Spock's Sanctuary

03/28/2025

One of the most rewarding parts of doing the work that we do is seeing animals become enriched in their environment and watching display behaviors that they would in the wild.

These two pictures show one of our favorite examples of this. We recently moved our Dumeril’s Boa into a 8x4x3ft enclosure and filled it with substrate and most importantly, leaf litter. In the wild these snakes beautiful patterns help them blend into leaf litter on the ground and wait until unsuspecting prey comes wandering by.

Can you spot Alasia in these pictures, or would you have already been a snack?

03/15/2025

We will be CLOSED the morning of March 16th! Will be back open at 2!

03/09/2025

This was a really fun event! We can’t wait until next year! 😊

03/09/2025

It was really cool to have Cameryn (And Tilly the Box Turtle) represent us at the capital!

Our CYstarters alumni held down the fort at ISU Day at the Capitol!

This morning, students Spenser Leise, Alana Corwin, Jonathan Duron, Zackry Brannen, and Cam Reiman joined CYstarters Program Director Megan Graettinger, Pappajohn Center Director Judi Eyles, and Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines! They had the opportunity to share their personal stories and entrepreneurial journeys with legislators, statehouse staff, and visitors, showcasing how Iowa State University is preparing students for the workforce, driving innovation, and contributing to the state’s economy!

Go Cyclones!

03/08/2025

We are BEYOND excited for this!!! Come check out all of our new products to get the best for your pet!

Exciting News for Reptile Lovers!

Critter Cafe is now stocked at Spock’s Sanctuary! ✨ That’s right—your favorite premium feeder insects and reptile nutrition are now available at this amazing exotic pet sanctuary. Whether your scaly sidekick needs nutritious dubia roaches, or other high-quality feeders, you can now grab them locally at Spock’s Sanctuary!

Stop by, stock up, and keep your critters happy and healthy. Big thanks to Spock’s Sanctuary for carrying the best for our beloved reptiles!

📍 Find us at Spock’s Sanctuary today!

03/02/2025

Spock's Sanctuary will be CLOSED next weekend (March 7th-9th) as we will be in Sioux City for their outdoor show! We look forward to sharing our animals and their stories with the next generation!

We have exciting news! New this year at the 2025 Sioux City Outdoor Show we will have a Kid's Zone! We will have crafts and other fun things for the kiddos to check out from Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center and the Woodbury County Conservation Board, along with Spock's Sanctuary bringing their many exotic animals for you to touch, hold, and get up close and personal with! We will also have an inflatable axe throwing machine from our friends at Uptown Wedding and Event Rental and so many more fun things to do for the whole family!

02/05/2025

We’re trying something new for Valentine’s Day this year!

As a Valentine’s Day event, over the month of February we will be sending off the not-so-special someones in your life as a feeder! If you’ve got a Rat from your past or a Cockroach of an ex, submit a request for a picture or video of your someone’s send off by the hand (or teeth?) of our animal ambassadors!

Participate and support the sanctuary in the process at:
https://www.spockssanctuary.org/event-details/name-a-rat

01/31/2025

It’s National Backwards day! We wanted to share with you guys a bit about one of our more unique animals, Jupiter the Smooth K**b Tailed Gecko.

These geckos have a stubby tail that from above can be confused with their head by predators! Then they can drop their tails and scurry to safety!

Despite their looks, they aren’t very closely related to other common geckos like Leopard Geckos, and instead come all the way from mainland Australia.

Consider checking out our little backwards gecko next time you stop in!

01/29/2025

In celebration of the start of the Chinese New Year and the year of the snake, Alasia wanted to remind everyone to wear their scarves in this colder weather! (She’s doing her best impression!)

We have since taken down the Christmas decorations, but this was just to cute not to share!

Alasia is a Dumeril’s Boa, one of the most distantly related boas from the rest. While most are from South America, she is native to all the way over in Madagascar, where her prey would include small mammals, including some species of lemurs!

01/15/2025

Exciting updates from the sanctuary!

We’ve had a few new ambassadors join us recently!

Firstly we have a recently finished enclosure for two of our larger snakes! Long term, it will house our Dumeril’s Boa, Alasia, and our Blood Python, Vladimir!

We recently welcomed a pair of Red Eyed Crocodile Skinks, Hiccup and Astrid, which we hope will eventually produce offspring, as currently they are heavily wild caught.

Nessie, a European Legless Lizard, or Scheltopusik, just came into the Sanctuary and has been a blessing to watch explore and hunt in her enclosure!

Finally last but not least, Norm, the E-Norm-ous tortoise! He is just shy of 120 lbs and 40 years old! He will ONLY be here over winter before moving out to an outdoor space this summer, where he can get all of the sunlight and grazing space a tortoise could ask for!

01/03/2025

This time of the year we tend to see a large influx of surrendered animals, which means we have a ton of animals looking for loving homes! Check out what we have currently cleared from their quarantine period below!

Read their descriptions for more info!

If these animals are of interest to you, apply to adopt at:
https://www.spockssanctuary.org/adoptionform

12/26/2024

Merry Christmas to those that SHELLebrate! We'll be out of the area for the upcoming weekend to spend time with family and will be closed Friday the 27th through Sunday the 29th. We look forward to seeing everybody on Monday!

12/16/2024

Need a last minute stocking stuffer?

Consider picking up one of our annual passes for an exotic lover in your life! These passes will allow a year of hands on interaction with the wide variety of animals at our facility!

Have friends that own scaly family members of their own? We also have gift cards available for purchase! Help start the year off right with feeders, decor, and maybe even a new addition to the family!

https://www.spockssanctuary.org/annual-passes

12/08/2024

It’s not often we get to post about our invertebrates, but we can’t keep it in any longer!

Earlier this year, we accepted in an asian forest scorpion named Cupcake to our educational ambassador team, and shortly after she gave birth to 14 healthy baby scorpions!

This was a huge surprise to both us and the prior home as she had been kept alone for over a year at this point, which means she kept the material from a pairing with a male for over a year before giving birth!

After carrying them for the first week or so the babies popped off of her back and went about their way. Now months later of individualized care, they are finally to a size we can start looking for potential homes! If you are interested in checking these guys out stop by our storefront the next time you’re in town!

11/30/2024

Behold! The Christmas Tree-Rex!!

“Mr T” our stores T-Rex has been suited up for the holiday season! Not only that, but for the month of December you can bring home a mini Tree-Rex of your own!

Stop by as early as this Sunday for your Rex, and visit our animal ambassadors while you’re in! Happy Holidays!

11/15/2024

Due to a family Funeral, Spock’s Sanctuary will be closed tomorrow 11/15. We hope you understand in this difficult time and look forward to seeing everyone this weekend!

11/12/2024

Are you a regular at the Sanctuary?

Consider an Individual or a Friend and Family pass for a year of fun!

Individual passes allow for a single individual, whereas a Friends and Family pass allows for two adults and either three children or two other adults to join them. (One of two named individuals must be in attendance). Both are great options to save!

Purchase a pass at the link below!
https://www.spockssanctuary.org/annual-passes

11/03/2024