Kritter Krazy- Reptile and Exotic Rescue

06/15/2026

Please welcome our newest rescue, Sophie, a roughly 1-year-old Sulcata Tortoise.

Sulcatas are often purchased as tiny, adorable hatchlings that fit in the palm of your hand. What many people don’t realize is that they are the third-largest tortoise species in the world and can eventually weigh well over 100 pounds.

Unfortunately, Sulcatas are one of the most commonly surrendered tortoise species. Many rescues report seeing a large increase in surrenders around 2-3 years of age, when owners begin realizing just how quickly these tortoises grow and how demanding their care becomes.

A Sulcata isn’t a short-term pet. These tortoises can live 70-100+ years, meaning they often outlive their original owners.

They also eat. A lot.

An adult Sulcata can consume pounds of grasses, hay, weeds, and vegetation every single day. Proper diets, secure housing, heating, veterinary care, and adequate outdoor space are all essential to keeping them healthy.

And if you’ve never met an adult Sulcata, don’t let the word “tortoise” fool you. They are incredibly strong. They can bulldoze fencing, push through gates, dig impressive burrows, move landscaping, and rearrange anything they decide is in their way. A fully grown Sulcata can unintentionally cause thousands of dollars in property damage simply by doing what Sulcatas do best: being determined.

Sophie still has a lot of growing to do, but her arrival serves as a reminder that exotic pets require just as much research and long-term planning as any dog or cat.

For now, she’s settling into rescue life, getting a health assessment, and enjoying plenty of fresh greens while we learn more about her.

Welcome to the rescue, Sophie.

06/14/2026

The 3rd annual Kritter Krazy Car show sponsored by Tractor Supply Company is wrapped up!

The weather was challenging, the car line was smaller than last year but our hearts are warm!

We raised 535 dollars with food sales, 3d printed Kritters and face painting!

We feel so blessed that even with cold temps and brutal wind, so many people still came to support us!

One person drove FOUR motorcycles in one at a time just to support our work!

Tractor Supply Company has been such a great host for the third year. We couldn’t appreciate the Bottineau Team any more than we already do! The car show is one of our favorite days and we look forward to planning next year already!

First Place: Sara Knudsons 1965 Ford Mustang

Second Place: Tasha’s 73 Chevy Nova

Third Place: Gerald Lund and his 1929 Ford Model A

Tom was the motorcycle man with his FOUR beautiful bikes!

Sara also took People’s Choice!
Gerald took the door prize drawing for entries!

Thank you to Cat for her 3D printed Kritters and Face painting and Shirly and Joe for another year at the grill! We couldn’t do it without all your help! ❤️

06/12/2026

Meet Gypsy.

This sweet pup was found along the highway near Hillsboro, North Dakota.

She was brought to a local veterinary clinic with hopes of being reunited with her family, but after a week, no one has come forward to claim her.

Interestingly, Gypsy has one of our rescue microchips. However, the chip is not registered to an owner.

That tells us she was not adopted directly from our rescue. The only times a microchip leaves our organization without us registering it ourselves is when it was placed during a public microchip clinic, where registration is the owner’s responsibility, or when an animal was transferred to another rescue.

Our rescue is already full, currently caring for five dogs, but we contract our dogs for return. Since Gypsy was connected to us at some point, even if only through receiving a microchip, turning her away wasn’t something we could do.

With the help of another rescue and two amazing transport volunteers, Gypsy made the four-hour journey to safety here in Bottineau.

We’re still hoping for answers. We’re still hoping someone is missing her and looking for her. But after a week with no leads, making sure she was safe became our top priority.

If you recognize Gypsy or know anything about where she may have come from, please reach out.

06/11/2026

Would you just look at that happy girl!

Just a little over two weeks ago, Nala was fighting for her life.

Today, she’s rolling in the grass, soaking up the sunshine, and reminding us all just how resilient animals can be.

Thanks to our incredible veterinary team, generous supporters, and countless prayer warriors, Nala was given a second chance. While she did lose a leg, a life-changing loss, it was the choice that gave her the opportunity to keep living, healing, and enjoying the things she loves.

And judging by those grass flops, tail wags, and happy smiles, she’s making the most of that second chance.

Recovery isn’t always a straight line, and she still has healing ahead of her, but every day she grows a little stronger, a little more confident, and a little more determined.

Thank you to everyone who has followed her journey, donated, shared her story, prayed, and cheered her on. Nala is here because of all of you.

And if those grass flops are any indication, she is very, very happy to be alive.

06/09/2026

🚨 Titan Needs Out of the Shelter 🚨

Titan came to rescue through no fault of his own.

His owner made the heartbreaking decision to surrender him while escaping an abusive situation, wanting to make sure he would be safe and cared for while they rebuilt their life.

