Winking Reptile Rescue

07/09/2024

It has been a while since we posted. But we are still here and still giving voices to the voiceless. Please bare with me and allow me to explain our absence.

We have seen the absolute worst of humanity towards animals lately. Atrocities no living being should endure. We have had multiple back to back critical cases that have ended in loss, and we are at capacity. We, like every other rescue right now are tired both mentally and physically. We stepped away from posting for a few reasons,

1.) We are busy focusing on the care of the animals we have in our care.

2.) sometimes when all you are seeing is the negative you have to step away for a moment and breathe.

3.) We are a small team providing care, educational program coordination, and the day to day running of this rescue. So some things like posting updates on here get pushed off since our animals take priority.

4.) We are in process of redoing and adding to our set ups so that we may help more reptiles in need.

We so appreciate all of you who have stuck with us. Though we have seen the absolute worst of humanity lately, we have also seen the best. From working shoulder to shoulder with other rescues in 100 degree heat all day to save 348 animals in a dire situation, to individuals stepping up, speaking out, and bringing us animals that weren't being cared for, to the brave selfless pet parents that only want what's best for their animals and acknowledged they couldn't provide that anymore and reached out for assistance, to our incredible vet team that is always willing to work us in when we have need of them, and fights for these misunderstood beings as much as we do, to the folks that donate or offer help in any way they can. We see you all. We can not thank you enough. You make this all too often soul wrenching work bearable.
Sometimes you just have to step back for a moment to see the good when the bad is blocking your view. We may not be able to save them all but we can make a difference for the ones that we do,and we will continue to educate our future generations. Knowledge over fear. We are all in this together.

(Photo of Odo the ambassador box turtle for attention.)

07/08/2024

On July 8th we assisted our friends with Owen County Humane Society in the seizure of 348 animals. Of the 348 we were able to take on 2 sickly bearded dragons. With a week of syringe feeding they are now out of the danger zone and well on their way to recovery. We are hopeful they will go on to find the perfect homes and live happy healthy lives.

If you have the extra to give, Owen county humane society could use your donations to help with the veterinary care of the other animals.

OWEN COUNTY, Ind. — Nearly 350 animals were recovered from an Owen County home last month as deputies conducted an animal seizure involving several different species. According to the Owen Co…

22/06/2024

Big thank you to Castle Perilous Games & Books for having us out today! We had a blast and made lots of new friends. Thank you Humane Society of Southern Illinois for getting some photos of our table and allowing us to love on your sweet Jojo.
If you are in the market for a dog Jojo is your girl. She is the sweetest, smartest, gentle, calm cuddle bug. We loved her 💗.

02/05/2024

We have been busy the last couple of weeks! We participated in the 28th annual Earth Day celebration at Carlyle lake on the 19th, and then at the Conservation Day event for Rudolph County Soil and Water at Rudolph County Lake on the 30th. We had an absolute blast at both events. We love being able to share our ambassadors with you all , and being able to help ease fears of these misunderstood creatures through education. Thank you for inviting us out for these events! We look forward to next year!

02/04/2024

This is an update we didn't think we would be making. 3 days ago a small bump showed up on Miss Muffins head. By Sunday night it was significantly larger. Monday morning her behavior was off and she was beginning to show neurological symptoms so we called our amazing vet and scheduled an appointment to have her checked today. By the time of her appointment it was obvious she was struggling and things were getting rapidly worse. After her exam the heartbreaking decision was made to give her one final act of kindness and love. Today at 2:20 PM we helped Muffin to pass in comfort and dignity. We stayed with her while she passed, petting her head and coils while telling her how beautiful and loved she is. In rescue sometimes wins turn to losses, joy from a recovery to heartbreak when things turn for the worst again. We always do our best to help. Sometimes that help means knowing when to let them go. We loved her. We fought for her. We celebrated her. We cried for her, and we will always remember her. We're so sorry big girl. 💚

31/03/2024

Be aware of scam posts.

23/02/2024

Our beautiful girl Muffin had a check up today. Her stitches are out and she is looking great. Just 3 more antibiotic injections over the next 9 days as a precaution and she will be medically cleared! She is feeling so much better, eating like a champ and beginning to put on some much needed weight. We are so glad she is feeling better and can't wait to work with her more to build trust back. After all you can't explain to them that this traumatic thing you are putting them through is for their own good so they can feel better. Next up after that is getting her set up in a permanent enclosure instead of the medical one she's been quarantined in. Way to go Muffin!

Hey look she doesn't completely hate me in this picture! Progress!

02/02/2024

We heard from our amazing vet yesterday regarding the cultures taken from Miss Muffins lump. It came back as Morganella Morganii. It is a bacteria commonly found in the gut. The belief is, before she got to us she likely poked herself in her enclosure then the bacteria set up in the wound after being exposed to her own waste. The good news is there is an injectable antibiotic that can help combat it. We are hopeful that with the pocket of infection having been drained, that it will do the trick and get her feeling much better.

