January at the rescue: Fresh year, warm enclosures and winter care.

We blink, and it's a new year. For our reptile rescue, it's a month filled with careful monitoring and plenty of warm hides. While many people are settling into their New Year's resolutions, we're focused on giving our residents the best possible start to 2026.

Animals Birthday

Did you share a birthday with anyone below?

10^th January – Gardulla the Pacman Frog. Gardulla arrived in 2021 and was around two years old. She came to the rescue when her owners were downsizing their collection. Because Gardulla arrived in winter, she had buried herself in her soil, which is common for Pacman's to do. We noticed Gardulla was smaller than we expected, and on a health check, discovered she has MBD (metabolic bone disease). Due to Gardulla's needs, she will remain at the rescue. Gardulla got her name from Gardulla the Hutt, a Star Wars character. We had another Pac-Man called Jabba.

19^th January – Bluebell the Leopard Gecko. Bluebell arrived in 2025 and was over ten years old; her exact age is unknown. She came to the rescue when her owner moved home, and because Bluebell needed specialised care. Bluebell is disabled; she has all the symptoms of enigma syndrome, which is a genetic neurological disorder which affects balance and cognition in Leopard Geckos. Because we don't know whether Bluebell is an Enigma Morph, we can't say for sure that she has it.

Bluebell star gazing, head tilts, circles and struggles to hunt. At the moment, Bluebell has not had any known seizures, and we are doing everything we can to ensure we do not cause her any stress and assist with feeding. Bluebell will remain at the rescue for the rest of her life. She arrived at the rescue with another name that was both a struggle to say and spell, so we renamed her. We started naming Leo's after flowers and decided on calling her Bluebell.

21^st January – George the Hermann's Tortoise. George arrived in 2023 and was ten years old. George arrived at the rescue after his previous owner moved and was unable to take him with them. George was bred in the UK and has a microchip and papers. He is a cheeky chap who takes any chance to explore, and he has found himself stuck in the past. George has a crossed beak, so future owners will need to monitor it and have his beak trimmed when needed. He loves food and can be hand-fed. He would make anyone a lovely friend. George is still waiting to find his forever home and is available for adoption.

Adoptions This month, we celebrated the successful adoption of 4th January – Angelina the Corn Snake. Angelina arrived at the rescue on 16/01/2024 and was one of our longest residents. Angelina came to the rescue after their previous owner needed to reduce their number of pets, as they felt they had too many now that their children had flown the nest. At first, Angelina was a little shy, but over time, she happily explored, and we soon learnt she could be quick when she wanted to be. We are so glad that after two years, it was finally her time.

10^th January – Gary the Crested Gecko. Gary arrived at the rescue on 17/08/2025 and was shy from the first day to his last. Gary came to the rescue after his behaviour changed following the loss of his tail. We were told he was very shy and didn’t like to be handled much; however, we did not expect a champion hide-and-seek winner. We worked with Gary and, over time, were able to take him out and handle him. His new owners are also prepared to continue building his confidence back up at his own pace.

25^th January – Hamish the Crested Gecko. Hamish arrived at the rescue on 29/10/2025 and was adorable from the beginning, if not a little cheeky. While driving to the rescue, Hamish managed to get out of his travelling box but was quickly scooped back up and safely resecured. On his first night, he was a complete sweetheart and enjoyed exploring his leaves, we quickly learnt this was his favourite place. Being an older chap of ten, we thought it might take time to rehome Hamish, so we were very surprised, and thankfully, he now has a retirement home.

Animals who came into the rescue: Any empty enclosures don't stay empty for long. We offered any available space to the animals we had previously turned away for lack of space. If we received no response within 24 hours, we moved on to the next one.

11^th January – Toby, the three-year-old Corn Snake. Toby is so baby compared to the other corns we have had, but he is also one of the youngest. He came to the rescue because his owners were moving home. We were warned he is a little hissy, but so far we haven't been bitten. Toby likes to sleep in a log at the front of his viv and sticks his head out most days when we are doing the animal routines.

23^rd – A Black Blood Python. This beauty was an old chap at least 20 years old, and while we could take them ourselves due to their size, we were able to help find a new home for them with one of our supporters. We don't have a picture of this beatuy as they are settling in with their new home.

31^st January – Sneaking in on the last few days of January is Lucifer, the four to five-year-old Hognose Snake. Lucifer arrived with a Dumerils and a Royal. We only had space for the Hoggy, but through the Central Reptile Rescue Network, we were able to take them to another amazing rescue. The Aussie's Reptile Care & Rehoming is a lovely rescue, and we have already received photos and updates on how they have settled overnight. As for Lucifer, he has already started making burrows, so go through and be out to see us.  

Animals we were asked to take in, but we had to turn away due to space. We have been asked to rehome 35 animals this month, and this is minus the ones we have already taken in or found other places for.

·       14 Snakes

·       7 Turtles

·       4 Leopard Geckos

·       3 Bearded Dragon

·       6 Tortoise 

·       1 chameleon

Reptile of the Month:

Each month, we will feature one of our residents to help raise awareness about the diversity and beauty of reptiles. The January resident is Jamie, a Royal/Ball Python. Jamie originally arrived at the rescue in May 2023 and was adopted in October 2023. However, due to life changes, he came back to us in April 2025. Jamie has always been one of the kindest and sweetest snakes, so when he came back still with these traits, we decided to make him an ambassador for his species. He is the perfect snake for those who want to overcome their fear or to educate the public about Royals.

Species: Python regius

·       Diet: Carnivore, their diet can include mice, rats, and chicks. Royals need a whole animal prey to get the nutrition they need.

·       Fun fact: They are called Ball Python due to their curling up in a ball. They are also known as Royal Pythons because African princesses wore them as bracelets.

How You Can Help If you’d like to support reptile rescue efforts, here are a few ways to get involved:

1.       Adopt Responsibly: If considering a reptile as a pet, do your research and consider adopting.

2.      Spread Awareness: Share our rescue and information about responsible reptile ownership with your community.

3.      Donate: Heating, lighting, and medical care can be expensive—every contribution helps. Below are the ways you can donate.

• Shop via easyfundraising and earn free donations to us. We previously received £60 via people shopping via their extension, which covers the cost of one week of food for the rescue. Check out this link for more information. https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/.../ravens-reptile-rescue 

• Play our Lottery. A £10 ticket not only supports us but gives you the chance to win up to £25,000. Plus you’ll also receive Gourmet Society membership, with up to 25% off meals, plus discounts on cinema tickets, days out, and more. Get your ticket by clicking the link Join Our Lottery (18+ only. Gamble responsibly. Be GambleAware®) 

• Amazon wish list, we have a wish list and are in need of leaves to help decorate and clutter the animal enclosures. Amazon.co.uk

• PayPal - Can't do a monthly support, don't trust external sites or hate buying through Amazon. We understand that. You can also donate any amount via PayPal - Donate
  

Animals available for adoption

Snakes	Lizards	Tortoise	Other
Merlot - Corn Snake 3-4 years old on arrival.	Heafty - Giant Day Gecko, around 3 years old on arrival.	Cyril - 11 years old on arrival.	Clone Army - Musk turtles’ range of age.
Pi 𐍀 - Royal Python - Around 10 Years Old on arrival.	Petrie – Crested Gecko, 3 years old on arrival.	Donald - 11 years old on arrival.
Caramel - King Snake - Unknown age.		George - 12 years old on arrival.
Link to snakes	Link to the lizards	Link to the tortoise	Link to the turtles