When Titan first entered foster care, he was wonderful. He was quiet, well-mannered, got along well with the other dogs in his foster home, and settled in beautifully.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen personal circumstances, his foster was no longer able to keep him, and Titan had to return to the shelter.

He is not handling shelter life well.

The anxious pacing, barking, and running in circles that visitors see now are not behaviors Titan displayed in foster care. What you’re seeing is a dog struggling with the stress, isolation, and uncertainty of shelter life.

We have wonderful volunteers who walk our dogs and spend time with them. Titan gets yard time in our 30’ x 40’ play area and enjoys every minute of it. But for a dog who thrives on companionship, a few hours of interaction each day simply isn’t enough.

Titan needs a foster or adopter urgently.

🐾 Lab mix, but 100% Labrador personality
🐾 Loves people and wants to be with his humans
🐾 Water is his happy place—if he sees it, he’s getting in it
🐾 Has done well with both large and small dogs in foster care
🐾 Will need time to decompress and adjust after leaving the shelter
🐾 Strong prey drive and is NOT cat friendly
🐾 Needs exercise, structure, and companionship

Titan isn’t asking for much. A couch to lay on. A yard to explore. A human to spend time with.

Most of all, he needs someone willing to look past the stressed dog they see in the kennel and recognize the wonderful dog waiting underneath.

Titan is 2.5, neutered, vaccinated and microchipped! Located in Bottineau, ND.

Please share. His person may be just one share away.

06/09/2026

Time for an Update on Nala

Since our last update, Nala has experienced a slight setback.

Some of the stitches behind her front shoulder blade reopened, so we made an immediate appointment and had her seen by her veterinary team.

Because of the location of the wound and the amount of movement and strain placed on that area as she learns to navigate life on three legs, it was decided that restitching the skin would likely do more harm than good. There is a high likelihood that the area would simply reopen again under tension.

Instead, Nala will remain on antibiotics to help prevent infection while the wound is allowed to heal from the inside out. The hope is that as healthy tissue regenerates and the wound bed improves, a delayed closure may be possible later on with a better chance of long-term success.

She is still learning how to get around on three legs, which is no small task when one of those legs is still recovering from a significant injury. She continues to wear a cone because she is very interested in licking her wound, which unfortunately is not part of the treatment plan.

One of those bright moments happened today when Nala spotted Tasha outside. Determined not to miss out on what was going on, she carefully made her way down the stairs and did so surprisingly gracefully. It was another reminder that even with the challenges she is facing, she continues to adapt, learn, and show us just how much fight she has left in her.

For the most part, though, Nala seems perfectly content embracing the couch potato lifestyle while she heals. Her favorite place to be is stretched out somewhere comfortable, especially if that somewhere happens to be outside on the deck where she can relax, soak up some fresh air, and keep an eye on everything going on around her.

While this setback is disappointing, it is not entirely unexpected with an injury of this severity. Recovery from major trauma is rarely a straight line, and there are often bumps in the road along the way.

The good news is that despite everything, Nala continues to have moments where she is doing incredibly well. She has bright moments, shows interest in what’s going on around her, and continues to remind us just how determined she is.

We are taking things one day at a time, celebrating the small victories, and working through the challenges as they come.

Thank you all for continuing to follow her journey, send prayers, and cheer her on. Nala still has a long road ahead of her, but she isn’t walking it alone. ❤️

06/03/2026

Ruby got adopted today!

This big guy spent months here recovering from some physical injuries and is now fully healed.

This is an older picture, but we forgot to take one today.

06/02/2026

Hey everyone!

We just wanted to give you a quick Nala update!

Tasha had a personal trip planned for a few months. With Nala coming in and being so urgent, she was going to cancel her trip.

Reacue doesn’t stop and personal time is far and in-between. More often than not we put the animals first, putting ourselves our mental health and our families second. We justify it by telling ourselves we can save this animals’s life now and we can always take a trip later, but the problem is sometimes it’s years before later actually comes.

Knowing this all too well, our friends at
Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue stepped up and offered to watch over and care for Nala so Tasha could take a very rare break in full confidence.

Tasha got some R&R in the black hills over the weekend and will be picking our girl up this evening. She is doing well.

Thank you to TMAR for stepping up! We are all in this together and having people to depend on really makes or breaks our spirits sometimes.

Here are some photos from the weekend and a Nala update will come tonight or tomorrow!

05/27/2026

05/26/2026

Update: Foster found, transport to bottineau needed.

Looking for a short term emergency foster in the Fargo area for a small dog. Friendly with dogs and people/kids.

Owner is experiencing medial issues and is having to return him.

We need a short term foster until we can find transport.