So you Want to be a Reptile Rescue??

herpkingdom · #1 (**permalink**) 05-28-2003, 11:40 PM

OK folks, I'm going to rant a little here........so if it gets long please bear with me and I do apologize but I feel it needs to be addressed [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Many of us here at Reptile Haven rescue herps in addition to keeping our own collections. I, myself, just this month finally got established and ready to accept rescues. We do this to help any and all reptiles, as well as any other animals we can. We do it out of the goodness of our hearts and our love of the hobby. We do not want to see any reptile put to sleep due to the shelters and animal control agencies inability to care for exotic animals. In my area, dogs and cats are kept in the shelters longer than a many reptiles, especially the larger ones like Burmese Pythons and Iguanas. If a home isn't found within 7 days, they are put down. We have a little network set up to find good homes for many of the rescues we bring in. Many of which end up being adopted to people we know personally due to our knowing they have the experience to give the animal a good home. I just adopted 4 boas in the last week. The people I adopted them from know that I have the experience and knowledge to give them a good home for as long as they are alive.

Now onto my rant.......
I am seeing time and time again people, mainly children of 12 to 16 years old as well as other older individuals, posting on various sites that they are a rescue and will accept any reptile regardless of size and species. My problem with these "rescues" is that the people who post saying they are a rescue, are not a rescue and are not out to help the animal in question. As another member of Reptile Haven stated they are not rescues, they should just post "please give me free animals". You have to wonder where a person of this age is going to get the monies needed for a routine visit to the veterinarian that every rescue needs whether they are outwardly sickly of not. I know it cost me anywhere from $40 to $150 a visit depending on what test I have done, and can run as high as $400 for a single visit. And how many of the parents of these children are going to want to drive the animal to the vet? And pay for the final bill? Come to think of it, how many are actually going to allow a 13-year-old child to rescue a 10' Burmese Python?

Now let's get into the required supplies for a "rescue". Like cages with the proper heating, lighting, UV, etc. I know I had to wait until I was able to accumulate enough specialized bulbs and CHEs for all of the cages, before I would even consider accepting rescues. These items are expensive to say the least. And it's not like many people can afford to out and buy 15 CHEs and 10 special UV bulbs all at once. What about food?? In order to feed all of the different animals that come into rescues, you must have many different varieties of foods on hand or available at a moments notice. For snakes you need rodents, preferably frozen ones. For most small lizards, you need crickets. And iguanas, monitors, and other reptile eat a totally different variety in their diets. I can go on and on about the specialized caging and other supplies needed for each species.

Just because someone has a few extra empty cages, doesn't mean they are a rescue. It means they have a few empty cages. It takes a lot more than a few empty cages to rescue any animal, let alone reptiles. There is a difference between adoption and rescue. Rescue means most of the animals you get are in great need of rehab and/or medical care, and if someone claims to be into rescue, they had better have experience in rehab skills and access to vet care and a lot of cash flow.

I guess I have been ranting here and trying to avoid just stating the obvious. The only thing these individuals want is a free animal! There, I said it! My advice to these people is to buy your animals and stop looking for freebies. The only thing you are doing is depriving a reptile of a good home where they can get the care and attention that they require to thrive and live a long healthy life. I have 5 sons and I wouldn't even consider letting any of them owning an animal. I own all of the animals. I let them help to care for them and they learn about whatever is here at any given time, but I have found most children of early teenage years to not be able or ready to care for the types of rescues that come in. I dread seeing one of these rescues getting a Burmese Python in with a RI or an Iguana with MBD. These illnesses can rack up a hefty vet bill in a very short time and I don't see these "rescues' taking the time or investing the money into the reptile. I see them letting the animal suffer until it dies. And it really saddens me to say that, but it seems to be the truth of the matter. A few members can attest to rescuing animals from someone who stated they were a rescue, and had to take to animals from them and rehab them back to health, losing a few along the way, because the person who had them didn't have a clue as to how to rehab a sick animals and didn't have the monies needed for vet care.

Please, to all of those individuals who say they are a rescue really just want a free animal, fill out an application at a legitimate rescue's site and pay the adoption fee. All you are doing is causing more pain and suffering on animals that could have been place in proper rescues and get the care they need to regain their health. There is nothing wrong with holding out for a free pet or at least a nominal adoption fee, as long as you pass the application screening that all rescues have for potential adopters.

To all those who are looking for rescues to take their animals, sick or healthy, please do a little research into any rescue. There are many of these popup rescues that just want free animals and do not have the ability or experience needed for many of the animals that end up in rescues. Many of the reptile information sites on the Internet have pages that list rescues from all over the country so finding one that is close to you shouldn't be too hard.

