Process for surrendering an animal
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 and is deemed healthy, 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. All bearded dragons are tested for Agamid Atadenovirus. 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 for most animals but we will take anything you want to bring. For chameleons, crested geckos, and some amphibians we do ask that you bring them in their enclosures as it's harder for us to have these specialized setups on hand. We also love front-opening enclosures. Keep in mind, top opening tanks and excess supplies may end up for sale to help us bring in needed funds.
If you have an animal you'd like to surrender, please fill out the form on this link below. You will get an automatic confirmation email that we received your form. That is not a confirmation that we can take your animal. There are many times during the year that we have a waiting list for some or all species. Please wait until you get an email from us letting you know if we can take your animal or if we have a waiting list. PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDERS! OUR EMAIL ADDRESS LIKES TO END UP IN SPAM. If you are waitlisted, you will be contacted by email once we have room for your animal. You will have about a week to respond and set up a surrender appointment. If you do not respond, we will remove your name from the list. If we can take your animal right away, you'll be asked to set up a surrender appointment - we do not have public hours of operation - and you are required to bring the animal to our location near Wallace, NC.
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 and is deemed healthy, 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. All bearded dragons are tested for Agamid Atadenovirus. 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 for most animals but we will take anything you want to bring. For chameleons, crested geckos, and some amphibians we do ask that you bring them in their enclosures as it's harder for us to have these specialized setups on hand. We also love front-opening enclosures. Keep in mind, top opening tanks and excess supplies may end up for sale to help us bring in needed funds.
If you have an animal you'd like to surrender, please fill out the form on this link below. You will get an automatic confirmation email that we received your form. That is not a confirmation that we can take your animal. There are many times during the year that we have a waiting list for some or all species. Please wait until you get an email from us letting you know if we can take your animal or if we have a waiting list. PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDERS! OUR EMAIL ADDRESS LIKES TO END UP IN SPAM. If you are waitlisted, you will be contacted by email once we have room for your animal. You will have about a week to respond and set up a surrender appointment. If you do not respond, we will remove your name from the list. If we can take your animal right away, you'll be asked to set up a surrender appointment - we do not have public hours of operation - and you are required to bring the animal to our location near Wallace, NC.
