Reptile Rescue August Blog: Sunlit Scales and Summer Tails.

August brought sunshine and hotter days. It brought our second event and a chance to share within our walls. Each scale, shell, and flickering tongue tells a tale of survival, hope, and unwavering dedication.

Animals Birthday

Did you share a birthday with anyone below?

• 4^th August – Ally the Axolotl. Ally arrived in 2024 and was around seven years old. She came to the rescue when her previous owners didn't have enough space. Ally arrived with three others. We rehomed them and kept Ally, as she had been bullied and had an injury. It was fascinating watching her heal herself. Ally is an albino, so her name was chosen for this fact.

• 26^th August – Dandelion the Leopard Gecko. Dandelion arrived in 2022 and was around two. Dandelion arrived when the vivarium they were in broke, and they had fallen out of love with her. She arrived in a little box, which she had been living in for a while, and she was very scared. Due to this, we decided to make the rescue Dandelion's forever home. In the last three years, her confidence has grown, and she is now a cheeky little one. Dandelion was named after Dandelion, a character in The Witcher. Despite the character being the opposite sex, it suits her. We are big fans of the games and enjoy the books.

  
  

Adoptions

This month, we celebrated the successful adoption of,

• 18th July – Sebastian, the Corn Snake, arrived at the rescue after being an impulse buy and his previous owners' moving home. He was still very much a baby, having been hatched only in December. His been homed to a family where we are sure he will get all the love and attention.

• 18^th July – Perdy, the Leopard Gecko, arrived when their owner struggled with her care. Perdy was such a calm gecko, and, aside from needing to go on a diet, she was in perfect condition. Her new home is with a family whom we were recommended to, and though it's their first reptile, they have done so much research to ensure they can take care of Perdy.  

• 18^th July – Yep, three adoptions in one day. Last up is Ducky the Crested Gecko. They arrived at the rescue when their owner had to move back in with their parents. Ducky was a very shy gecko and did things on their own accord. Ducky had been at the rescue for over two years, so we were over the moon that it was their time to find their forever home.

Animals reserved

·       Macaroni (Royal Python) is still reserved

Animals who came into the rescue:

After a few adoptions last month, we were left with a few empty vivariums, which were quickly filled. We offered these to the animals that we had previously turned away due to space. If we received no response within 24 hours, we moved on to the next one, as there is always a message requesting help. 

• 17^th August – Gary the Crested Gecko is approximately four years old. His previous owner's family situation changed, and his behaviour changed after losing his tail.  Gary is a very shy character, but has been out and about when we have entered. We will continue working with him and make him as happy as possible.

• 19^th August – Heafty the Day Gecko came after their owner returned home to find their animals not cared for and having to move.  Heafty was with a female; they were both underweight, but Heafty appeared in the worse condition. Due to this, the female was rehomed to another amazing rescue. Heafty had injuries to his mouth, which thankfully were easily treated, and he has begun to gain weight.

• 27th August – Grumpy the Bearded Dragon. Grumpy needed a temporary place while his owner moved to another country. We will be staying in regular contact with his owner and help them make the arrangements when the time comes for Grumpy's big move.

Other animals we were asked to take in, but we had to turn away due to space. We have been asked to re-home 57 animals this month, and this is minus the ones we have already taken in. This also includes animals we offered to take in.

·       24 Snakes

·       13 Turtles

·       2 Leopard Geckos

·       8 Bearded Dragon

·       4 Tortoise 

·       2 Tarantulas

·       4 Crested Gecko

Events:

On August 9th and 10th, we attended the Cambridge Country Show. We had a great weekend of networking and raising vital funds for the rescue. This was our first major event, and the lovely people at Quintessentially British Events told us we received lovely, positive feedback.

Reptile of the Month:

Each month, we will feature one of our residents to help raise awareness about the diversity and beauty of reptiles. August's resident is Angus Noodle McStrike, a Corn Snake. Angus arrived on 27^th March 2021. He arrived with another snake, and due to these snakes, the rescue became more of an idea. Angus was rescued by his previous owner, who we knew personally. Shelly had known this person since they were a little a child, and called him Uncle Jay. Jay had been one of the people who introduced her to reptiles, and it was through them that her love of reptiles began. Jay had rescued Angus themselves, but due to their failing health, they came to Shelly for help. Despite offering to help while remaining in the owner's care, Jay decided to rehome them. The younger snake was adopted out, but Angus stayed due to his unknown age and behaviour. Angus did not trust people and had previously bitten Jay; however, during his time at the rescue, he has greatly improved. Angus has never bitten and can now be handled with ease. Corn snakes are a nonvenomous, semi-arboreal species of snake primarily native to the southeastern United States. Corn snakes are crepuscular, meaning their peak activity hours are around dawn and dusk.

·       Species: Pantherophis guttatus

·       Diet: Carnivore, their diet can include rats, mice, chicks, hamsters and quail.

·       Fun fact: Despite the misconception, Corn Snakes can grow up to six feet long. Angus is roughly five feet eight. How do you measure? You measure their sheds.

Animals available for adoption

Snakes	Lizards	Tortoise	Other
Gnocchi - Royal Python 3 years old	Ducky - Crested Gecko 3 years old,	Cyril - 11 years old	Clone Army - Musk turtles’ range of age.
Lucozade – Corn Snake 4 years old.	Banana Bean - Crested Gecko 2 years old	Donald - 11 years old
Angelina - Corn Snake 8 years old	Perdy – Leopard Gecko 6 years old.	George - 12 years old
Merlot - Corn Snake Unknown age.	Ozzy – Bearded Dragon 2 and a half years old.
Colin – King Snake 3 years old.	Daffodil – Leopard Gecko, around 10 years old.
Sebastian – Corn Snake, 5 months old.