URGENT, NEW HOMES NEEDED ASAP!

These Red Eared Sliders were turned in to me today after they were caught out of a drained storm water resevoir. Sliders are an invasive species in British Columbia and cause a lot of damage to the ecosystem by living in our local ponds and lakes. They literally eat anything they come into contact with including endangered plants, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, fish and even birds! They are also in direct competition with our native and endangered painted turtles for food. In my opinion, these turtles should not be sold in pet stores as all to often the are dumped into ponds and streams when they become to large and dirty for their owners. They can grow to over 12 inches long! They also live a very long time (over 30 years on average). These turtles are currently up for adoption but can not live in anything less than 150 gallons with a large land area for basking. They can not go into a pond (even if it is in your back yard with a fence) as they are an invasive species and the risk is too great.

This is the part of my job that I really hate but most of these turtles will probably be euthanized...There are very few people who are willing to take on an adult slider and now I have 14 to rehome. I can only house them temporarily and if need by, my vet has agreed to euthanize them as he understands how much of a problem these turtles are.

Sadly, one of the turtles came in with a broken shell...This turtle will most likely be euthanised as the cost is too great for a turtle that will probably not be able to find a home.

A video of these turtles can be seen at here on YouTube

CLICK HERE to read the story in the Province Newspaper!

Global BC ran a story about the turtles!

 

Rescue Leopard Gecko

This poor little guy appears to be blind :( I just got him in from a guy who couldn't afford the vet bills anymore. He actually has some good weight to him and the eye issues are a recent thing. I'm not 100% sure what is going on with the eyes and will be consulting my vet tomorrow. It is very interesting to see how he has adapted to his condition and actually touches his chin to the ground every few steps (not licking) to check his surroundings. Luckily, I was able to get a few worms into him. I just had to chop them a little so he could lick the "juices" and then he took them right away!

This is the other eye. Not crusted shut but obviously has something wrong with it. Not sure if it is reversable or not but we will find out tomorrow hopefully. Again, he can not see anything out of this eye....He is such a little sweet heart though :)

 

Our New Sponsor

The Reptile Guy is happy to anounce that he has our very first corporate sponsor! Exo Terra has decided to sponsor our events with products of all sorts to help give our displays a more professional look! I have been using Exo Terra products for years now so I couldn't be happier! They are also supplying a new backdrop for our photo station! This is the beginning of a great relationship between The Reptile Guy and Exo Terra!

Visit EXO TERRA's web site to view the products and find out more about their reasearch and conservation projects around the world. www.exo-terra.com

 

Update on our Boa!

The Reptile Guy is happy to report that his new surrendered boa that came in with retained eye caps, nostril shed, mites and respiratory infection is doing quite well already. On January 16th The eye caps were removed as the snake was shedding and the nostrils were unplugged! Now hopefully the snakes appetite will kick in and she will start eating and gaining weight!

The Reptile Guy does not recommend manually removing the eye caps of a snake unless you have experience doing so. This can cause serious injury to the snakes eyes.

 

Surrendered Boa

This boa was turned in to The Reptile Guy on January 15th 2011. As you can see, she has retained eye caps. This means that the last time she shed, the scale protecting her eye did not come off. This can cause serious problems for a snake as the scale can actually constrict the eye eventually causing blindness. Unfortunately, there may be more than one on there as it looks pretty bad. You can also see that the nostrils are also plugged up, probably from retained sheds as well. Luckily, she is about to shed again so hopefully with a nice moist box to relax in, she will shed fully in the near future. If not, The Reptile Guy will have to take extra steps to remove the eye caps. This can potentially be done by dabbing mineral oil on the eye caps and them possibly dissolving on their own or, carefully peeling them off by hand.

This snake came in with mites (which were treated upon pick up and will continue to be treated in quarantine until they are gone) and is also underweight as seen in the picture as she has not eaten properly for a months due to her condition. Lastly, she has a bit of a respiratory infection that will hopefully clear up quickly.

This snake is expected to make a full recovery and will eventually be up for adoption!

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Baby Scorpions

Back in May of 2011, we recieved a brown bark scorpion after it was found in a local grocery store's produce department! She is very aggressive so we decieded to hang on to her. She was eating like a monster and getting fatter and fatter until December 22, 2011 she decided to have 42 babies!

Like other scorpions, she kept the babies safe on her back for about a week and a half and even handed them food to keep them healthy! Once the babies went through their first molt they started to venture off of their moms back. Now, they have all been separated and live in their own individual enclosures until they are ready to be adopted out. For a full gallery of pictures check out my facebook page!

 

Good News!!!

The Reptile Guy is happy to report some good news about an albino boa constrictor that came in with a very infected mouth! When she first came in back in October 2011. As you can see in the picture, it was unable to eat. Her whole head was swollen as well as a few inches down her neck... There wasn't much hope for the poor snake when it was taken to the vet but luckily, the vet had some hope and decided to try some antibiotics. It took a long time but she has now almost made a full recovery! She eats very well now and is a very lucky snake! It is always nice to have success stories!

 

Stay Tuned for some more interesting news, real soon!!!