Big and Small Tortoise Rescue and Sanctuary

24/11/2025

The news of many sulcatas and redfoots, along with alligators, that died at Reptile Gardens recently is heartbreaking. It's shocking to see this happen even at a facility with vast resources and funding. It is a good reminder that everyone should take fire safety seriously as we come into the indoor season! This has always been my number one fear and that is why we replaced all wiring that had been damaged by mice before moving here so it would be safe. We also calculate the power load of our lighting /heating and make sure nothing is overloaded! Its so important to have an understanding of this. We also have all our fixtures secured with screws and wires tucked up neatly so they cannot be caught and yanked down accidentally. We have cameras setup in each pen and many fire extinguishers on sight. But to be honest, if I know I will be gone for a while or far from Ames, the heating elements get turned off. A simulated "cloudy day" is much better than an unattended fire. The most common cause of fires in reptile keeping is electrical overload, fixtures getting knocked down, or proximity of tinder to heating elements. Some things we can do to prevent fires- 1. Make sure to only plug heating elements into the wall (no power strips), 2. Secure heating and lighting fixtures with bolts or screws (please no clamps!), 3. Remove tinder by using a substrate that is low dust or kept moist and blow off or wipe out dust from heating fixtures each season, and 4. If you will be gone for a long time, just turn it off!

22/11/2025

Update - they made it to Ames, thanks for driving them here!

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There are 3 eastern box turtles in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that were surrendered at a Pet store. An employee has them and plans to bring them here. Just getting a head start on the rehoming post.... If anyone is interested in adopting or helping with transportation, please message me! Thanks!

19/11/2025

Such cute photos! This is a courtesy rehoming post. This female hermanns tortoise is looking for a new home in Minneapolis, MN. They think she is about 5 years old. As always, she will need a home that can provide an indoor and outdoor setup (once weather allows). If you are interested please fill out an application at the link below, then message me with any photos or other info to add to your application.

Thanks!
https://bigandsmalltortoise.org/sanctuary/adoption/

17/11/2025

Ever notice the algorithm for your social media feed shows you anything you click on - both good and bad? I click on hunting and trapping stuff because I am outraged and upset. Then it keeps showing me more and more, and fuels the angry/sad cycle! No offense to hunters - I just will never understand the joy of hunting.... I would rather not see it but when I do see it, I cannot help but click and comment 🫣...."JuSt sCrOll bY" ....but I cannot unsee it and it already ruined my Disney-fairytale-with-animal-vibes. 😤 Not cool 😂

I cannot change the world but we can push our theme! Love all animals.... they are not here FOR us, they are here WITH us 🥰 And in my case, I am here for THEM (Slave, etc) 😂

We are back in the greenhouse but still pushing this indoor season back with the mild weather! Prepped the indoor pens for when the time comes, but I am hoping to stay in the greenhouse through December!

16/11/2025

They all have been living in the greenhouse for a few weeks now but the last few days were wonderful and they enjoyed a couple afternoons outside enjoying some sun!

01/11/2025

Took Coco to visit his previous owner at an assisted living facility today. I hope she does not mind me posting because it was quite an experience worth sharing. She was really happy to see Coco again and was proud to show him off to the other residents! 😊 I left her with a note about how much Coco has meant to me and the joy he brings to the sanctuary! Once settled in, he has really been wonderful... I'm not going to lie, I cannot wait to get another cockatoo to join Coco's silly stunts and antics someday ! 😆

31/10/2025

Happy Halloween!

(One of my favorite photos I must reshare on Halloween!)

30/10/2025

Update - Adopted! 🎉

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Two adopters have fallen through so far. Bandit in Cedar Rapids is still looking for a home!

Update - Adopted to an experienced family from my hometown Oregon, Illinois! 🎉

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This is a courtesy post. There is a male hermanns tortoise named Bandit looking for a new home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa!

They say he is 4-5 years and to me, he looks healthy! If you are interested, please apply at the link below. Or if you have filled one out before, let me know!

https://bigandsmalltortoise.org/sanctuary/adoption/

25/10/2025

Update - pending adoption!

