Through the Looking Glass....

RiverRescues Animal Sanctuary is a non-profit organisation established in 2024. We pick up/drop off the waifs and strays of Edinburgh and Central Belt of Scotland.

In-Situ

At it's warm heart is it's, even warmer, founder - AJ, whom has had a passion for animal care since his mid-teens. He kindly allowed me to join said organisation to further spread the good will of looking after it's reptiles and amphibians as a carer and transporter.

RR is located in Meadowbank House on London Road in Edinburgh. There are 46 Herptiles housed (reptiles and amphibians) at the moment. An upgrade in space within the locale was made around a month ago so that it can hold a further 30 rescues.

We house large reptiles, such as a Boa Constrictor and Bosc Monitors, all the way down to our smallest, and ever popular, Crested Geckos. Most are up for adoption, whilst some are full-time reptile residents. These lucky few are owned by AJ and available for small informative events around Edinburgh.

A dynamic scene encapsulates this rescue. Comings and goings are frequent, bittersweet and inevitable moments. Sad to see how some animals have been treated by us humans when they arrive but happy to see them go to new, loving homes. It's an emotional rollercoaster at times.

Team Work

At the moment there are 3 main volunteers: Kyra, Sam and Chantelle. Chantelle and Kyra are the most experienced heads, Sam and I are the newbies. Kyra says her favourite moments of volunteering are "meeting new people and learning about different species and how to take care of them. I'm feeling more independent in myself and can't wait for what's to come in the future as i don't see myself stopping anytime if at all".

Sam kindly said: "I've loved volunteering so far, animals are probably my biggest interest and having the volunteering opportunity has given me in an in-road into working with animals (every job wants experience working with animals in order to work with animals).

AJ is great, and also patient while ive been getting used to the routine. Not necessarily a particular favourite moment, but favourite thing there is the geckos. Wanted one for some years now, and has only been confirmed by volunteering that it's the animal for me.

Would say another stand out moment would be a baby squirrel, AJ had at one point, and hand feeding it."

We all have varying experience lifespans that involve Herptiles in one way or another. Nonetheless, our mission is the same: "help rehoming and rehabilitating pets and wildlife around the clock and cleaning animal enclosures."

Each animal has their own personality or health warnings, so there has to be personalised care applied. Gizmo, the Leopard Gecko, is blind and so requires some specific medicine to manage her condition.

Tidying and refilling food/water of Sheldon, the Sulcata tortoise, and Mango, the resident bearded dragon, are my go-to first stops of the day. They are the messy teenagers of the group and takes a while to spot clean, refill waters and provide their daily feed.

If we forget any steps in maintenance then we have a sheet of information to follow. These steps include feeding the invertebrates that feed the larger creatures and turning off all the lights.

Landscape Changes

Every time you enter this soft mossy haven, there is always something new to learn and each day is different. If an animal escaped, like Tank the Ball Python did through a ventilation fitting, then our job is to find them as soon as possible. Any person would not think it was difficult to spot a 2-3ft Python - I did not either. But it evaded my gaze and it was not until later that AJ managed to seek it out and thankfully, escape-proofed the entire facility.

Another instance was encountering a snake that had not been fed beforehand. The consequences were shocking and eventually enlightening. Pumpkin, the Ball Python, moved around energetically in it's enclosure and poked his head out as i made the usual rounds. It was when i tried to stop him escaping, by pushing him back into his home, that he thought: "it's feeding time".

The snake latched onto my forearm with sharp fangs and body constricted. Despite him packing quite a punch, a snake bite was far less painful than expected by a wider society.

Carefulness and consideration does not just apply to in-house proceedings. Driving animals to and from various locations involves more delicacy when manoeuvring around corners. The large vivariums, being picked up and stored in the car, requires ample care also as there is glass involved. We always forget that animals sometimes relieve themselves if stressed or anxious en-route.

AJ found this out the hard way when trying to determine the sex of Sheldon. He checked his tail for either a lined or star shaped opening. It was at this moment that Sheldon proceeded to cover AJ in all his digested food and drink. Unfortunately, AJ's mouth caught most of it.

Final Thoughts

It is deeply rewarding to know that you have cared for these animals with the best of your ability and support of your peers. Equally, there feels like a positive difference is being made each time I finish a shift. On the logistic side of things, it has been a huge effort to transport animals and enclosures here, there and everywhere. There is definitely a different element of helping animals this way and i am glad to experience this side of volunteering also.

Please enquire about a visitation appointment and for more information on our lovely rescues and organisation - https://www.riverrescuesanimalsanctuary.com/

Bibliography

RiverRescues Animal Sanctuary (2025). RiverRescues Animal Sanctuary. [online] RiverRescues Animal Sanctuary. Available at: https://www.riverrescuesanimalsanctuary.com/ [Accessed 14 Nov. 2025].