Reptile rescue

So I got really bored last night and desided I wanted to start a reptile rescue I was wondering if I could sell the animals on mm I would odiously disclose they are rescues

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Taking in animals to make a profit?
Or a non profit?
I rescue when I can, I make no money myself from the animals, they find amazing homes and I am very picky as to where they go, and anything I got went into them again. I haven’t rescued in a while as all found a home but the 2 snakes we have now are either going to a friend or staying. A few others went to friends also.

In the uk (recently too on chats) people can be frowned upon making money from something they’ve taken on. Which is fair I suppose as some people take in for free just to sell on. I’ve seen this a lot. So personally speaking it’s not something I’ve done as I don’t agree on it. That’s not a rescue on that case. If someone seeing a ‘money maker’ if you get what I mean.
I’ve even brought animals to ‘save’ them to lose out because I wanted to help said animal.

If you’re not taking them in to then make money yourself I don’t see why it’s not ok to ‘sell’ them on MM. But you may get people ask why you’re asking for money when you ‘rescued’ them. So would need to say ‘adoption fee’.
@eaglereptiles @lumpy @john @t_h_wyman @saleengrinch may be able to let you know more on selling ‘rescued animals’ on MM as it’s not something I’ve come across yet.

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There are so many points to be made here and I’m sure other will hit the ones I miss.

Along as you get them to great health, they are in a condition where shipping would not cause any issues and you are open about an past issues and procedures AND you tag them as “pet only”, then yep, we applaud you for your efforts in doing so and welcome you with open arms.

However, I will tell you that there is very very little money to be made here, if any.

You will need $1000s before you even get your first animal just to be ready for regular vet trips and possible procedures + mediation.

You will need to buy new enclosures for each animal. A lot of rescues come with their enclosure but 99% of the time you don’t wanna take that offer.

I’d say this is the wrong way to think of it…

Would be a better train of thought :wink:

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As pointed out above I don’t think that there’s any concern as long as they’re in good health and sold as pets only.

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I think it could work and would be amazing. However be sure to follow extremely strict quarantine procedures with all new animals, especially rescues. Don’t go into it expecting to make money, it would likely be a loss but you would learn a lot and save reptiles.

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I am going to be the buzzkill here. It does not matter how you label it, if someone decides they want to use it as a breeder then there is nothing you can do to stop them. Once the animal leaves your hands, you have given up all control of it.

If you truly want to rescue animals and relocate them to good homes, MM is not really the right venue for that as it is more geared toward the breeders out there and not as much toward the “pet only” types.

I am just pointing out the hard facts here and not saying it is a non-starter. I just believe going in with eyes open is better than the sugar-coated white lie we often tell ourselves.

As far as the “rules” go, @john is the ultimate authority there and I will leave that call to him

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Most likely gonna cost money for me for a while I may occasionally turn a profit I would like to do something like emerald scales if you’ve ever heard of that I don’t want to deal with selling on Craigslist since I’ve had bad experiences with that before. I may do something like all profits are donated to us ark

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yeah I am willing to put in the money as I said I may do something like if I somehow turn a profit I will donate it to usark

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i am completely okay with it costing me money am fully plan on it. heres what i have so far i would like to keep my rescue animals in a different room than my personal pets and breeder animals, i would like to have them all in my care for 3+ months and a negative nidovirus test, sold as pet only, they will be sold as pet only since i dont know there history and genetics and if i manage to turn a profit that will be dontated for usark

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how would you recommend adopting them to new homes?

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That sounds amazing! Just make sure you really want to do this and think about it for a while. It’s a big time and monetary commitment. That sounds like a good criteria to determine when they’re ready for a new home, along with a negative parasite test and them being good eaters. I love the idea of donating profits to usark but be sure you have a lot saved for vet bills.

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I wouldn’t try selling them on MM personally. Especially if you plan the charge a lot more than the animal as a rescue is worth. There is a “rescue” on MM that is actually a flipper. They even tried to charge $300 for a Chinese water dragon at one point. A good way to get a word out about animals that need adopted is to reach to exotics vets in your area and ask if they can keep ads for your animals there.

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You can also set up a table at local reptile expos, one of the rescues here did that… though I got my girl Butters from them during a little Halloween event that they had going at a local pet store

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I see a rescue at one of my local expos. I don’t think they usually have animals for sale but they advertise and sell small supplies (like fruit fly cultures). I think they get a lot of people at the table so it’s likely an effective way to get the word out.

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If you want to do good for rescue animals, maybe a better idea would be to volunteer at an already existing rescue. In addition to helping animals in need, you could gain valuable experience that you could some day use to rescue animals on your own.

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Also keep in mind not all rescues will be in good health. We’ve rescued animals at deaths door, or with issues that needed help and sorting. Takes time! And a lot of it.
We rescued an albino burm near the beginning of the year, was told around 2 and not eaten in over a year, still not eating on its own, having to assist feed, mites have been an issue, swollen eye. It’s stressful and it’s sad. But it’s also rewarding when you overcome the bad and have a lovely healthy animal you know you’ve helped!
My friend luckily with be having the little one when eating on its own and everything else is fine with it so I know it’s going to an amazing home. A lot of other rescues went to a friend of the other halves also, he loves helping them all too so happily accepts! :sweat_smile::heart:

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I’m not sure just starting a reptile rescue is a great idea. There’s lots of work that goes into it, like taking care of sick animals while still dealing with the other animals, having to come up with new cages very quickly as reptiles come into the rescue, among other things. There’s also a lot of stress that comes with it, like not knowing if you animals will find a home, and when they do, making sure it’s a good one, and losing animals on a regular basis. I’d take a couple months to really thing about if you’re prepared for this. If by the end of the year you’re still set on doing this, then start working on it.

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