Refuge Reptile Castle

Refuge Reptile Castle Reptile shelter located in Sherbooke, Qc, our goal is to rescue, rehabilitate, rehome.

Alors que nous entrons dans le mois de Juin, nous souhaitions rappeler à tout le monde que nous sommes de fiers supporte...
06/02/2025

Alors que nous entrons dans le mois de Juin, nous souhaitions rappeler à tout le monde que nous sommes de fiers supporteurs de la communauté LGBTQIA+. Nous croyons au vivre et laisser vivre, spécialement en terme d’identité.

Le monde des reptiles compte parmis elle plusieurs membres LGBTQIA+, et nous croyons qu’il est très important que tous se sentent inclus. Cette page est non seulement un endroit sécuritaire pour cette communauté, mais aussi pour toute personne qui priorise l’acceptation et non la haine.

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🖤🩶

As we are entering the month of June, we wish to remind everyone that we are proud supporters of the LGBTQIA+ community. We believe in live and let live, especially when it comes to identity.

The reptile world counts many LGBTQIA+ members, and we believe it is important everyone feels welcome and included. This page is not only a safe space for this community but also for anyone prioritizing acceptance over hate.

*français plus loin✨🐸Spotlight on: The Frogs🐸✨Frogs are an essential part of our ecosystem. They regulate the bug popula...
05/30/2025

*français plus loin

✨🐸Spotlight on: The Frogs🐸✨

Frogs are an essential part of our ecosystem. They regulate the bug population and serve as a source of food for numerous predators like herons, foxes and otters.

Preserving habitats is essential to the survival of our indigenous frogs. If you own a pond, make sure you leave foliage on its shores to accommodate frogs’ natural behaviors like basking and hiding in reeds.

Make sure you don’t let your dogs into ponds. Chemicals in shampoo and especially flea medication is highly for our ecosystems. Frogs have sensitive skin and are easily affected by such chemicals.

When handling frogs, make sure you do so delicately but also firmly. You don’t want to hurt the frog by squeezing too hard, but you also don’t want them escaping and jumping from too high. As such, you should wrap your thumb and middle finger around their waist, above their legs. You can also support their body with your other hand if you’re handling for a long time.

ALWAYS make sure your hands and the frog are moist. Frogs breathe through their skin and have developed a mucus essential to their breathing. Dry hands removes the mucus and can make them suffocate.

When releasing a frog, always do it on land, never in water. Gently put the frog down on land, facing the pond. Let the frog decide where it wishes to go. Never throw a frog into a pond: they can land wrong and break a limb.

Overall, respect the frogs and their habitats. Frogs are gentle creatures that deserve our respect and admiration. If you wish to help frog conservation, consult your state’s or province’s wildlife government to volunteer on frog walks, pond decontamination and preservation efforts.

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✨🐸Projecteur sur : Les Grenouilles🐸✨

Les grenouilles sont un élément essentiel de notre écosystème. Elles régulent les populations d’insectes et servent de source de nourriture à de nombreux prédateurs comme les hérons, les renards et les loutres.

Préserver leurs habitats est vital pour la survie de nos grenouilles indigènes. Si vous possédez un étang, veillez à laisser de la végétation sur ses berges afin de permettre aux grenouilles d’exercer leurs comportements naturels comme se prélasser ou se cacher dans les roseaux.

Ne laissez pas vos chiens aller dans les étangs. Les produits chimiques contenus dans les shampooings et surtout les traitements antipuces sont très nocifs pour nos écosystèmes. La peau des grenouilles est très sensible et réagit facilement à ces substances.

Lorsque vous manipulez une grenouille, faites-le avec délicatesse mais aussi fermeté. Vous ne voulez pas la blesser en la serrant trop fort, mais vous ne voulez pas non plus qu’elle vous échappe et saute de trop haut. Pour une bonne prise, placez votre pouce et votre majeur autour de sa taille, au-dessus des pattes. Vous pouvez également soutenir son corps avec votre autre main si vous la tenez longtemps.

Assurez-vous TOUJOURS que vos mains et la grenouille soient humides. Les grenouilles respirent à travers leur peau et ont développé un mucus essentiel à leur respiration. Des mains sèches enlèvent ce mucus et peuvent les faire suffoquer.

Lorsque vous relâchez une grenouille, faites-le toujours sur la terre ferme, jamais directement dans l’eau. Déposez-la délicatement sur le sol, face à l’étang. Laissez-la choisir où elle veut aller. Ne jetez jamais une grenouille dans un étang : elle pourrait mal atterrir et se blesser.

