary clinic. His own lot of critters includes a fat siamese cat named Keilan, a black cat named Jack, a hairless dog named Moritz, a male Veiled Chameleon alive named Sid, a Parrotlet named Pickles, a Amazon Tree Boa named Minerva, a Dumeril’s Ground Boa named Meena, and the sweetest, cuddliest rat named Scabbers.
In his spare time, Eric enjoys spending time outdoors camping, hiking, kayaking and gardening. He also enjoys photography, cooking, reading and spending time with friends and family. Eric’s future plans include going back to school to become a veterinarian.
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