Spock's Sanctuary

12/02/2025

We stumbled across this today and what an amazing opportunity for non-profits!

Obviously we would be absolutely over the moon if you guys nominated us, as this could make a huge difference to lots of animals! That said, any non-profit is equally deserving of these opportunities, and we’re just happy to get the word out!

Make sure to comment on the Scheels page’s post! Happy Giving Tuesday!

✨NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE LOCAL NON PROFIT✨
We are giving back $10,000 this holiday season and we need YOUR help!!

Comment your favorite local non profit so we can share our holiday spirit throughout the community!!!

Nominations will end on 12/5 and recipients will be notified on 12/8

12/02/2025

It’s !

If you’d like to gift to an animal, or give items to help us save even more animals, consider picking something from our Amazon wishlist!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/QLGUNRYJB7DM?ref_=wl_share

11/29/2025

Now that we have had some time to settle down between the expansion and the holidays, we’ve finally been able to update the adoptable animals on our site!

To see these adorable baby bearded dragons and our other adoptables and their information, follow this link to our site: https://www.spockssanctuary.org/adoptables

11/28/2025

It’s about this time of year that we see a huge influx in the number of surrenders we receive, and we have already began seeing this trend picking up again. Typically, we see a huge influx around the holidays between November and February. To date this year, we have had on average of one animal every day of the year! While this is something we’re very proud to be able to be able to do for our community, it comes at a cost. Vet bills, housing, and food all add up. While we have had some extremely generous community members donating bugs, pumpkins, and other items, we did want to provide an opportunity for you to make a difference this Giving Tuesday!

Follow the links below and make a difference in the lives of these animals that often go over looked!

Become a sponsor: https://www.spockssanctuary.org/ambassadors
Subscribe to Spock’s Talks: https://www.spockssanctuary.org/spockstalks
Donate: https://www.venmo.com/u/spocks_sanctuary

11/27/2025

This Thanksgiving, we wanted to say how thankful we are for each and every one of you!

We are beyond grateful for the opportunity to work with these amazing animals, sharing their incredible stories and education with the world, and to get to know our community and the animals you have at home!

Feel free to share the animals you’re thankful for in the comments below! We’ve seen a few fall photo shoots with a few of our past rescues, and it’s got us wanting more!

11/26/2025

While Calypso our False Water Cobra is eating her meal a day early, she wants everyone to know we can rest (and digest) this Friday, as we will be closed for the Holiday. We will absolutely be open this Saturday during our normal hours, where you’ll be able to see her in her freshly shed scales that were hidden last weekend during opening! (She’s a bit shy!)

11/25/2025

When we founded Spock’s Sanctuary, one of the leading goals we had in mind was to create a space where reptile and amphibian lovers could interact, fall in love with rescues, and through our education, create a more sustainable future for exotic pets everywhere.

In just our first few days of being open in the larger expansion, we have felt the love from animal lovers far and wide. Our hearts are completely and utterly full watching the space we worked so tirelessly to create burst at the seams with animal lovers and keepers from all walks of life. Watching as travelers from South Dakota bond with those from Illinois and beyond in our space is a sight that I’d never imagined. Seeing children hold their first gecko, watching the fear in adults eyes melt away as they touch their first snake, and feeling hearts warm to reptiles as they hear about the outstanding conditions many of our animals have endured are the reasons we feel so strongly about the work we do.

It truly brings a tear to our eyes to know that the work we have put in is seen by the reptile community. To see our animals adapt to their new, larger enclosures, and watch as their incredible stories inspire and teach the next generation of Herpetologists, Conservationists, and all around Animal Advocates is everything Cam and I could have ever asked for when we dreamt up Spock’s Sanctuary years ago. From our very meager beginnings to what we have grown to today, it is you, our community, that has made this dream possible - a dream not only for us, but for the future of exotic pets.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us every step of the way.

- Your Local Lizard Wizard,
Cole

11/22/2025

TODAY.IS.THE.DAY!!!

We’ll be open 9-5! We hope to see you all there!

11/18/2025

A Master of Disguise - The Chinese Cave Gecko freezes to make him self *invisible* to the untrained eye!

All Jokes aside, we’re super excited to have Spelunk move in!

11/16/2025

Caught Cole sleeping on the job- tsk tsk tsk.

All jokes aside- we have been unbelievably hard at work setting up for our grand opening NEXT WEEKEND!!! The 22nd feels so close but so far away at the same time!

We can’t wait to share the space and the animals we have been working with to make this all possible.

Every waking hour has been spent within these walls to create a space where both the animals and education will flourish and thrive- and we can’t wait to share it with YOU!!

Meet pythons up close, feed a tortoise that weighs over a hundred pounds, and explore the world of reptiles at Spock’s Sanctuary- where your visit supports reptile rescue and rehabilitation!

11/11/2025

We’ve been working so hard even our animals are exhausted watching!

We’re almost a week and a half away from our grand opening! We’re so excited to show you what we’ve been working on over the last few months!

To best prepare for the impending day, we will have our Zoo portion closed this weekend and the following week (15th-21st) to the general public to begin moving animals to their new homes!

Feel free to still stop by and pick up your feeders and supplies, but no rush! We’ll still have the storefront open during our normal hours as usual through the updates to the zoo.

11/01/2025

🦎 Iowa, are you ready for this?! 🐍

Bigger and better than ever, with new rescued animals that you’ve never seen before - Spock’s Sanctuary is Iowa’s Premier Reptile Destination!

And soon we’ll be sharing it with YOU! 🫵 The best part? ALL proceeds benefit the rescue and it’s mission right here in Des Moines!📍

You don’t want to miss this! 🐸