BOISE — Looking to adopt a pet? One Idaho non-profit has some up for adoption, but not the type of typical pets you are thinking of getting.
Reptiles come to the Idaho Reptile Zoo in all shapes and sizes. Some are used for educational purposes or aren’t necessarily pet-friendly, but not all can stay, so they get put up for adoption.
“We have a couple of bearded dragons, we have a ball python and then we have a couple of turtles, we have a couple of box turtles and a sand boa,” Owner and Founder Tyler Messina said.
“Whatever animals need a home, those are the ones we take in.”
Some of the animals up for adoption now were previously used for education shows, which after a while can become stressful on them. After their time in shows, they can retire and just become a pet.
“It is becoming a lot more common, with the housing market a lot more people are living in apartments, condos, they don’t have a yard basically so there are a lot more reptile pets," Messina said.
When animals arrive at the Idaho Reptile Zoo, they go through quarantine and then get checked out for anything that may not make them a suitable pet. Then the adoption process is much like a pet store.
“Come on in, tell us what animal you're looking for and we go over their basic care. We go over what they’ll need, future needs, and all that kind of stuff and as long as they are up for keeping it as a pet, we adopt it out,” Messina said. "The ones who are here can definitely benefit from a nice forever home.”
For more information about the Idaho Reptile Zoo, click here.
