Hernando Reptile and Exotics Rescue, Inc.

08/23/2026

***ADOPTED ***

Meet Tortilla, this beautiful male is almost 2 years old, he is looking for his forever home. He eats well and is easily handled (although he can get a little crazy just like boys do). If you have an empty tank and open heart and are looking for a new friend, please message us. Adoption fee does apply.

07/12/2026

📢 An Important Update from Hernando Reptile and Exotics Rescue, Inc.

It is with a heavy heart that we announce Hernando Reptile and Exotics Rescue, Inc. will be temporarily pausing rescue operations for the next six months.

Effective immediately, we will not be accepting new surrenders, rescue requests, or intakes during this temporary closure.

This decision was not made lightly. To continue providing the level of care every animal deserves, we need to take time to regroup and ensure the rescue can return stronger in the future.

This is not goodbye. Our current adoptable animals are still looking for their forever homes, and we will continue working to place each of them with loving, qualified families. If you’ve been thinking about adopting, we’d love to hear from you.

Need to surrender an exotic pet?
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Exotic Pet Amnesty Program may be able to help.

📞 888-Ive-Got1 (888-483-4681)
🌐 https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/amnesty-program/

Found injured or orphaned native wildlife?
Please contact Owl’s Nest Sanctuary for Wildlife.

📱 Text: 352-942-1027

To our volunteers, adopters, donors, and supporters—thank you. Because of you, countless reptiles and exotic animals have been given a second chance. Your kindness and support have made our mission possible, and we are incredibly grateful.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this temporary pause. We look forward to returning and continuing to serve the animals and community we all love.

❤️ Hernando Reptile and Exotics Rescue, Inc.

07/04/2026

06/29/2026

🐢 AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION – Meet Tortellini! 🐢

We’re excited to introduce Tortellini, our handsome male Hermann’s tortoise, who is looking for his forever home!

About Tortellini:
🐢 Male Hermann’s tortoise
📏 Approximately 7 inches long (measured from the front to the back of his shell)
🎂 Estimated to be 3–7 years old
🥬 Healthy, active, and enjoys a varied diet of leafy greens, weeds, and grasses.
☀️ Primarily housed indoors with regular supervised outdoor time.

Before inquiring, please make sure you can provide:
✅ A species-appropriate enclosure with plenty of room to roam
✅ Proper UVB lighting and heat if housed indoors
✅ A nutritious, species-appropriate diet
✅ Regular access to safe outdoor sunshine whenever possible
✅ A lifelong commitment—Hermann’s tortoises can live 50+ years!
✅ Veterinary care whenever needed

Please note:
💚 Hermann’s tortoises are naturally social and often enjoy the presence of other Hermann’s tortoises. However, Hernando Reptile & Exotics Rescue does not adopt animals into cohabitation situations. We believe each tortoise should have its own enclosure to ensure the health and safety of every animal in our care.

🚫 Breeding is strictly prohibited. All animals adopted through our rescue are placed as cherished pets only.

Our Adoption Process
If you’re interested in Tortellini, send us a message! We’ll discuss your experience, enclosure, and husbandry to ensure he’s a good fit for your home. If everything looks great, we’ll schedule a meet-and-greet. If it’s the perfect match, we’ll complete our adoption agreement and finalize the adoption during your visit.

💲 An adoption fee applies. Every adoption fee goes directly back into our rescue to provide food, veterinary care, habitat improvements, and supplies for the reptiles and exotics we save.

Our goal has always been to place every animal in the best possible forever home. If you think Tortellini might be the perfect addition to your family, we’d love to hear from you! 💚🐢

06/21/2026

🐍🦎🐢 Happy Father’s Day from Hernando Reptile & Exotics Rescue! 🐢🦎🐍

Today we’re celebrating all the amazing dads out there—whether you’re raising kids, caring for animals, or doing both!

