The Reptile Guy is a facility located in Abbotsford, British Columbia, with approximately 60 on-show species within a 1,200 sq. ft. warehouse-style building. There is an off-show quarantine area that takes up part of that space and so the area accessible to the public is probably closer to 700 sq. ft. There are long-range plans that are in place which will see the establishment move to the nearby city of Mission, approximately 20 minutes away, and there will then be a doubling in size of the reptile zoo. The Reptile Guy: Rescue & Education Center is a facility that takes in unwanted and abandoned cold-blooded pets. There are several signs dotted around the establishment that describe how a particular animal was struggling to survive, only to be resuscitated at the center. It is commendable that the facility exists to support the caring of discarded reptiles and amphibians and most of the money raised towards the maintenance of the animals is via birthday parties and presentations in schools and local shopping malls. Upon entering the tiny one-room structure an individual is struck at just how unkempt everything is. On my visit the bathroom had paper towel overflowing from the garbage can; terrariums are haphazardly placed along the walls; small open-topped turtle pools that are obviously inadequate for their inhabitants are found near the entrance. There are buckets, boxes and mops piled in corners and a general air of shabbiness is to be found in all directions. However, a move to a much-larger facility and plans to erect new exhibits there are in place and the current site is clearly a temporary holding space that is in limbo as the cash-starved organization will likely move within another year or so to a 2,000 sq. ft. building. The good news for the families that book birthday parties or drop by the center for a visit is that there are a lot of opportunities to be educated and also hold many of the animals. On my hour-long visit I was the only member of the public present and I essentially had a guided tour of the very tiny facility, with any number of Corn Snakes or Bearded Dragons at my disposal to handle if I so wished. As it was I spent a lengthy period of time with a 6-foot Boa Constrictor draped around my neck; I was given a handful of 5 Ball Pythons in my lap (of various colour morphs); and I also petted or held the following species: Rough-Neck Monitor Lizard, Columbian Tegu, Crested Gecko and Sulcata Tortoise. There were tarantulas, scorpions and many other critters that I could have handled but time was of the essence as I only had an hour on my hands. The Reptile Guy Rescues Reptiles, Lizards and Surrendered Reptiles Species list on April 9th, 2015. (60 species) Mountain Horned Dragon Bearded Dragon Asian Water Dragon Argus Monitor Rough-Neck Monitor Lizard Savannah Monitor Green Basilisk Green Iguana Red Tegu Columbian Tegu Common Chuckwalla Panther Chameleon Crested Gecko Leopard Gecko Gargoyle Gecko Bibron’s Gecko White-Lined Gecko Tokay Gecko Lechianus Gecko Northern Blue-Tongue Skink Golden Skink Red-Eye Crocodile Skink Fly River Turtle Northern Snake-Neck Turtle Alligator Snapping Turtle Common Snapping Turtle Reeves Turtle Red-Eared Slider Yellow-Bellied Slider Map Turtle Musk Turtle Eastern Spiny Soft-Shelled Turtle East African Side-Necked Turtle African Helmeted Turtle Three-Toed Box Turtle Russian Tortoise Sulcata Tortoise Red-Foot Tortoise California Kingsnake Sinaloan Milksnake Corn Snake Kenyan Sand Boa Columbian Rainbow Boa Amazon Tree Boa Woma Python Ball Python Coastal Carpet Python Boa Constrictor African Bull Frog Red-Legged Running Frog White-Lipped Tree Frog White’s Tree Frog Blue Poison Dart Frog Cane Toad Desert Hairy Scorpion Banded Flat Rock Scorpion Emperor Scorpion Tiger Rump Tarantula Rose Hair Tarantula Blue-and-Gold Macaw
Do you know if this collection has any contacts with other zoos because in the Netherlands I know several of such Herp-rehabs do place healty-cared animals in zoos ( and even on some kind of breeding-loans to privat breeders ) ?
I only know of a connection to Greater Vancouver Zoo, which is perhaps 20 minutes from the Reptile Zoo. There are several animals, including a large American alligator, loaned to the zoo for the near future.
The facility is moving to the nearby city of Mission (15 minutes away) and a soft opening is scheduled for July 1st, 2015. Here is a link with more information on the new building: https://www.facebook.com/2480160352...0.1432387001./870751022963896/?type=1&theater
Lots of problems at the reptile center: Poor conditions, injured animals at Reptile Guy rescue: search warrant | CTV Vancouver News Reptile Guy considers closing after 4 warrants/raids by the SPCA: ‘Reptile Guy’ considering closing rescue over SPCA probe | CTV Vancouver News
Are you sure? The owner (Mike Hopcraft) rebranded his facility as Wild Education and he still books private tours for birthday parties and other events. The original Abbotsford location switched to the nearby city of Mission years ago.
