Herptile Rescue and Education Foundation

01/27/2025

Please visit our website for information on our current adoptable reptiles! :)

01/25/2025

What's under the shell? 🐢 Tortoises and turtles are known for carrying their homes on their backs. But did you know that their shells are actually fused ribs and vertebrae?

The shell protects the tortoise, grows throughout its lifetime, and contains sensitive nerve endings. This means that tortoises can feel touch and pain through their shells. One tip for a healthy tortoise is to keep its shell nice and clean. 🛁🐢

Photo: Box Turtle Skeleton - Thomas Quine

01/21/2025

"Herptile" is a word referring to either a reptile or amphibian. The term comes from Greek herpetos, meaning "to creep." The study of reptiles and amphibians is known as herpetology. What herptiles do you enjoy? 🐸🐢🐍🦎🐊

Photo: Amazonian Milk Frog (Trachycephalus resinifictrix)

01/19/2025

What does it mean to be cold blooded? Unlike warm blooded endotherms 🐶🐱🧍‍♀️that spend a lot of energy keeping their bodies at a stable temperature, reptiles are ectotherms. 🦎 Their body temperature depends on external sources like the sun or air - or in the case of your terrarium - provided heat sources.☀ This adaptation has many advantages including being able to survive changing conditions like dry seasons or food scarcity.

The term "cold blooded" is misleading. A reptile's body temperature varies greatly throughout the day. For example, Ackie monitors (Varanus acanthurus) are comfortable basking at 70 °C before spending their day at more balmy temperatures like 28 °C. That's more than a 40 °C difference! Other reptile species are adapted to different climates with different temperature requirements. 🐍 🐊 🐢 Your human body temperature can only vary by a couple degrees before becoming dangerous to your health.

Reptiles are talented at regulating their body temperature by location. This is why it is important to offer your pet reptile a warm basking area and a large enough enclosure to allow a temperature gradient to form. If your pet spends all it's time on one side, check your enclosure temperatures and ensure the space is not too hot or cold for your reptile to be healthy. 🧐

10/06/2024

🦎 Thank You for an Incredible Expo! 🐍

A HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to the HREF Edmonton Reptile Expo this weekend! 🎉 From meeting exotic reptiles to connecting with passionate vendors, it’s been an unforgettable event. 🦎✨

The Expo is now officially closed - but don’t worry, we’ll be back! Keep an eye out for updates on our next event, and we can’t wait to see you all again soon!

Thank you for being part of the reptile community, and we look forward to sharing even more amazing experiences next time! 💚

--

10/05/2024

🦎 Thank You for an Amazing Day One! 🐍

A huge thank you to everyone who came out and made the first day of the HREF Edmonton Reptile Expo a success! 🎉 We had an incredible time, and we can’t wait to see even more of you tomorrow!

Here’s why you should join us for Day Two:

🐢 Meet Exotic Reptiles
Get up close with snakes, amphibians, and more—perfect for all ages!

💚 Support a Good Cause
Every ticket sold helps the Herptile Rescue and Education Foundation (HREF) continue its vital work.

🎓 Learn from Experts
Breeders and specialists are here to share their knowledge on reptile care, conservation, and more.

🏡 Adoption Opportunities
Looking to add a new scaly companion? Tomorrow could be your chance!

🛍️ Shop Unique Supplies
Find everything from custom enclosures to specialty food and accessories for your reptiles.

🍴 Family Fun
Enjoy delicious food trucks, interactive exhibits, and fun for the whole family!

🗓️ Sunday, October 6th Schedule:
10 AM – 4 PM
📍 Alberta Aviation Museum, 11410 Kingsway NW, Edmonton

🎟️ Get your tickets now or grab them at the door!
https://fwms.ca/href-edmonton-reptile-expo

--

10/02/2024

SAVE THIS POST: Your Ultimate Guide to the HREF Edmonton Reptile Expo! 🦎

It’s almost here! October 5th & 6th at the Alberta Aviation Museum! Here’s everything you need to know for this weekend’s most exciting reptile event!