From devoted tortoise dads building incredible outdoor habitats, to snake dads perfecting temperatures and humidity, to lizard dads making sure every meal is just right, we know the love, patience, and dedication it takes to care for these incredible animals.

Fatherhood comes in many forms, and we’re grateful for every dad who teaches responsibility, shows compassion, and helps provide safe, loving homes for the reptiles and exotic pets we all cherish.

On behalf of our tortoises, snakes, lizards, geckos, skinks, and all the other scaly faces in our care, we wish you a day filled with family, laughter, and maybe a little extra basking time in the sun! ☀️

💚 Happy Father’s Day to all the reptile dads, granddads, stepdads, foster dads, and animal-loving father figures who make a difference every day. 💚

06/15/2026

🚨 Missing Red-Footed Tortoises 🚨

From owner:
We just returned home from being out of town and discovered that our two red-footed tortoises are missing. Painters were working at our house while we were away, and it appears a gate may have been left open.

📍 Last seen: South end of Gaston Street near Regency Oaks

🐢 Missing tortoises:

• Female red-footed tortoise weighing approximately 16.5-17 lbs

• Smaller red-footed tortoise weighing approximately 2.5-3 lbs

Red-footed tortoises are generally friendly and may be hiding under bushes, in flower beds, near sheds, under decks, or in other shaded areas. They can travel farther than people expect, especially if they’ve been missing for several days.

Please respond to this post and we will reach out to the owner.

06/14/2026

🦉🦅 Help Us Help Owls Nest Wildlife! 🦅🦉

Today, we transported an injured Swallow-tailed Kite that was found in Webster, Florida, to Owls Nest Wildlife for care. These incredible people work tirelessly to rescue, rehabilitate, and release Florida’s native wildlife, often taking in animals that have nowhere else to go.

Wildlife rehabilitation is expensive, and they are always in need of supplies to care for the countless animals that come through their doors. Right now, some of their most-needed items are:

✅ Puppy Pads
✅ Bleach
✅ Chewy Gift Cards
✅ RodentPro Gift Cards

If you’d like to help, we are accepting donations specifically earmarked for Owls Nest Wildlife. Every donation received for them will be forwarded directly to support their efforts and the animals in their care.

Whether it’s a package of puppy pads, a bottle of bleach, a gift card, or a monetary donation designated for Owls Nest Wildlife, every little bit helps save lives.

Thank you for supporting the people who dedicate their lives to helping Florida’s wildlife get a second chance. ❤️🦉🦅

Please comment or message us if you’d like to donate.

06/12/2026

We're calling on our Hernando Reptile and Exotic fam to help us provide an enclosure for one of our ambassadors - a donation of a 36x18x18 front-opening enclosure would make a world of difference to our foster home.

06/06/2026

Some of our leopard gecko residents here at Hernando Reptile and Exotics. The girls had a photoshoot in the sunset and enjoyed the gentle summer breeze!

Letting your gecko out for fresh sun can be great enrichment but must follow very careful guidelines. Only bring geckos out when temperatures are 75-85°F and during their natural waking hours. Leopard geckos are crepuscular coming out between dawn and dusk,so today’s sunset being around 85° with nice breeze was perfect for our girls! They also must be kept in a very well ventilated carrier and be supervised for the entire time- which is a maximum of 5-10 minutes. We give our girls some fake plants and rocks for exploring opportunities. For extra caution we also recommend staying in a fenced in area! Not all our geckos here enjoy the sun but for our long term residents that do,we love providing that little extra enrichment every once in a while!

06/04/2026

Say hello to Toby, he is the leopard gecko embodiment of sunshine lighting up a room! ✨ He loves lounging about with a smile on his face and will run right up to the front of his enclosure to check out what’s going on (as long as he isn’t napping of course!). Toby is currently around 8 years old and looking for a home to spend the rest of his years! Please pm us if you’re interested or looking for more information. ☺️

Toby does have bent arms associated with MBD but his calcium levels have returned to normal with UVB and supplements so it does not impact him in any way!