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JuliusSqueezer · #2 (**permalink**) 05-28-2003, 11:57 PM

I think in a nutshell to reader's digest it a bit is.... Please be careful when making statements about what your intentions are. Rescue is not the same as adoption. Both are highly needed and important to our herp community. Rescue is way more than taking in unwanted pets. Just taking them in is "adoption" Nothing wrong with that at all...but Please, don't take in animals you can't rehab if needed when there are those who can willing to. Don't advertise that you are a rescuer to get that one in a hundred healthy animal only to let the other 99 die or live a horrible life. Those who are looking to adopt and who are not experienced in extensive rehab, please make sure the person who is adopting the animal out gives you some insight to the animal's health before you accept.
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LdyDrgn · #3 (**permalink**) 05-29-2003, 12:07 AM

Well said, Jim. It is a pet peeve of mine as well....
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PonderosaSnakeHouse · #4 (**permalink**) 05-29-2003, 12:32 AM

I would have to agree. Even if you have enough money for cages, supplies, food, and vets, do you have the patience to deal with a very sick animal? It takes special people to take care of especially sick animals.
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herp_chick · #5 (**permalink**) 05-29-2003, 03:17 AM

OK, here we go. When I first started taking in sick animals, I had the space, the money, the fod etc. that was needed to care for them. I found reptile vets in my area, and was prepared to do whatever necessary. BUT, nothing prepared me for the tiny little burmese hatchling that was rescued by me from a pet store nearby. It had been taken to a "vet", who proclaimed mouth rot, who said to raise temps and humidity, and not to clean out the snakes mouth after the vet initially did it. I really thought she was going to die. she did not have mouth rot, she had a severe RI, and the raised humidity would have drowned her to death on her own fluid if not lowered. I have never had to tube a snake before, and if not for the help of a friend and rehabber, I would not have known what to do to help this snake. She was so dehydrated, she had wrinkles. So even if you have every material thing you need, knowledge is the most important thing. And some of that you can't get until you have to live it, but please, be prepared for the most common ailments and treatments. my sons are 12 and 14, and help me a lot, but neither one of them could have tubed a snake fluids. Be careful what you ask for. "Free" animals can be very costly at the vet. I was given a "free" boa not too long ago, who had to go to the vet immediately, and possibly could have required surgery. Estimated cost? Over ONE THOUSAND dollars. I knew she would not be "free", as I had seen her and knew she needed attention from a vet:fortunately, antibiotics and twice daily cleaning of the wound was all that was necessary. Still, $100 in vet bills is not cheap. Not many teenagers can or WILL pay that. nor will their parents. Be careful who you adopt from, or who you turn your animals over to. Too many die unnecessarily to add to the mess. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_cry.gif[/img]
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eddie · #6 (**permalink**) 05-29-2003, 05:03 AM

I checked out one group tonight, a yahoo group and decided it was for the best to remove the link for it from RH. (too much like AllSpecies to me..)
I saw that it is a 'give me reptiles free' type of setting and even found one 15 year old kid that has taken in a non feeding snake, that has still NOT eaten and is trying to adopt it out with a $20 adoption fee.

Can you say 'Young Entrepreneur'???

Basically a 15 year old kid, with what appears to be about a years experience, getting animals, not doing anything for them and selling them....

I didn't see too much promise except for the humor.. especially on the 'How to figure out your experience thread, which I have still NOT figured out.. especially when a 26 year old has 38+ years experience....
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trinitywolf · #7 (**permalink**) 05-29-2003, 12:39 PM

All this can be broken down to one word....HONESTY. So many people have no idea what that word means. Of course, keeping this kind of problem out in the open and on people's minds goes a long way to stopping some. Awareness is important to stopping any undesirable behavior. Good post Jim.
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herpkingdom · #8 (**permalink**) 06-18-2003, 06:10 PM

This needs a bump!!

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Voodoo · #9 (**permalink**) 06-18-2003, 06:35 PM

About the experince thing, I read . . . somewhere (I think it was VPI) that to figure out your "snake years" of experience, you get 1 yr/1 snake = 1 Snake Year, So, 3 snakes/1 year = 3 Snake Years.

Me, for example. I got my first a year and a half ago. 2/3 a year ago. 4 just under a year ago. 5 in February. 6 on Sat. Thus, I have aproximatly 4 years snake experience. Get it?
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herpkingdom · #10 (**permalink**) 06-18-2003, 06:44 PM

So I have been cheating myself by saying I have over 25 years of experience with snakes when actually have 1000's of years experience [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]

That's as bad as the forumla on the other forum that states a year for every foot of snake that you have equals on year.

Having experience with snakes for years doesn't mean you have the experience to rescue them. Rehabbing is different then keeping snakes as a hobby. It is a lot more involved, obviously.

And like someone said, Just because you have some empty cages, doesn't mean you are or can claim to be a reptile rescue.

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