Reptile rescue is in its infancy. But too often I see organizations that say they are rescues and they are not. These folks troll free to good home ads on places like Craig's List, local news papers, etc and turn and flip these animals for a profit. Trust me there is no profit in rescue. Our rescue switched to shelter intake only a year ago simply because the need was greater. To prevent the animals from undue stress and harm in shelter, which are not prepared to care for reptiles, we work to offer in shelter support and get the animals out.

So what makes a reputable rescue? What makes it a real rescue? Reptile rescues should in fact be held to the same standards as dog and cat rescues. Not only intaking animals but also providing adoption services placing animals in appropriate homes. They should have an application process and a screening process. Knowing how many of the animals come to me, they should also practice strict quarantine and medical care when needed. I don’t expect every rescue to have each animal visit a vet, but when things are needed, tail amputations for example, a vet should be looking at the animals and ensuring the care is proper and humane. Basically you don’t take the animal in on Monday and place it on Tuesday. There is no way to know the condition of the animal.

You should work with in your local community. Be able to supply a list of references and be prepared to have them checked. Trust me, if you are offering someone as a reference, and they are not aware or do not really support you, be prepared for the backlash.

Saying that you are a rescue, but only taking animals in for personal gain or to add to your personal collection is disingenuous. You are not a rescue. You are merely receiving free animals, plain and simple. A rescue operates to rehome animals into their hopefully forever homes, not add to their collection.

Stating you are a rescue and then turning around and breeding animals such as green iguanas, bearded dragons and ball pythons is not a rescue. You are just a breeder giving both good breeders and good rescues bad names. Good breeders selectively choose their stock and put great effort into their lineage. Slapping snakes together breeding them and then “adopting” out offspring is changing the word sale to adopt to cash in on the good feelings of rescue. In turn other rescues are looked at when they adopt out as possible sellers.

I don’t care if you want to get free animals or breed. Really That is not the point, however stating you are a rescue while doing so sullies your reputation as well as others in both the breeding and rescue end of things.

We operate as though we were a dog and cat rescue. A vet sees each animal; each animal spends a minimal 2 months with us before becoming available for adoption. Each snake leaves us mite free and feeding on frozen thawed rodent reliably for 8 feedings. Once a feeding is missed we start from the beginning. We review applications, look at potential issues with future care, discuss what is needed for the specific species they are adoptiong and ensure the caging is set and complete before we adopt. Our goal is to get folks off to a good start in the hobby so that down the road when they are looking at less common species, we can point them in the correct direction and they go into it with a good base knowledge. We have flat adoption fees. In some cases, such as adoptions of large pythons, we will in fact do home visits. This is how a rescue organization operates.

I am not faulting folks desire to help with pets in need of homes. On the contrary, if you see something listed that someone can no longer care for, great! Pick it up, but please unless you are operating as a rescue organization (no matter the size), do not call yourself such.

Each September our rescue receives an increase in calls. "My child has had this XXX pet for 5 years but now he is moving away to college and I dont want it". Too common and too annoying. While I fully appreciate the fact that reptiles are not for some people, seriously the addition of a pet should be in everyone's best interests.

From a news article in the Charleston daily mail, the lack of education in families is present.

Jeremiah Matson was 7 when he talked his parents into letting him buy an iguana from a pet store in Charleston, S.C.

"I thought it would live a couple weeks," said his mother, Rhonda Matson of South Charleston. "My son was 21 and in his third year of college when the iguana died."

Countless folks have become pet owners by happenstance.

In the case of Spike the iguana, the entire family grew to love him as he grew from just eight inches in length to four and a half feet, including tail. After its death, the Matsons first thought about preserving the iguana for observation because Jeremiah was considering a medical career. Everyone then decided Spike was just too special for that and the family buried him.

Kids, include your parents. If you go to school the pet will become theirs. Make sure everyone is prepared for any animals, cats dogs or reptiles coming in. If you want to read the full article go here.

Our adoption event today paired two things I adore, animals and a little girl with a love of snakes. I barely handled the snake today, but Little Adrienne did a great job getting a few folks over their fears as well as showing that pythons are not the terrifying things the press makes them out to be. People who exhibited fear could not come up with words to explain to this cute little 5 year old button exactly why. This made them actually confront fears and misconceptions, because well little Adrienne is relentless. I may have to hire her full time!

It is always great when hard work comes to completion. After spending a week at the local fair here, dealing with numerous drunks and anti snake folks, a very long conversation there has paid off.

A young man who at first glance looked questionable spent a great deal of time speaking with our volunteers. Being allergic to fur, his options for pets were limited. As someone who was raised to adopt an animal when possible, he never made the leap to getting a reptile pet. Thankfully we met him.

The amazing thing is that after all the years of education I have done, I have NEVER had someone get the cage I suggest, the supplies I suggest or anything. This kid did everything I told him and more! Last night he adopted his first snake, and as we all know it won't be his last snake.