Loving Leos Reptile Rescue Inc.

04/30/2025

🎉🎉🎉 Congratulations Brianna Aliksandria Genovese on winning the raffle! Please message us by Friday so we can get shipping underway for your leopard gecko care package! 🎉🎉🎉

Thank you to everyone who participated, and please stay tuned Ed for the next prize event!

Check out LovingLeosRR’s video.

04/30/2025

Raffle winner announcement today at 2pm CST, good luck to everyone!!

04/28/2025

Just one day left to enter!

04/28/2025

I have an outpatient procedure tomorrow morning, so posts will be on hiatus until next week! The winner of the raffle prize will still be announced on the 30th 🙂

04/28/2025

Pickles got his enclosure upgrade 🥹

Unfortunately with him having an open eye socket and damaged eyelids, he can't have loose substrate. He does have several climbing and hiding options now though, which he has been using!

I did also give him LED lighting alongside his UVB and heating. I'm not sure just how much he can see with his right eye, but it certainly won't hurt for him to have the same full spectrum lighting I give my other animals.

I'll see how he does in this new space for a while, then I may make him a foam rock background to give him more climbing options ❤️

04/26/2025

Tikka's new tail tip progress 🙌

You can just see a bit of pigmentation starting to come in 🙏

04/24/2025

Just a little PSA that a person's time spent keeping reptiles does not equal adequate experience.

I see too many comments from older keepers who have decades of working with reptiles under their belts, yet their standards of care are severely subpar. This excuse is often used to mock or belittle newer generations of keepers who want to provide the best for their scaly pets.

Time keeping is not as important as one's willingness and ability to keep up with changing care requirements. Whether you've been keeping for 30 years or 6 months, we have to do our best to provide these animals with everything necessary for them to thrive ❤️

04/23/2025

📖📚 It's World Book Day! 📚📖

Some of my favorite resources are the Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery books ❤️

While I'm not formally trained in veterinary medicine, they are excellent guides for rescue work and general herpetoculture keeping.

These books can help you learn to identify illnesses in reptiles, what sort of treatments may be available, and can help you ask relevant questions when veterinary exams are needed.

04/23/2025

Did you know tegus have the strongest bite force of any lizard, clocking in at around 1000 Newtons?

Their teeth are also made up of sharp canines and incisors in the front of their mouths, and crushing molars in the back, equipping them with a mouth capable of snapping bones, as well as tearing and gripping vegetation and prey animals ✨️👄✨️

04/22/2025

Throughout the rest of the year, I'll be working on overhauling shelving systems and enclosures ❤️ I have a handful of adoptable and permanent special needs animals who are ready to move out of their quarantine setups and into larger spaces. This will include natural substrates and plants, something I try to do for every animal to make sure they have lots of good enrichment.

Pickles is one of those needing an upgrade, though he will unfortunately not be eligible for loose substrate.

There is a risk substrate could get into his empty eye socket and underneath the damaged lids over his remaining eye. This could cause infections or injuries. He is vision-impaired, so we don't want to risk compromising what little sight he does have.

Despite that, I want to make sure Pickles still has lots of climbing and exploring opportunities in his upgraded tank.

It will be some time before I can get all of this together, but drop some suggestions for Pickles' in the comments, and we'll pick the best ideas for him!

04/21/2025

Haleem's progress ❤️

Only 2.5 weeks into recovery, and Haleem is looking fantastic! Her body is filling out in all the right places, her colors are starting to show through, and the lumps around her eyes are nearly gone.

She is also entirely off of formula feeding and is eating insects well on her own! 🪳🐛🦗

04/20/2025

Only 10 days left to enter!

04/19/2025

Here's a recently released study on the effects enriched environments have on captive hognose snake brains, versus bare enclosures.

By the end of the study, the brains of snakes housed in enriched spaces were significantly larger than those who were kept in minimal ones.

This is further proof that we absolutely need to do better in giving our reptiles more than just the bare necessities to survive in captivity 🙏

The effects of environmental enrichment have been well documented in mammals and birds, but less work has focused on reptiles. Because snakes are common in captivity, both as pets and in research/commercial facilities, it is critical to explore how ...

04/19/2025

It can be incredibly emotionally difficult in rescue work seeing the same suffering over and over again. The pain, suffering and death I've personally seen from preventable problems is something that permanently jades you. Many times it feels like fighting an uphill battle trying to be a voice for these amazing animals.

But there are ways you can help!

Even if you yourself are not in rescue work, you can lend your support in advocacy even without spending a dime:

🟢 If you see something, say something. Some examples can include: if you're at a reptile expo and see a vendor selling animals in poor condition, TELL THE SHOW MANAGERS. Reputable shows will ban the vendor from returning, and may even get authorities involved. If you have a friend or family member who has a reptile they are not caring for properly, especially if you see that the animal is suffering, try to guide them in the right direction by sending resources on care, equipment, and rescues.

🟢 Promote curiosity by sharing educational posts about captive reptile care. Reptiles are a wealth of fascination, and you can help dispel myths and fears about them this way.

🟢 Share posts from your favorite rescues and herpetological societies. This can help spread the word on operations who can benefit from the exposure and support.

🟢 If someone you know is thinking about getting a reptile, ask them if they need help getting the proper equipment and information together.

🟢 Point people in the right direction for rescues if they're looking for a new scaly friend.