En somme, respectez les grenouilles et leurs habitats. Ce sont des créatures paisibles qui méritent notre respect et notre admiration. Si vous souhaitez contribuer à leur conservation, renseignez-vous auprès de l’organisme gouvernemental de la faune de votre région pour participer à des marches d’observation, à la dépollution des étangs ou à des efforts de préservation.

Gertrude, as we’ve affectionately called her, is a common snapping turtle that lives in my parents’ pond. She’s cool. I ...
05/27/2025

Gertrude, as we’ve affectionately called her, is a common snapping turtle that lives in my parents’ pond. She’s cool. I wish I could bask like that!

As times are getting warmer, we would like to remind everyone of the importance of safe practices when bringing your liz...
05/21/2025

As times are getting warmer, we would like to remind everyone of the importance of safe practices when bringing your lizard outside.

…………….

1. Using a harness and leash

Lizards are prey items. Whether it be for a raptor or a dog, lizards have many predators outside. While sometimes you cannot prevent a raptor from swooping down on your animal, you can avoid your pet being snatched by tugging on the leash. The leash also prevents your pet from wandering too far, getting lost or getting too close to a danger.

Our shelter offers 3 harness sizes, ranging from bearded dragon to monitor sizes.

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2. Using a playpen

Playpens are available on websites like Amazon. They are closed mesh and fabric pens designed for kids and pets alike. They prevent any predators from coming in and your lizard from going out. You still must supervise your animal when they’re in the pen. Heatstrokes are a danger of using playpens so make sure the animal has shade and water.

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3. Enclosed patio

Patios that are entirely closed either with mesh or plastic are safe for lizards. As long as no escape is possible, and you can quickly check on them, you can leave them for extended periods of time. Enclosures like “catios” are also an amazing option you can use for bigger animals like iguanas.

Iggy on the picture is in an enclosed patio.

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4. Dont’s

Don’t leave your animal unattended
Don’t go out when it’s too cold
Don’t go near known raptor hunting grounds
Don’t leave anything to luck

✨Monitors✨Monitors come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some like the ackie stay small. Some like the asian water moni...
05/17/2025

✨Monitors✨

Monitors come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some like the ackie stay small. Some like the asian water monitor grow to incredible sizes.

Did you know monitors are one of the most abandonned and/or resold reptiles?

When we welcome monitors at the shelter, we are rarely their second home. Usually, we are closer to their fifth home. But why is that? Why are monitors so often abandoned?

1. Size 📏

The monitors we see most often are savannahs and niles. While the sav stays smaller, niles can grow to 6 feet and require big enclosures. This can make it hard for people in apartments or people moving homes to keep the enclosures. While babies can be housed in smaller, adults will require 6x6x4 enclosures at the minimum. These enclosures are expensive and take up a lot of space, and people often abandon their monitor once the dreaded enclosure upgrade is around the corner.

2. Temper 😤

Most monitors aren’t sweethearts. It’s a subject we’ve touched multiple times here, but monitors need to develop a trust bond before they feel comfortable. They’re very vocal animals that will hiss and growl to express themselves, which can be scary when the animal is 6 foot long with a bone hard tail and sharp teeth. Most of the time, the monitors we see have been deemed agressive by their owner because they were vocal or they were whipping. This is all normal behavior for a monitor. Even the tamest of monitors will eventually whip or hiss because this is how they communicate. Just like a very calm and composed person can snap and yell when pushed.

3. Diet 🥩

Monitors are carnivorous. Meat and bugs are what they eat in the wild, with some monitors having a tendency to eat more bugs. Savannahs need a diet composed of 90% bug and 10% meat or else they get fat and develop fatty liver disease. Bugs can get very expensive, especially for the amount of bugs a savannah eats in a meal. Some bigger species will eat more fish and white meat, which can also become expensive. Unless you have meat chickens and a massive bug colony, feeding your monitor can become quite the ordeal. Many times we get fat animals at the shelter because their owners went for cheeper but fattier options for their animals.

4. Lifespan 👴🏻

Most monitor species live well in their 20s. Getting a baby monitor is a long commitment that not all people think about. Life situations can change very quickly, which can bring a person to relocate their lizards. Most of the time, the person is not to blame for the lifestyle change (loss of job, sickness, house fire, etc), but we urge people to only adopt a monitor if they are in a stable situation. The more a monitor changes owner, the harder it is to build a trust bond with them.

In conclusion, getting a monitor is not something that should be an impulsive decision. They are highly intelligent animals that require stability and an owner that understands their behavior.

Owning a monitor also means being in a stable situation and having a stable income to be able to provide for its needs. You should always question whether you are ready for such a commitment and most importantly do your research before acquiring a monitor!

Nile Burrito! Because regular burritos aren’t spicy enough!
05/16/2025

Nile Burrito! Because regular burritos aren’t spicy enough!

