Loving Leos Reptile Rescue

03/27/2025

The weather was nice and mild yesterday, so Chips got some solar panel time in ❤️

(Chips is still pending adoption until his new owners are ready for him!)

03/27/2025

Tikka's tail is growing a fresh new nub 🦎

This should start to form into a tail over the next few weeks.

Fun fact; when a lizard regrows their tail, the internal skeleton isn't made up of bone, but cartilage!

03/26/2025

Spaghetti's new enclosure is complete!

I learned how to make backgrounds and tank arrangements from SerpaDesign , and proper lighting setup from Reptile Lighting . I would highly recommend checking out both resources for your own builds!

I used the following supplies and materials:

🔵 4x2x2 Dubia Enclosure
🔵 Two 2ft Barrina full spectrum LED grow lights
🔵 2ft Arcadia 6% Forest UVB Kit
🔵 Two 4" USB computer fans
🔵 50w Arcadia Solar Basking Spot Lamp
🔵 Heat bulb cage guard

🟡 1" insulation foam board
🟡 One can of Great Stuff Expanding Foam
🟡 Gorilla wood glue
🟡 Bright white tintable Drylok Masonry Paint
🟡 Quikrete concrete tinting
🟡 Utility knife
🟡 Sand paper
🟡 Dremel
🟡 Heat gun

🟢 Four 20lb bags of Scott's Organic Topsoil
🟢 25lbs of Quikrete Play Sand
🟢 Live plants
🟢 Cork bark
🟢 Driftwood
🟢 Sheet moss
🟢 Leaf litter

🟣 Powder orange isopods
🟣 White dwarf isopods
🟣 Giant canyon isopods
🟣 Folsoma candida springtails

03/25/2025

I'll be making a Q&A sheet for common questions about our adoption process. If you have a particular question concerning:

-Setup requirements
-Veterinary care and treatment records
-Care contract requirements
-Special needs adoptions
-Scheduling an in-house meet-and-greet
-Research resources

Or another topic entirely, feel free to drop your question in the comments below, or send it to our messages!

*Pictured, Spud our resident female crested gecko and alien in disguise 👽

03/23/2025

Got some carving in on Spaghetti's new background, still a bit more to go before it'll get painted with layers of Drylok :)

03/22/2025

Working on upgrading our snakes, Mocha got her new enclosure recently and now it's corn snake Spaghetti's turn!

This foam background will mimic a craggy rock wall, similar to those you might come across a corn snake in out in the wild.

This will give him lots of places to crawl will hopefully be a good way to utilize vertical enclosure space!

**Spaghetti is NOT an adoptable animal, he is my personal pet!**

03/22/2025

MBD intake Mandarin has had some funky abnormal poops since he came in back in January.

He's had a regular in-house f***l that came back clean, and his PCR test was also negative.

So hopefully he's still just adjusting to better nutrition and care, but I'll keep an eye on him and test again if his poops don't firm up 💩

03/21/2025

**The mobile site still needs some renovation, so this page may work best in desktop mode**

The leopard gecko and bearded dragon care guides are ready for review 🙏

Everyone is welcome to provide input, ask questions, and let me know if any areas need more information or clarification!

Here you'll find care guides for various reptile species. These guides will primarily cover animals that the Loving Leos Reptile Rescue is knowledgeable on.

03/20/2025

Where did the "minimum" recommended enclosure sizes for reptiles originate?

The Federation of British Herpetologists compiled many of the enclosure sizes we see listed today based on research for the animals' needs; natural behaviors, temperature/humidity gradients, enrichment, etc.

Here is their Code of Practice document explaining the rationale and ethics of providing appropriate space for herps:

The FBH is proud to announce the launch of it's Code of Practice for recommended minimum enclosure sizes for reptilesThe Federation of British Herpetologists (FBH) has produced guidance for the recommended minimum enclosure sizes for reptiles kept privately in the UK.The guidance has been developed....

03/18/2025

Little Bhatura is still on the up-and-up!

She is opening her eyes more and storing more good nutrients and fat in her tail.

Tomorrow is also her last day of parasite treatment, and we'll do another f***l exam in a week or so to make sure she's all clean ❤️

03/15/2025

Anyone messaging about possible health issues with their pet will need to read over this graphic first 🙏

I am not a veterinarian, and any care advice given is not intended to be used as a substitute for proper medical treatment.

I appreciate everyone's understanding! 🦎

03/15/2025

Tikka snoozing in her carrier after her vet visit a few days ago ❤️

03/13/2025

Sweet Pickles' glow up ❤️

Because of the continued care he's going to need for his remaining right eye and empty left socket, this boy will be a permanent resident here. That way his ophthalmologist can stay updated on his condition, and we can make sure he's being properly treated.

Pickles is a very special boy. It's bittersweet seeing how well he's healed from such awful injuries that have left him permanently scarred, but he's a true testament to how resilient these little beans can be 🙏

03/12/2025

Sweet Tikka had the end of her tail amputated today ❤️ Hopefully this will solve the issues she was having with possible nerve damage, and she'll be trouble-free once the new tail tip comes in.

Tikka was an exemplary patient, and I greatly appreciate my vet and coworkers for taking such good care of her!

03/12/2025

Bhatura has gained 6 whole big girl grams! She also finished up her last dose of antibiotics today, and is starting to look more like a proper gecko ❤️

03/11/2025

Here's a link to a FREE upcoming webinar on blue tongue skink diets from Folkvang Exotics and Happy Dragons! This will be an excellent font of information for bluey keepers who would like to educate themselves on better captive BTS care ❤️

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BKGAxtn7g/

Join us for our first free Webinar with HappyDragons as we explore the natural diet of Blue Tongue Skinks and how to apply it to their care in captivity!

📅 **Date**: Saturday, March 22
🕕 **Time**: 6PM EST | 3PM PST
📌** RSVP Link**: https://Folkvang.eventbrite.com

The webinar will cover:
-What we know about their wild diet
-Aspects of their anatomy
-Food options for a balanced, naturalistic diet
-Common diet-related health issues and how to prevent them
-Expert insights, including quotes from a former ARAV president

Stick around for a **live Q&A** at the end to get your questions answered!

Hope to see you there!

03/11/2025

This is one of the biggest reasons why I absolutely don't condone cohabitation of leopard geckos, especially if you don't know their sexes or have the means and experience to house them.

These two little leos are Basmati (black and white female), and Mandarin (tangerine male). They were housed together with another female leopard gecko in a 10 gallon tank.

Despite both of these leopard geckos having MBD, it appears Mandarin was still able to breed the females.

With Basmati having metabolic bone disease, this very well could be life-threatening for her. She's been in rehabilitation here for several weeks now, but there's no way to know if her body is processing calcium enough for her to properly form or lay eggs.

Basmati will have some ultrasounds done soon to check on these follicles, and we'll monitor them for the time being.

If she develops follicular stasis or dystocia (egg-binding), she will go in for surgery to have these removed. Surgery is unfortunately the only way to save a gecko from these issues.

PLEASE do not cohabitate your geckos! There are too many risks involved, including fighting, bullying over resources, serious injury or death, or unintentional breeding. Even if the geckos have been "fine" for years, they can turn on one another. Many keepers aren't prepared to deal with the repercussions that can occur, and your geckos will be happier and safer if they're kept separate 🙏