im thinking about starting a rescue in my area

i have now taken in 4 dragons as rescues from people who simply didnt want them (i have NO idea how someone could not want a dragon??? :shock: :shock: :twisted: :evil: ) or that were abused. i also have another im picking up later today. the mother bought one for her 4 year old... yes a 4 year old and somehow thought maybe the 4 year old was actually going to be the one taking care of it???? i really dont know. but i went to see it earlier this morning and the poor thing literally looked like it was simply out of body mass altogether and i honestly dont think it would have made it through the week. there was also literally dozens of poops all over the place it was actually covering the log they had in there and it was just sitting in the poop and was covered in it. a toe was missing and they have no other dragons and the mother said she thinks the boy may have pulled it off?? i just about fell over when she said that. im meeting her when she gets home from work to pick it up. its shocking how many of them are out there in these conditions or similar.

who has started some kind of rescue and if so what advice can you offer me. im thinking about including most types of reptiles including snakes / venomous (i have my lic in florida for them and have experience handling them) i have a largeish area available (right now about 2000sq ft or so that is empty and i can make more if needed). just not sure where to really start although i kind of already am by taking them in.

i imagine costs get high feeding as well and what do you to help supplement that? i can pay out of pocket for a few months but i would hope to try to get something going to help that as well. i have a ton of people local who offered to help out labor wise. i build all the cages myself so not a problem there. i even have a old long time family friend who is a herp and avian vet who offered his services as well to help out when he can

just looking for some advice.

thank you, and to all of you who take such great care of your guys i applaud you!! there are so many cruel and terrible people out there who dont.

If you have the resources to properly run a rescue, go for it. It may wind up doing a lot of good for animals in need. Keep in mind that it takes a lot of space, a lot of money, and especially a lot of time to care for sick animals, especially multiples. There may be paperwork involved in starting a formal rescue, but I'm not sure about the details on that and it may vary by area. I would try to plan out what you can afford to dedicate resources to at first and set that as your goal. Don't take on more than you can handle, especially early on. You'll also need to start a network to accept rescues and to adopt animals out once you've nursed them back to health. There is a woman who runs a rescue in Salt Lake City who keeps a blog that provides quite a bit of detail regarding the day to day operations of a rescue. It's definitely worth a read if you're interested in starting one of your own http://sarahsbeardeddragonrescue.blogspot.com

I'm thinking about doing the same. My vet brought it up to me during Cricket's last appointment. From everything I have been reading, you will have to make a choice of starting a non profit or absorbing the bulk of the cost. We are looking into setting up a foster and slowly expanding. I agree with CooperDragon, be careful to not take on more than you can handle. Good luck to you!