Iggy was enjoying some first-time outside walkies. Then all of a sudden, a bumblebee without a flight lisence collided w...
05/14/2025

Iggy was enjoying some first-time outside walkies. Then all of a sudden, a bumblebee without a flight lisence collided with Iggy’s dewlap! Pff, damn unlicensed bumblebees! 🐝 🦎

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Iggy profitait aujourd’hui du premier jour de marche à l’extérieur. Et tout d’un coup, un bourdon sans son permis de vol s’écrasa contre son dewlap! Pfff, espèces de bourdons sans permis! 🐝 🦎

Une superbe soirée avec les jeunes et les animateurs de la Maison des jeunes Sac-Ados de Chibougamau! Les jeunes ont pu ...
05/11/2025

Une superbe soirée avec les jeunes et les animateurs de la Maison des jeunes Sac-Ados de Chibougamau! Les jeunes ont pu découvrir 6 espèces de reptiles et amphibiens: Firefly, Sisu, Pixie, Moxxie et Kali, ainsi que plusieurs centaines d’isopodes!

De belles rencontres ont eu lieu, et Moxxie fut le petit chouchou de la soirée. Nous furent aussi très surpris de l’étendu de leurs connaissances sur les reptiles!

Les jeunes étaient aux petits oignons pour les reptiles, super délicats, et un linge mouillé a même été préparé pour garder Pixie bien humide!

Un gros merci à l’organisation et au plaisir de voud revoir!

Un gros merci au Starbucks pour le Liz Cup, la version lézard du Pup Cup! C’est bien mérité pour Iggy après sa grosse fi...
05/04/2025

Un gros merci au Starbucks pour le Liz Cup, la version lézard du Pup Cup! C’est bien mérité pour Iggy après sa grosse fin de semaine!

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Big thanks to the Starbucks for the Liz Cup, the lizard version of the Pup Cup! It’s well deserved for Iggy after her long weekend!

Un immense merci au Salon Des Animaux De Ferme Neuve pour cette magnifique fin de semaine! Nous avons eu beaucoup de fun...
05/04/2025

Un immense merci au Salon Des Animaux De Ferme Neuve pour cette magnifique fin de semaine! Nous avons eu beaucoup de fun autant avec les exposants que les visiteurs!

Un gros merci à la KaSa Bar de Nutrition pour les smoothies! Ils sont tellement bons!!!

Suite au vote du public nous(par nous, Iggy est certaine qu’il s’agit d’elle seulement…) avons remporté la deuxième place dans la catégorie exotique!

Nous avons aussi pu récolter de multiples dons qui serviront aux traitements d’Iggy ainsi qu’à l’achat de nouveau substrat pour Elsa(gecko léopard blanc)!

On se revoit l’année prochaine la gang!

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A huge thanks to Salon des Animaux de Ferme Neuve for this amazing weekend! We had a lot of fun qith the expo people and visitors as well!

A big thanks to Kasa, Nutrition Bar for the smoothies. They were soooo good!!

Following the visitor vote, we(and by that we mean Iggy thinks it’s all her…) won second place for best Exotic booth!

We were also able to collect donations going towards Iggy’s care and new substrate for Elsa(white leopard gecko)!

We’ll see everyone next year!

C’est parti pour jour 2 de l’expo de Ferme Neuve! Pauvre Moxxie a débuté une mue hier matin et ne pourra donc pas être p...
05/04/2025

C’est parti pour jour 2 de l’expo de Ferme Neuve! Pauvre Moxxie a débuté une mue hier matin et ne pourra donc pas être pris, mais il chill toujours dans son vivarium!

It’s a go for day 2 of the Ferme Neuve expo! Poor Moxxie started a shed yesterday morning and won’t be available for handling, but he’s still chilling in the vivarium!

C’est un dé’art pour l’expo de Ferme Neuve! Un petit 8h de route pour nos bibittes, en ordre de haut en bas: Frappuccino...
05/02/2025

C’est un dé’art pour l’expo de Ferme Neuve! Un petit 8h de route pour nos bibittes, en ordre de haut en bas: Frappuccino, Nema et Firefly, Chibbs, Moxxie, Kali, et les isopodes. Nous aurons aussi Sisu, Iggy et Serge! Gimli se reposait ce weekend!

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It’s a go for Ferme Neuve expo! A small 8h drive for our critterd, in order from toop to bottom: Frappuccino, Nema and Firefly, Chibbs, Moxxie, Kali, and the isopods. We will also have Sisu, Iggy and Serge this weekend! Gimli was taking a break!

Address

Chibougamau, QC

Telephone

+18194736884

Website

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