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APES CIC Shelter and Rescue
APES CIC Shelter and Rescue
A place for exotic homeless, abandoned and shelter pets.
Shelter & Rescues Shelter and Intakes Request To Shelter Shelter & Surrender Services

APES Shelter & Rescue · Shelter and surrender services

Surrender an animal to APES

If you can no longer safely care for your exotic or small companion animal, APES can assess your case and help you take the next responsible step through our shelter and surrender service.

Shelter surrender requestNot your pet? Use rescue servicesContact APES

No surrender fee

APES no longer charges a surrender fee. At the end of the surrender form, we ask whether you are able to make an optional donation to help with intake costs.

Enclosures requested

We ask that animals come with their enclosure and key equipment wherever possible. This helps with safe intake planning and may speed up the intake process.

Waiting list and triage

Due to demand, we cannot always take an animal immediately. Cases are reviewed by welfare urgency, species needs, legal status and available shelter capacity.

What is the shelter service?

This service is for owners who need to rehome an animal because they can no longer meet its welfare, housing, financial, health, tenancy, family or safety needs.

Start request

How we assess each request

Each surrender request is reviewed confidentially and assessed against the animal’s needs, the owner’s circumstances and APES’ available facilities.

  • Current welfare risk and urgency
  • Species, size, temperament and handling needs
  • Housing, heating, lighting, UVB and humidity requirements
  • Veterinary history, medication and known health concerns
  • Safe transport, collection or drop-off requirements
  • Available quarantine and intake space
Emergency welfare concern: If an animal is in immediate danger, injured, abandoned, loose in a public place, or presents a public safety risk, contact the appropriate emergency service, local authority animal warden, or a veterinary practice first. Then contact APES with the reference details so we can assess whether we can assist.

Animals we may be able to accept

Acceptance depends on capacity, welfare risk, enclosure availability, legal status and whether we have the correct facilities at the time of application.

Invertebrates

All types of commonly kept invertebrates may be considered by assessment, including tarantulas, scorpions, stick insects and similar species.

Snakes

  • King snakes
  • Corn snakes
  • Garter snakes
  • Milk snakes
  • Beauty snakes
  • Royal pythons
  • Hognose snakes
  • Baby or juvenile boas and pythons by assessment

Tortoises

  • Hermann’s tortoises
  • Spur-thighed tortoises
  • Horsfield tortoises
  • Chinese star tortoises by assessment
  • Other species by assessment

Lizards

  • Bearded dragons
  • Geckos
  • Plated lizards
  • Skinks and other commonly kept lizards by assessment

Small mammals

  • Rabbits
  • Hamsters
  • Rats
  • Chinchillas
  • Other small mammals by assessment

Specialist cases

Large constrictors, venomous species, primates, crocodilians and any animal requiring specialist legal permissions must be discussed with APES before movement is arranged.

How surrender works

  1. Submit a surrender request
    Complete the ShelterManager surrender form with as much information as possible. You can also use live chat at the bottom of our websites if you need help before completing the form.
  2. We review your case
    APES reviews the details provided, including the animal’s welfare, urgency, species needs, enclosure information and safe handling considerations.
  3. We place the case into triage
    Your case is placed into our waiting list and priority assessment process. A team member will assess urgency, capacity and next steps.
  4. Collection or drop-off is arranged
    Once everything is confirmed and space becomes available, we will contact you to arrange collection or drop-off. Please do not arrive with an animal unless an intake appointment has been confirmed.

No fee, optional donation

APES no longer charges a surrender fee. At the end of the surrender form, we ask whether you are able to make an optional donation to help with intake costs, including initial care, food, heating, bedding, equipment use, quarantine needs and veterinary support where required.

Donations are optional and help us provide the best possible care for every animal we take in.

Enclosures and equipment

We ask that surrendered animals come with their enclosure and key equipment wherever possible. This can include heating, lighting, hides, water bowls and any species-specific items required for safe continuity of care.

Providing the enclosure helps us prepare the intake safely, reduces pressure on shelter resources and may speed up the intake process where the enclosure is safe, suitable and transportable.

Start your surrender request

Use the online form wherever possible. It creates a structured case record and allows our team to assess your request properly. Live chat is also available at the bottom of our websites for general help and guidance.

Complete the surrender formContact APES
Important: Submitting a surrender request does not guarantee intake. APES will review each case against welfare urgency, legal status, available capacity and safe handling requirements. Owners and keepers remain responsible for meeting an animal’s welfare needs until the animal has been formally transferred into APES care.

What is the Shelter Service

Our shelter service is for pet owners needing to rehome their pet. Maybe you have lost your home or your job an unable to provide for them. No matter the reason we are here to help.

Not your pet? Unwanted visitor?

Animals We Currently Accept

We accept the following inverts

All types of inverts.

We accept the following snakes

  • King Snakes
  • Corn Snakes
  • Garter Snakes
  • Milk Snakes
  • Beauty Snakes
  • Royal Pythons
  • Hognose
  • Baby/Juvie Boa
  • Baby/Juvie Pythons

We do not have the facility for fully grown boa, or Burmese Python.

We accept the following tortoises

  • Hermans
  • Spur Thigh
  • Horse Field
  • Chinese Star
  • and many others.

We accept the following lizards

  • Bearded Dragons
  • Geckos
  • Plated Lizards

We accept the following

  • Rabbits
  • Hamsters
  • Rats
  • Chinchillas

About Shelter Service

Due to the high number of requests we can not always take an animal in immediately, this is why we use a waiting list system. The waiting list has a number of factors to make sure we each individual case is assessed and given the correct level of priority. We assess the following with every case.

  • Personal Circumstances
  • The Animals Welfare

We also take in from closures of pet shops or other rescues or shelters.

How to use our Shelter Service

Find out everything you need to know about using our rescue services.

Step 1 - Contact Us

Contact us via social networks, live chat, tickets and more. Contact us via our multiple lines of communication.


Best form of communication is our form. Please click on the "Shelter Request" buttons below.


You can also open a live chat to us and someone will pick up on it, if no one is available someone will pick up when they get back online.

Shelter Surrender Request

Step 2 - We will Contact You

Once we have received your request we will put you on our waiting list, with the details you provided in your application.

A member of our animal control team will assess your priority for the service.

Waits can be from a few hours to a few days at present.

Step 3 - Collection

Once everything is confirmed and a space at our facilities becomes available we will contact you to arrange to collection or drop-off.

Fees

Surrender Fee

As of May 2025, we have removed our traditional rescue surrender fees. Instead, we now require that any animal being surrendered to us must come with its enclosure. We understand that surrendering a pet can be a difficult and emotional decision, especially when finances are tight. However, keeping the enclosure with the intention to acquire another animal is not in line with our mission, and unfortunately, we often find this occurs. Additionally, our enclosures experience significant wear and tear due to high usage, leading to frequent replacements and an ongoing shortage of appropriate housing for the animals in our care. By requiring enclosures to be surrendered alongside the animal, we can better support their welfare and reduce resource strain on the shelter. If you are able and would like to help further, you can now make a donation at the time of completing the surrender form, but it is entirely optional. Thank you for your understanding and for helping us provide the best care for every animal we take in.