The Little Rep Refuge

28/07/2023

We have a lovely troupe of crested geckos living at The Little Rep Refuge, and we're putting together a bioactive vivarium for them.
We're in search of old hanging basket liners, lightweight wooden crates (the type that fruit tends to come in), woven baskets and any other type of biodegradable container for the initial arranging of the live plants.
Reuse is the best form of recycling, and if they're already a bit tatty, even better as it saves us some work!
Please check your sheds and see if you have anything we can take off your hands!
Thanks
(Photo for reference - Credit: Swell Reptiles)

23/07/2023

We've managed to get hold of the owner of the pigeon we found earlier in the week. They're based in Stoke on Trent and will be able to collect him next weekend.
Does anyone have a holding pen/dog crate/flat pack aviary we can borrow until then? The poor guy has perked up and is starting to get stressed out with the lack of space he has in the cat carrier we've been using.
We're on Milcote Road.
Thanks in advance!

19/07/2023

Getting back on top of things, and hitting the ground running with a late night drop of a racing pigeon by a neighbour who thought he was injured.
He's currently fed, watered and safe from predators in our garden shed. He doesn't seem too upset, so we'll see how he's doing in the morning. Hopefully a good night's sleep (for everyone involved) will be enough!

15/07/2023

Quick update From Emma -
I've been dealing with some quite severe health issues recently, and for this past week in particular I've been a level of unwell that I haven't experienced before (and I hope never to have to deal with again).
The animals are safe - My lovely partner has been stopping in to help take care of them while I can't, and I have a couple of wonderful humans waiting in the wings ready to provide some very temporary accommodation in case this episode carries on for much longer.
For now I've had to make the decision to focus on the beasts we're already looking after. I'm hoping I'm coming out of the other side of it now, but unfortunately new queries about general advice and potential rehomes will have to wait for a bit while I catch up on things. 😕
We are still looking for the storage space we've posted about a couple of times...
We've had a couple of offers of some shared space in lockups that are already in use, but ideally we want to be working on the equipment we'd be storing so somewhere we could break out the paints and power tools without damaging or messing up someone else's stuff would be ideal!
Any leads, please let us know, any really urgent issues, of course we'll try to get back to you ASAP, and any spare change, please feel free to deposit it at JustGiving.com/crowdfunding/LittleRepRefuge.
Thanks so much!
Here is a lizard.

12/07/2023

We're still in search of storage or work space so we can sort, refurbish and sell some of the equipment we have in order to generate funds to keep this charity going.
If anyone knows of a garage, lock up, stock room or outhouse that we could use, please get in touch! Thank you!

07/07/2023

06/07/2023

It's my birthday today!!
Happy to accept well wishes in the form of donations to the charity. 😂
JustGiving.com/crowdfunding/LittleRepRefuge
or
PayPal.me/LittleRepRefuge

Weʼre raising money to support The Little Rep Refuge. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

30/06/2023

Payday weekend is here, and so is the reminder some of you asked for (whether you actually meant it or not!).
We currently have over 30 reptiles at The Little Rep Refuge. Most of them are with us long term as life as a pet wouldn't suit them, and those that will eventually be rehomed all still need a fair bit of TLC before they're ready to move on.
We do everything we can to cut costs by reusing and repurposing equipment, bulk buying sundries and asking a lot of favours from people who've offered to help with transport etc, but with energy prices due to go up this weekend we're anticipating being hit with a massive bill in the near future.
It would be amazing if we could amass some sort of cushion for when this happens.
Appreciate almost everyone is in the same situation, but if you can spare anything at all you can donate at JustGiving.com/crowdfunding/LittleRepRefuge or PayPal.me/LittleRepRefuge, or message for bank details.
Thank you. Please have a photo of a gecko.

22/06/2023

Apologies to those waiting for a reply to enquiries. We've been dealing with a couple of urgent issues. Normal service should resume soon!

16/06/2023

A smashing week for beardies here at The Little Rep Refuge.
As well as Bert arriving, we welcomed Lexie, whose owner was worried she was under the weather from being on her own. We introduced her to our other girls to see whether living in a community would help, and they took to her straight away. After just two nights, she's so well settled it's like she's been here forever, and her previous family say they can't believe how happy she looks. ❤️
We also bid a fond farewell to lovely Jasper today, when Matthew came to collect him to take him to his new home. The first photo is of him getting comfortable in his shiny new viv. The second is of our fabulous bearded ladies, Val (top), Lexie, Mags and Grace.

