​Fresh Start Rescue gets animals surrendered for all different reasons. Sometimes life changes and you can no longer take care of your animal. We don't judge your reasons, being there for the animal is the reason our organization was formed. 

When an animal comes into Fresh Start, the owner is asked to fill out a Surrender and History form. We get information on the animal, how it was cared for, and what it likes to eat. It then gets a full intake evaluation, checking for any pressing health issues. Each animal is held for 30 days to make sure they are not showing signs of illness or parasites, to make sure they are eating as they should, and we do like to see a shed from them if possible. If vet care is needed, we do have a vet in Wilmington that cares for all our animals. Once the animal has successfully completed the 30 days, it goes up for adoption on our website. The adopter must fill out an application, have knowledge of care for the animal they are applying for, and we must approve their enclosure before they take any animal home. 

Our intake procedure includes a bath, weight, spray for mites, and fecal exam when needed. We also then set up the animal in one of our quarantine enclosures, and they will eventually move to a more enriching enclosure once quarantine is over. 

We do not charge a surrender fee but keep in mind it does take money to run fecal exams and care for these animals every day. If you can donate to the care of your animal, it helps us tremendously. 

We do not require enclosures or equipment to be brought with your animal (for chameleons it is very helpful for you to bring us those things) but we will take anything you want to bring. We can always use extra light fixtures, supplements, etc. We also love front-opening enclosures, however top opening tanks may end up for sale to help us bring in needed funds.