Chrysalis Reptile Sanctuary

04/25/2026

Ruthie update: I have always strived for transparency with my supporters and audience & that will never change. So, unfortunately I do have to share the bad news with the good & the harsh realities of rescue. Ruthie passed away sometime late yesterday afternoon/early evening as I was preparing her formula. I went to wake her up to feed her and she was sadly gone.

All her stuck shed was off, her eyes had begun to open again, and she gained a single gram in the time I’ve had her. Even with this slow but positive progress, they’re not out of the woods when they are this far gone. Everyday feels like a 50/50 toss up if they will be awake and alert when you go to check on them or not. It’s stressful, and it’s heartbreaking. As much as I prepare myself for these moments when these little skeletons of animals come to me, I’m still never fully prepared.

If I can ask just one thing, it would be to please, please act with urgency when you first notice your animal isn’t doing well. If you can’t take them to a vet yourself, and you have exhausted every option to do so, please reach out to a rescue immediately instead of waiting for the animal to just get better themselves. 9 times out of 10, they don’t get better. They get worse.
When you try to play doctor without the necessary knowledge or tools and realize you aren’t helping them, chances are they are too far gone for us too. Time is rarely on our side with sick animals. Please don’t waste it.

Ruthie, I am so glad you got to feel warmth, love, feeling in your feet again, a full belly, and you got to see the sunshine one more time before you left. No animal left behind, no animal forgotten. 💚🦎 rest in peace little one.

04/21/2026

🌿🪻 ADOPTION SPECIAL🪻🌿

We are still on intake hold & need to get these animals into forever homes so we can continue to help more reptiles in need!

🌸 Adoption fees have been lowered for these remaining animals but you must have all supplies necessary to care for the animal *before* you may take them home. You are welcome to come meet them and you may place a hold on them while you obtain enclosure, lights, etc. but proof of adequate set up is non-negotiable at time of signing adoption contract.

🌸 If you have any questions please message us and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

04/12/2026

04/12/2026

We are running very low on the essentials & it’s not payday yet! 😩 can you help us?

•We are in need of collard greens, mustard greens, shredded carrots, zucchini, and any other reptile safe veggies! (No fruit please)

•We are down to our last roll of paper towel, we need these for quarantine set ups & to clean up after the animals!

•Our snakes are hungry🍽️! We are in need of just a couple frozen medium sized rats.

If you would like to send a digital payment towards these items,
Venmo: Chrysalisrescue
Cashapp: Chrysalisrescue
(Our PayPal is down)

Or if you are already out running errands and would like to drop something off, we are located in Portsmouth 23702 off of Deep Creek Blvd. (message me for address 🙂)

Thank you so much!!

04/11/2026

Papaya is not thrilled about getting her medicine and a belly massage.

04/10/2026

Ruthie’s first meal at the sanctuary💚

04/10/2026

Letting the boys forage some Trifolium repens (white clover) this is probably their first time outside.. soaking up real UVB. 💚 Simba is digging right into the clover, Mufasa is still a little unsure of things.

04/10/2026

First I’d like to say THANK YOU for the overwhelming support I’ve received in messages about potential fosters. You all rock and I am going to get back to every single one of you.

I woke up this morning to take this intake, then felt extremely sick and went back to sleep after putting her in a humidity chamber for a couple hours to loosen up these layers of stuck shed. I’ve been asleep pretty much all day only waking up to feed the animals, let my dog out, briefly check messages, etc. so please bear with me- if I haven’t gotten back to you yet I promise I will. 🩷 tomorrow will be a better day.

This is Ruth, a young female leopard gecko I received today. I closed for intakes but a friend of mine reached out about this gecko someone she knows had. I couldn’t turn her away.
You can see the stuck shed but she also has stomatitis, vitamin A deficiency, and she’s clearly emaciated. She had urate stuck in her vent, when removed it was completely raw and irritated. Who knows the last time she was able to pass stool. 😭
The person who had her did her best to help her, she received her in not so great condition but she went downhill fast and this person didn’t know how else to help. While folks may have the best intentions, it is always best to reach out to a rescue if you don’t have the tools to successfully rehab. This gecko will need antibiotics, pain medication, vitamin injections, and syringe feeding- all things her previous owner probably wasn’t prepared for. All in all, this person did the right thing by finally reaching out to someone she knows to get into contact with a rescue. She didn’t want her to suffer any longer. 🩷 I am confident Ruth will make a complete recovery. Despite her condition, she’s active and has fight. The last picture is after we got all the shed off her toes, keratin build up out of the eyes, and a few chunks of shed, blood, pus build up off the inside of her mouth. She will likely lose some toes. 😞

04/08/2026

🔴🔴🔴🔴INTAKE HOLD🔴🔴🔴🔴

We are on intake hold again! Two dragons came in today, impacted frog on Thursday, and possibly another leopard gecko in bad shape later today. We are expanding but currently have very limited space, I absolutely NEED more fosters & adopters!

We are desperately seeking fosters for
•bearded dragons
•leopard geckos
•crested geckos
•ball pythons

If you can’t foster or adopt, please just spread the word! These animals matter just as much as any other animal and they are deserving of proper care, love, and a good life!

If you are interested in adopting, please take a look at our available album. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out.

Help us help more reptiles, thank you! 🦎🐍💚

04/08/2026

Very last minute intake today, welcoming Simba & Mufasa. 🦁 this intake put us at capacity so we will have to close intake until we can get some animals adopted.

These two brother dragons (thankfully) were not living together at this size but lived with their siblings for long enough to lose several toes & parts of their tails. Both of them have nubs, and Mufasa is missing all but two toes on his back foot. Simba & Mufasa were given to a child to care for and have been living in ten gallon tanks all this time. They’re a little chunky & have very little muscle mass- probably from lack of space to move around.
They are otherwise friendly, bright, and alert. I will be monitoring them for the next ten days to make sure they are in the clear to be adopted out. Accepting inquires on them now, & they should be ready on 04/18.

*they MUST be adopted separately, unless you can show proof of two fully set up enclosures to accommodate each of them*

04/06/2026

Got balls? We do. 😁🐍

Meet Walter the 20 year old normal ball python, who is full of life and curiosity! This gentle boy is anything but slowing down. While he does enjoy to lounge under his basking spot during the day, he is all for an adventure out of his enclosure. He is not head shy and actually allowed me to carefully remove his stuck eye caps without fussing. He will wrap around you and look around as you take him wherever. He’s currently “periscoping” on my couch as I type this.
I was told in his twenty years, he hasn’t refused a meal 🍽️.
Due to some concerns regarding his previous husbandry & a slight wheeze, we will be doing a round of antibiotics. After that, I see no reason to keep this boy from finding his next destination with folks who will love him & let him live out his golden years! 🤎🖤

•

Meet Chai the pastel lesser ball python, who is as shy as she is beautiful 🌸. This little girl is still very young, small, and learning about the world around her. She has a great feeding response & responds well to gentle handling though she prefers to hide away where she feels safe.
This is very typical behavior of any baby snake, so she will need someone who has patience with helping her come out of her shell. I have no doubt she will be a very sweet, loving girl as she grows. 🩷
she will be available for adoption on 04/17.