14/06/2023

Wonky Wednesdays: Big, Beautiful Bert

This enormous boy arrived at The Little Rep Refuge just this morning.
He was rescued by a friend of ours from a home where he just wasn't being looked after properly; his diet was terrible, he had no exercise or stimulation, and when they took him in he was dangerously overweight.
Judging by his stunning colouring, Bert came from a breeder, who likely didn't do the proper checks or handover with his new owners. People are so often told that these guys are easy to care for, but they still need the investment of time and money to set them up properly, and time to get to know their individual needs.
If you're interested in getting a reptile as a pet, please do your homework! We're always happy to give advice before, during and after you adopt, and it's so much better to start right than have to undo all the damage from inappropriate care further down the line.
Fortunately for Bert, the family who have been fostering him for the past year have done a fantastic job of getting him active, socialised and eating the right food. We'll carry on with what they've started, and hopefully get him to a point where we can rehome him as a pet with someone who will care for him properly long term.🤞

07/06/2023

Wonky Wednesdays: Joey

Joey is a baby bearded dragon with a birth defect that means his limbs are folded under his body and he scuttles around on his elbows and knees.
Because he can't use his hands he's a bit rubbish at hunting, climbing, digging (basically the things that lizards have evolved to do for survival), and I'm working on a specially adapted setup that will mean he can do these things as independently as possible. I'm using bits and pieces of equipment donated by a family who'd recently lost their tortoise, Joe, so this little guy is named in his honour.
I think Joey survived despite his disability because of the sheer amount of confidence he has. He spends his days chomping through salad leaves ten times his size, snoozing under his heat lamp out in the open, and watching the world go by with his nose pressed up against the glass so he doesn't miss anything important.
I'm really very fond of this dude, and I'm thrilled to be trusted with his care. 😊

06/06/2023

If you've been to a pub quiz at The Midland in Bearwood, you may have met some of the animals that have joined our team for the evening as part of their socialisation. We bring them out as the regulars love having a hold and a photo, and it's a great opportunity to get the word out about the charity. Landlady Amanda (pictured modelling Big Judy the corn snake), has been instrumental in reminding people we rely on donations and asking people to dig deep, and she's now offered us a spot on the bar for one of our collection tubs. You can find us between the pickled eggs and the ale pumps! You can also donate online at JustGiving.com/crowdfunding/LittleRepRefuge

01/06/2023

Missed wonky Wednesday this week as we had an escaped snake and spent the small hours looking for him.
He's been found safe and well, and completely unaware of the havoc he caused!!

28/05/2023

It's not just financial donations that keep us going (although it is payday weekend, so if you can spare a bit, please head over to JustGiving.com/crowdfunding/LittleRepRefuge 😉).
We also take vivariums and equipment that we use to house our own beasts, refurbish and sell on, or provide to adopters so we know our animals are going to have what they need in their new homes.
Transport for getting them to us is just as valuable, and this has just been dropped to our door. Thanks so much, Jonathan!!

24/05/2023

Wonky Wednesdays: Gilbert

Gilbert is a crested gecko who arrived at The Little Rep Refuge a few weeks ago.
He's a healthy, happy chap (and enormous for his species!), but he's polydactyly meaning he has extra toes on some of his feet. His owner didn't want him any more because apparently that makes him unsuitable for breeding 😤.
It's unrelated, but this dude is really clumsy, and/or a little bit dim. I'll often hear him clattering around at night and then just letting go and bouncing off one of his decorations, or I'll see him running face first into one of them for no reason at all. He's called Gilbert because he never lands where you think he will, a bit like a rugby ball.

23/05/2023

Well now. This looks awfully official, doesn't it?? Thank you to Gamebox on Bearwood Road for helping us raise funds by having one of our collection tubs in pride of place on their counter!
You can also donate online at
JustGiving.com/crowdfunding/LittleRepRefuge

