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| Rehoming |
What is the Rehoming Centre? The Reptile Rehoming Centre is an initiative operated by Proteus Reptile Trust which is designed to find new homes for unwanted pet reptiles, by taking in reptiles that need to find a new home, and finding individuals who may be able to take on the ownership of the reptile on a permanent basis. Upon taking a reptile home you are given all the relevant information to look after the reptile you have adopted.
How does it work? Those individuals who can provide a home for an unwanted reptile, can visit the rehoming centre and have a look at the reptiles that need a home. They then fill in an application form, which is then checked by a Proteus official. If the form is approved, the reptile is rehomed. Home visits are carried out throughout the country annually, which gives the new owners a chance to discuss any problems they may be facing.
What does it cost? There are fixed fees set in place. They are £35.00 to £65.00 and are designed to cover the cost incurred during the animals stay at Proteus, as it is here for approximately 30 days quarantine. The reptiles are not sold. Although there is a charge, Proteus does not make a profit from running this service.
There is a limit to the number of reptiles you can give a good home to, any one household can adopt two reptiles in a six month period, after this you can rehome more reptiles as long as you have the suitable facilities for them. However, we would advise you to think very carefully about taking on large numbers of reptiles. If for any reason you cannot cope with a reptile that you have taken on, then the terms and conditions you sign state you will hand the animal back over to Proteus Reptile Trust, where we will quarantine it and try to rehome it again if suitable.
What next? If you can offer a reptile a good home and are truly interested, then the rehoming center is open on Saturdays between 10.00am and 4.00pm visitors outside of these hours will need to contact the centre to arrange a mutual time.
Please note. Due to the rescue nature of our work, the sort of animals likely to be relocated would normally be those which are considered to be more readily available i.e. large Pythons, Iguanas, Bosc monitors, Corn snakes etc. If you are looking for unusual, expensive or rare species of reptiles, then you are unlikely to acquire such an animal through Proteus Reptile Trust as they do not occur in our line of work.
Click to see reptiles currently available for rehoming
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| Things you need to bring |
1. £35.00 to £ 70.00 rehoming fee (depending on animal) per application (Fee valid until 1st July 2010)
2. Two forms of identification that should carry both your name and address. One item needs to be either a utility bill, bank statement or credit card statement no longer than 3 months old.
3. Suitable transportation for the animal.
please read our fact sheets to find out what requirments are expected to rehome animals.
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| Transportation of reptiles |
If you need to transport a reptile you should try to ensure that it feels safe (as this reduces stress) and is kept warm.
Bags - strong material bags (linen, cotton etc.) are very good for the transportation of snakes and lizards. These should be sealed by cord or zipper to prevent the animal from escaping. Being confined in these bags makes the animal feel more secure.
Polystyrene Boxes - very useful for maintaining the reptiles body temperature during transportation. Ensure there is enough air holes in the box. Reptiles can be placed in the box whilst inside a bag.
Heating - some warmth during transportation can be provided by either using body warmer packs of the type used when camping or walking in cold conditions, or by using a normal hot water bottle. Extreme care should be taken when using hot water bottles, if they are too hot they may burn the reptile. Wrapping the hot water bottle in a sheet or blanket will reduce the direct heat on the skin of the reptile.
For the transportation of tortoises a strong cardboard box (or similar) crumpled newspaper can be used. If the conditions are cold try one of the heating methods above. For turtles and terrapins the same method as for tortoises can be employed as for moderate journeys water need not be used.
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