"Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by what is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him?" ~Pierre Troubetzkoy
What We Do...
At Wichita Falls Reptile Rescue we are, first and foremost, reptile educators and care advisors. In this way we hope that we can prevent many animals from needing to be rescued or re-homed in the first place. We are experienced in many different reptile species, including: Geckos, Anoles, Iguanas, Bearded Dragons, Monitors, aquatic and box turtles, tortoises, colubrid and venomous snakes, and Horned Lizards. We can advise you about a variety of captive care issues, and are available to speak to the public about the study and conser-vation of reptiles in the wild. We also have experience in dog and squirrel rescue, with rabbits, and with some wild and domestic birds, and can assist in emergencies with these and many other animals; or, direct you to someone or another appropriate rescue group who can help.
While education is an important part of what we do, Wichita Falls Reptile Rescue is not merely an organization which asks for money to spread "awareness". We are also "do-ers", and we provide temporary to permanent sanctuary, medical care, and adoption to needy reptiles of many species. We strive to provide assistance to any reptile that is in need within reason and the bounds of our ability, housing, and funding; but, we are all volunteers, and do this without pay or official funding from anyone, and on almost no donations. Most of this comes from our own pockets. Sometimes we get swamped and we don't always have the room or adequate housing for some species.
We can usually take injured reptiles from the wild at any time.
We can usually take the following types of reptiles immediately, or on short notice ( subject to conditions ):
For larger tortoises, aquatic turtles, large constrictors, venomous snakes, or large lizards ( adult or subadult Dragons, Monitors, or Iguanas ) we will require some prior notice to make space available, and may require you to maintain the animal yourself ( if it was a pet of yours ) until we can find a suitable new home if we are short of space. In those cases where we can't immediately take the animal, but it is in no immediate danger, we will put pictures up on our website, list the animal with various websites, and take adotption applications to screen for suitable new caretakers. If we can take the animal, we will require all setup equipment with the animal be turned over with it, such as: tank, lighting, heaters, caves, dishes, etc.
For injured or otherwise needy reptiles that are native, or found/unknown origin, we will take the animal as soon as possible and assess it for either treatment/housing or release in a safer location back in the wild. We will respond to calls as soon as possible for removal of venomous snakes within a few miles of Wichita Falls ( subject to our availability at that time ). Any farther than a few miles from us, and the snake is not likely to still be there by the time we get on scene.
Please be advised, we are not a drop off service for your unwanted pet that has grown like it should, and you did not properly plan for. Taking in your pet is a service we provide on a case by case basis. This is based on the individual situation, the species involved, whether we have space available. Whether you offer a donation or not has something to do with our ability to make space as well. It costs us money, and not many people offer a dime when asking us to take in their animal. Please be considerate of that. Our adoption fees can't begin to scratch the surface in most cases for what we have spent for the care of these animals. Even if we can't take in your animal here, we are happy to list it for adoption to get the word out.