Yes, now there truly can be a “hamster hospital” and a "ferret physician."

The American Veterinary Medical Association just announced that it has approved an “exotic companion mammal” specialty practice designation. The group includes ferrets, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs and similar pets.

There now are 38 specialties recognized by the AVMA, with a total of 8,885 board-certified practitioners. Some designations are specific to certain animals, like birds, while others focus on practice areas, like dentistry or nutrition or behavior. Click here for a complete list of specialties.

It takes about four years, after earning a college undergraduate degree, to graduate from vet school. Veterinarian specialists must go through extensive additional training, usually for a minimum of another two years, plus publish professional research or case studies. They also must pass board exams.

Vet specialists usually do not do routine animal health wellness care, but instead focus on complicated cases or specific procedures. Often, family veterinarians will refer their clients to specialists.

Surprisingly, there aren’t as many veterinarian specialists for dogs and cats, the most common companion animals, as you might think. The AVMA lists 435 canine and feline specialists.

Oh, and PS, because I know someone will bring this up: I understand that you can't technically interchange the term for doctors seeing human patients with the one for doctors treating animals. But who can resist using the phrase "ferret physician?"