Yesterday evening we added the injection into her treatment. This is one of the sides of rescue that is difficult to do. We know that this will make her feel better in the long run, but you can't explain that to an animal. All she knew was the injection burns and, to her we are hurting her. Although the way we have to hold her head looks mean, her airway is fine and we are not squeezing her. Holding her this way is for her safety and ours. In the end it took two of us and lots of wrestling to complete her treatment safely and she unhappily went to hide in her enclosure.

If we are able to get her through this infection, it will take quite a bit of time and patience to build trust back and for her to not associate us with the pain that goes with the treatment. We are so very hopeful that we can get her feeling better and that she will eventually join our other ambassadors in helping educate the public on these amazing yet misunderstood creatures. Thank you all for checking in on and supporting Muffin and our rescue it means so much to us.

28/01/2024

This past Friday Muffin went through surgery to excise her lump. What we know at the moment is it is some kind of nasty infection. Samples were taken for cultures and testing to determine what we are dealing with and the best course of action for her. Things are still up in the air with her as far as long term prognosis goes but thanks to Pet Wellness Center, PC and Marion Veterinary Clinic we are giving her every chance we can to get her through this.

Thank you to our wonderful vets and staff for taking the photos during surgery and for everything they do. They are always willing to take a chance on all of our rescues in need and we can't begin to express how much we appreciate them.

For now Miss Muffin is recovering well at home on pain meds and we will update everyone as we know more. 💚🐍

09/01/2024

Meet Muffin. Muffin came to us just before Christmas. She is a gentle giant and we have hopes of getting her healthy enough to join our other reptile ambassadors in teaching the public. Right now though Miss Muffin has some health issues she is fighting. Not only does she weigh about half of what she should but recently she has had a rather concerning fast growing lump appear on her side closer to her head. Our Vet did a check and we were left with more questions than answers at the moment. We go back on Wednesday for X-rays and blood work to try to get a clearer picture of what we are dealing with and what would be the best way to help this sweet girl. Until then feel free to send all the prayers and good vibes you can to her. Once we know more we likely will do an art sale to help with her vet bills so keep an eye out.

31/12/2023

To whomever left the donated cage on our porch today, Thank you very much! We appreciate it!

01/11/2023

We are beyond heartbroken to announce that this afternoon we had to say goodbye to our boy Hans. The world seems a little dimmer today without him.
He captured the hearts of so many with his fighting spirit and sweet nature. He was not a typical veiled chameleon, he was friendly and loved his people. He would run to the door of his enclosure when rescue mom would open it and call him. Then he would happily climb out and ride around on her head or shoulder while she worked around the house.
Hans taught us about not giving up, about not just surviving but thriving, and about enjoying the moments you are given. For the chameleon that wasn't supposed to live through the night everyday we got with him was a miracle in itself. His 2nd year gotcha day anniversary would have been in December. While we know we were so lucky to get that long with him, selfishly it doesn't feel like it was enough.
Unfortunately Hans's heart condition likely caught up to him causing him to have a stroke. Rescue mom caught it early and was able to get him to the vet where they could help him pass peacefully and pain free.
We know all of you loved him. He had a way of getting his little grip mittens firmly in your heart. We will miss him dearly. Thank you for loving him as much as we did.

💚

20/10/2023

Thank you Coulterville Unit School Dist 1 for having us out today! The kids were all absolutely awesome and we had a blast!

29/09/2023

Wednesday and Thursday we had the honor of being invited to the Conservation Fair at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds again for the second year in a row. Between those two days we were able to provide an up close educational experience to over 600 kids and their chaperones. They learned all about reptiles in general, the hazards and damage of releasing non native species into the wild, and why seeing a native species in the wild was a sign of a healthy ecosystem. The kids asked great questions and we had an absolute blast teaching future generations about these misunderstood creatures. Thank you so much for having us out again! We look forward to next year!

If you are interested in our educational programs there is an inquiry form on our website. All programs for schools are free!

Most of the photos shown below were taken and publicly shared by the schools that participated. It isn't often we get photos of us during our programs. Thank you to those that took and shared them!

07/09/2023

Thank you so much Pack 85 Herrin! We had a blast tonight with the scouts! The card signed by everyone was so very sweet and now hangs proudly on our refrigerator. It made our night to receive it. Throttle says thank you for the generous donation. He insists that it will be used to buy him superworm treats.

04/09/2023

Thank you so much to Carbondale New School for having us out! We had a blast with the kiddos!

08/05/2023

It's been a busy couple of weeks here at the rescue with lots of educational programs and more on deck this week and next! We absolutely love being able to come out and teach the kiddos all about reptiles. Seeing their faces light up with wonder when they meet our ambassadors makes it that much better. A big Thank you to Randolph County Soil and water and Herrin Elementary School for having us out this past week! We had a blast with the kids.

13/04/2023

We would like to say a big "Thank You!" to Pinckneyville
ElementarySchool for inviting us out today to share our awesome ambassadors with the 3rd and 4th graders! We had a lot of fun, and the kiddos were absolutely amazing. We in fact had so much fun that we forgot to get some photos today of our ambassadors in action. So please enjoy these photos of Throttle being his adorable self instead. Thank you again!