📅 Dates & Times

Saturday, October 5th: 10 AM – 5 PM
Sunday, October 6th: 10 AM – 4 PM

📍 Location

Alberta Aviation Museum
11410 Kingsway NW, Edmonton, AB T5G 0X4

🎟️ Ticket Prices

Single Admission: $10 per person
Family Admission: $25 for a family of four
Kids Under 5: Free!

🐍 Why Attend?

- Meet Exotic Reptiles & Amphibians
- Shop for Unique Reptile Products
- Learn from Top Breeders & Reptile Experts
- Adopt Your New Scaly Friend
- Fun for the Whole Family!

🍽️ Food Trucks On-Site!

🎟️ Get Your Tickets Now!
You won’t want to miss out on this unforgettable event - grab your tickets before it’s too late: https://fwms.ca/href-edmonton-reptile-expo

--

09/17/2024

One of our awesome sponsors doing an amazing job saving a Tarantula.
So cool:)
Thanks Dr Daren and Harvest Pointe Animal Hospital for all you do.

08/14/2024

Hey everyone, we’re heading to Calgary this weekend for the Western Canadian Reptile Expo, stop by and say hi and come check everything out.

08/14/2024

We emailed out the vendor applications for the upcoming fall expo. Please check your junk mail.
Also see below the link if you didn’t receive it or you’re not on the mailing list.

Access Google Forms with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).

08/07/2024

Creature feature! Our friendly corn snake Strawberry here has been with the rescue for a couple of years. She first came to us severely egg bound but after a successful surgery, she's been thriving.

She's been a wonderful ambassador animal at several expos but it's long past time for her to get her own home.

For more information or to obtain an application, please contact our page.

07/25/2024

Don't forget Meeting Tonight

Hello Members, and Potential Members.
General meeting is upon us. July 25th, 2024 at 7pm
Join us online at Google Meet.
https://meet.google.com/ktc-nmnx-wuy

Hear about up coming events and past events.
Rescue updates.
Learn about the new website and additions being added to it.
There is always a Q/A at the end.



Picture for attention:)

07/22/2024

Hello Members, and Potential Members.
General meeting is upon us. July 25th, 2024 at 7pm
Join us online at Google Meet.
https://meet.google.com/ktc-nmnx-wuy

Hear about up coming events and past events.
Rescue updates.
Learn about the new website and additions being added to it.
There is always a Q/A at the end.



Picture for attention:)

07/07/2024

Update: thank you everyone. Beef has found a new foster home. For anyone interested in adopting or fostering any of the rescue animals, please message us or fill out the application

HREF is seeking an experienced foster home for a troubled bearded dragon. Beef came to us with the group of dragons in an abandoned house. He's older than the babies and likely hasn't had a lot of experience with people. He's very scared of humans.

For that reason, we're looking for a foster home able to provide a quiet, low traffic area for him to stay. His current foster home has a lot of people in the house which is causing him stress. The ideal foster home would be with someone willing to work patiently with him, without being afraid of him and being able to provide a room where there are no free roam pets, kids, lots of foot traffic, etc.

If you're interested in helping Beef, please contact us for more information.

06/23/2024

Bet you didn't think there would be reptiles at The Pets in the Park.
June 23rd at Buena Vista Park. 8am till 4pm

Come on down and say hi to some amazing Reptile. Our education and concession booth is open to serve you.

06/21/2024

We are in desperate need of foster homes and adoptions. Our surrender requests are higher than ever and we are over capacity. We ask for your help during this time. Please use the applicable Google Form links below to apply to foster or adopt. If you have any questions, please message our page.

FOSTER APPLICATION FORM:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfh_-41hiTf0OSG_IaJ6AE64qK4ygmRZjxaa8Uup7mZqsJ_BQ/viewform

ADOPTION APPLICATION FORM:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfzuF3152bllzy0tMqdds-J0lKnYvZxe0S880F9QzIJRD_XpQ/viewform

Visit our website to view adoptable animals. The website is still in progress so not all of our animals are posted yet. https://www.hrefoundation.ca/adoption