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This russian tortoise was found in a wooded area in Ankeny, Iowa. If you have lost a tortoise and have any suspicion it may be yours, please reach out. Otherwise, I believe we will be helping find an adopter while the kind person hangs onto the tortoise. So anyone local looking to adopt a russian tortoise please apply at the link below and message me. Thanks!

https://bigandsmalltortoise.org/sanctuary/adoption/

22/10/2025

I went to share a photo update and it reached 80+ photos and I did not even get them all loaded. So I need to share more often! But for your info, I essentially carry my phone while doing chores and capture cute moments I see. I never pose tortoises, well rarely. (I do not have time for that!) So all photos you see are genuine moments showing what your tortoises are up to! After a month or so, I accumulate enough photos for an update. But it's been a while and I have a lot of photos! I may share another update in a bit with the second half. Here are the photos as well as some current events mixed in :)

Events
#1 I shared a while back that the lab where I worked my day job was shut down. Thankfully I found a job with Syntherna and started this new job in July. Syntherna is a startup making mRNA for applications like vaccines, specifically for animals. Some intellectual property (IP) originated from ISU vet med so naturally, we are located at vet med! I am loving the new connections to the animal space! It has been wonderful connecting with the syntherna team and learning a lot, and also vets at ISU. Dr. Joan Howard, a vet from ISU, kindly came out to check our "hit by car" russian as he recovers. Thank you!

#2. Now that my husband and I are more stable financially (with my new job, phew! 😅), we can keep making progress on the new location. Missed the opportunity to start the building this season, but we have done other things to prepare. Planted several trees to let them mature and give shade to the tortoises who will live there eventually! Also we plan to turn a ravine, caused by an old extruding tile drain, into a pond. Got the a-ok by the county and have the dirt guys lined up to remove the trees and move dirt to form our pond. This will help with aquatics in the future. Although I am not that knowledgeable in aquatic turtles, I know there is a huge need to help them, and having a pond available will be impactful.

#3. Hmmm, ummm... yeah... 🫣 This update..... for those that do not know, I do house males and females together for SOCIAL species like redfoots and leopards only. Both groups regularly lay eggs and I regularly dispose of them. This is the FIRST for me though! I must have missed an egg that was laid in the greenhouse because I found a baby redfoot. Note, I do not promote breeding and feel guilty, but I must admit he is sooooo cute, I was secretly hoping to find more 😂. But thankfully just the one miracle baby and he will stay here since I feel personally responsible.

#4. The "hit by car" russian tortoise that was found in Ankeny is doing wonderful! I cannot thank everyone enough for the support! I finished the round of antibiotics provided by Dr. Harmon and meanwhile Dr. Joan Howard has checked him to make sure there is no infections in the ruptured eye, and no need to glue his beak, etc. I have started syringe feeding him and although you can tell it's a bit hard for him to swallow, he takes it willingly. A few feedings, and he is running around (blindly) but still great to see he is active and feeling better. He has JUST started peeking his good eye open so I have hope he won't be completely blind forever.

More updates later!

20/10/2025

Many many sulcatas still looking for homes, and i cannot keep up. Please if you can adopt a sulcata, keep reading!

This is a courtesy post for a few of the many sulcatas looking for homes. If these ones are not in your area though, reach out because chances are there is one near you!

Here, Tammy is a young male sulcata in the Ames area. He has boarded at our sanctuary before and the owner is knowledgable so can confirm he is a healthy tortoise! The reason for rehoming is that Tammy just reached maturity and now we know Tammy is actually a male. To reduce stress on the other tortoise, they are hoping to find Tammy a good home to adopt him.

Sq**rt and Crush are two female sulcatas in Wellman, IA. They are ~10 years old, each around 30ish pounds. Crush has an underbite which will need tending to with time. They are housed together and get along well. They are originally from Arizona which means they were raised right! And they have had vet checks recently so they are also healthy.

Please fill out an application if interested and comment or message me!
https://bigandsmalltortoise.org/sanctuary/adoption/

14/10/2025

Update - Adopted to an experienced family from my hometown Oregon, Illinois! 🎉

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This is a courtesy post. There is a male hermanns tortoise named Bandit looking for a new home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa!

They say he is 4-5 years and to me, he looks healthy! If you are interested, please apply at the link below. Or if you have filled one out before, let me know!

https://bigandsmalltortoise.org/sanctuary/adoption/