Policies
Forgotten Friend Code of Ethics
Adoptions Fees – We reserve the right to set adoption fees at our discretion. Adoption fees serve to protect reptiles from individuals who would exploit the adoption process for commercial breeding or resale. 100% of adoption fees go toward operating expenses at Forgotten Friend. We aim to keep any fees significantly lower than market prices to make reptile adoptions more affordable to good homes. We also reserve the right to lower or waive adoption fees at our discretion if it helps place reptiles in the best homes.
Age Requirements – You must be 18 to adopt a reptile through Forgotten Friend (sorry kids).
We only provide adoptions to experienced reptile keepers and reserve the right to refuse adoption to anyone at our discretion.
While we accept scheduled reptile drop-offs from anywhere, we will make free local pick-ups within Lancaster County, PA whenever possible. We never charge a dime to take in a reptile, although we operate on your generosity and donations are greatly appreciated.
Forgotten Friend is a private nonprofit organization with limited space and resources. We are very serious about not over-crowding or neglecting the animals in our care, and must turn more reptiles than we accept. We simply don’t have space and staffing to accept all of the 5-10 daily animal intake requests we receive. If we can’t take in your reptile here at the rescue, we’ll still help you find a home for it while it remains in your care. Lots of people post their reptiles for adoption through our Facebook page, and have connected with awesome new homes that way. Click here to learn how to post your reptile for adoption through our Facebook page.
Forgotten Friend does NOT provide adoptions for the purpose of resale or commercial breeding. Although we appreciate responsible captive breeding projects, we must avoid these types of adoptions due to conflicts of interest. However, we have placed animals in conservation breeding projects like Turtle Survival Alliance, and we may consider these exceptions on a case-by-case basis.
We reserve the right to ask for pictures of your setup, or send someone out for a site visit to make sure your setup is appropriate for the reptile you plan to adopt. Being untruthful during the adoption process will eliminate you as a future home for any of our reptiles, so please be truthful. Remember we want these guys to go to the best homes.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we hold ourselves to a high standard with rescue finances. We believe in budgeting and keeping clear financial records. All checks to the rescue should be made payable to “Forgotten Friend, Inc.” and all PayPal donations go to donate@forgottenfriend.org.