Reptile centre nearly full after 50 rescues
An animal rescue centre is nearly at full capacity after taking in more than 50 animals since the start of the year.
The Axolotl and Reptile Rescue Centre in Evesham said last year it took in nearly 2,000 animals – about 38 a week.
Gareth Costellow, who runs the shelter with his wife Tara, said they were always looking for people to rehome the animals.
He said they had never turned animals away and would use enclosures at home and foster carers first.
Each animal is looked after for at least four weeks before it leaves, and some creatures that need treatment can spent eight or 12 months there, Mr Costellow said.
When animals are rehomed, volunteers make sure they are going to homes with good enclosures where they will have the correct diet, temperature and humidity.
"We make sure they are fully healthy and friendly," he said.
Animals were brought to the centre for many reasons, he added, including neglect or financial pressures.
In some cases, he said owners handed them over because they were getting divorced or moving to a house in which pets were banned by landlords.
"If we are at full capacity, we will have to stop taking in animals, but we have never had to do that before," he said. "Previously, we have got through it and expanded."
The centre, which has won awards and carries out education and training for students and vets, has been in operation for nearly 10 years.
The organisation publishes a list of creatures looking for homes on its website. Five of them have so far been rehomed in January.
The centre takes in animals including reptiles, lizards, snakes and axolotls, and Mr Costellow said they were "100% pets".
Snakes are particularly easy to look after, he said, as they need feeding once a week, fresh water each day and someone to talk to them.
Perry, a jewelled lacerta, likes to walk on to a person's hand and snuggle into a jumper or coat, he said, adding: "He's very affectionate and loves to come out of his enclosure."
Mr Costellow said the centre also had musk turtles who peered out of their enclosures at feeding time and followed his finger if he ran it along the glass.
And Boris, a boa constrictor, has been at the centre for four years.
Boris is looking for a new home, Mr Costellow said.
"Even when I put him on someone's shoulder, he will try to slither back on to mine," he said. "He recognises me - whether that is scent, or whether he recognises that's somewhere safe to be."
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