19/05/2023

When one door closes another one opens, as they say.
It's been a difficult few months - some of the less healthy reps didn't bounce back after coming out of brummation and a couple have passed from old age, so there's been quite a lot more loss than usual.
However, it has meant there's been space to take on some newbies, and this is the latest...
This is Gustaff. He is 15 years old and has come from an incredibly experienced keeper who took him in after his original owner had an unavoidable change in circumstances last year.
Unfortunately Gustaff decided that he didn't like this new owner and spent all of his time being Very Cross with her. She doesn't feel she has the time to work on the intensive interaction he'll need to get used to her, or the space to leave him to being grumpy and ungrateful without being disturbed.
This is the sort of surrender I really quite like taking on. She's provided a tonne of details about his habits and preferences, she's kept him beautifully healthy, and she's gone out of her way to find someone suitable to take over (that's me!). Infinitely preferable to someone deciding they're not putting in the effort any more and just dumping a creature, who then comes to The Little Rep Refuge with no background information or context.
Because of his age I don't plan to rehome Gustaff. If he doesn't like me either, we'll work together on reaching a point where he's not upsetting himself, or if it really is too much for him, I'll leave him be, keep him fed, watered and secure, and try not to take his disdain for me personally. 😉

17/05/2023

Wonky Wednesdays: Angry Sue

Angry Sue came to The Little Rep Refuge in a bad way. She'd been bred so much because of her beautiful markings that her body was completely worn out. It also seemed that she'd never been socialised.
A lot of the animals that I get here have similar backstories, and the only care I can really give them is palliative. Sometimes their health improves and they stay with me long term, but they'd never cope being a pet because of their horrible past, and all I can do for them is make sure they're comfortable for the last bit of their lives.
The really frustrating thing about it is that almost every one of these cases could have been avoided if they'd been treated like a living creature or the owner had just done some research before taking them on.
Unfortunately I never really managed to get Sue eating properly, and she was just so stressed from every interaction that the kindest thing to do was offer her somewhere suitable and safe and give her some personal space. She stayed with me for three months before she passed away. Here she is in a lovely warm bath, off her face on painkillers and having just been hand-fed some tuna water. Look at that gorgeous smile! 🖤

17/05/2023

It's a small milestone, but my fundraiser has had enough donations for the page to register a percentage!!
Thanks for the contributions so far.
Seems like a valid excuse for a bit of shameless self promotion...

Weʼre raising money to support The Little Rep Refuge. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

14/05/2023

We had a new arrival this morning. Not a reptile but his cleft nose definitely classifies him as wonky.
He needs to have his boy bits removed before we can let him socialise with our other cats, but within about ten seconds of meeting him, he was on my lap, purring and dribbling as though he's been here forever. ❤️

10/05/2023

As well as physically unusual reps, we also have a fair few who just aren't very bright.
Fed the snakes today and Ruby came halfway out of her tub to catch her mouse, immediately dropped it in her water bowl, and wouldn't move out of the way for me to retrieve it, while becoming increasingly grumpy that she'd lost it (the water washes off the scent and makes it more difficult to find).
A lot of people are wary of snakes, and that's OK, but there's really no need to be afraid of the little ones like corns, because all they seem to do is get stuck or fall off things...

10/05/2023

Wonky Wednesdays: Where we showcase one of our not-quite-right charges.
Seems fitting that the first spotlight should be on the rep where it all began ten years ago, Neil the beardie.
Neil came to us after his owner didn't want to pay for surgery on his stomach and instructed the vet to put him to sleep instead.
The vet paid for the surgery out of pocket, performed it successfully, and went on the hunt for a new home.
Neil was with us for a couple of years before the stomach problems returned.
He enjoyed chasing raspberries down stairs, watching Stargate, and welcoming guests into the house by pooing on them and only them.

09/05/2023

The Little Rep Refuge provides rescue, rehoming and long term care to reptiles and exotic pets. We specialise in the wonkies, poorlies and oldies, and also offer advice to people who would like to adopt a reptile.

With the rise in the Cost of Living, many people are now unable to continue looking after their pets and are asking us to take them on for adoption or rehoming, and we are asking for donations to help us cover food and bills for our existing animals, vet fees, and travel to collect new creatures. We also collect and refurbish donated equipment which we sell on or provide to people who are adopting from us. This means we often travel with the animals and teach their new families how to set up and look after their new pet properly.

In order to register as a charity through the official channels, we need an annual turnover of £5000, which is why the target is set to this amount, but any amount, large or small will help us to continue this work, and will be gratefully received.

Weʼre raising money to support The Little Rep Refuge. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

09/05/2023

Welcome to the page for The Little Rep Refuge!
Website coming as soon as we have some funds. Please head over to PayPal or JustGiving using the links at the top of the page so we can get it set up and start listing some of the lovely creatures who are ready to be rehomed.