Gulf Coast Tortoise Sanctuary aka Gulf Coast Reptile Refuge Inc

Gulf Coast Tortoise Sanctuary aka Gulf Coast Reptile Refuge Inc 501(c)3 non-profit reptile refuge and tortoise sanctuary. 🐢
We are home and foster based.

🔴*WE ARE NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC*🔴
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Here at GCRR, our mission is for no non-native reptiles to be abandoned, or released into the wild to fend for themselves. We are here as a resource for any and all reptile owners. We accept owner surrenders, rehabilitate the sick/injured, house the unadoptable, and adopt the adoptable to responsible, permanent homes.

We had a couple of unexpected intakes this afternoon. We'd like to welcome Tim Curry and Forrest. Tim Curry is a juvenil...
09/05/2026

We had a couple of unexpected intakes this afternoon.

We'd like to welcome Tim Curry and Forrest.

Tim Curry is a juvenile Sulcata Tortoise, under 2 years of old guessing by size. He is not presenting any outward signs of anything obviously wrong, but we will be monitoring food intake and bathroom habits while in quarantine of course.

Forrest is a juvenile Iguana. Forrest is likely under a year old, and in critical condition.
He is emaciated, dehydrated, will not open his eyes, will not eat or drink and appears to drag his back legs.

Based off of the information I was passed along, his original owner failed to do the proper research on how to care for him.

His prognosis is very guarded, but we are going to do the absolute best we can to get him going in the right direction.

There is no excuse to let an animal get into this condition and suffer. None.

09/05/2026

PSA: Be a nice human, please. Especially when reaching out for our help.

🎯 175/450 goal🔴Friends, we have a project we could really use the help of our community to accomplish!🔴🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢W...
09/03/2026

🎯 175/450 goal

🔴Friends, we have a project we could really use the help of our community to accomplish!🔴

🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢

We get calls on stray Sulcatas frequently. By frequently, I mean ALOT 😆.

Matter of fact, we have two coming in from Alabama on Saturday.

Our domestic pet shelters and many good samaritans are not equipped to safely contain tortoises for an appropriate stray-hold.

We have been making due, but we REALLY need to build a designated two bay enclosure sized to temporarily house strays for their stray holds while trying to get them reunited with their families.

Can you help?

We would need (21) treated 12' 2x6's, (6) treated 12" 2x4's and a box of 250 3" screws.

This would be roughly $450 in total to purchase the needed materials.

I think our village will come through! We can male this happen!

I will keep a updated amount of how much we have raised towards our goal as donations come in at the top of this post.

As always, receipts will be posted for transparency once materials are secured, as well as a video of the finished product once complete!

Thank you for support. You guys are why we can continue to help so many animals!

Below are the quickest ways to donate: (type 'Stray Project' in the memo)

CashApp: $gcrrinc

Venmo:

PayPal (takes fees): [email protected]

E-Gift card from Home Depot or Lowe's:
[email protected]

Donations are tax-deductible! 💚

HAPPY ADOPTION DAY to Prince and Elvis! 🎉We are so happy for them! They were adopted by one of our repeat adopters with ...
09/02/2026

HAPPY ADOPTION DAY to Prince and Elvis! 🎉

We are so happy for them! They were adopted by one of our repeat adopters with GORGEOUS property. (Everyone with their own seperate spaces of course.)

Hello friends!Today we had to take Sanctuary resident Boo to the Vet. Boo is one of three resident Macaws we have here. ...
09/02/2026

Hello friends!

Today we had to take Sanctuary resident Boo to the Vet.

Boo is one of three resident Macaws we have here. He came to us roughly 3 years ago via our friends at Feathers & Fangs Exotic Animal Rescue over in Alabama. He needed to be in an only bird home (at the time.)

He had lost his original family due to them having had to move into assisted living and then changed hands a couple times before landing here with us. We absolutely adore his little ragamuffin self and he is very much a loved part of our family now.

We had noticed a lump under his throat area and we wanted to have it checked out to make sure if wasn't anything of concern. Plus he needed a beak and nail trim.

We took him to the Avian & Exotic Animal Hospital of Louisiana where he saw Dr. Rich.

It was determined that the lump is detached and appears to be a feather cyst, which is good news! We don't have to do anything right now, just keep an eye on it as time goes on.

His age was guesstimated to be in his 20's, which is actually younger than we thought. We had wellness bloodwork run on him as well which all came back great, with exception of his RBC count being a little low.

We are going to implement some diet reccomendations that will hopefully help improve that, and have it re-checked in a month.

All in all, Boo is extremely happy to be back home! 🦜

PSA: I am having trouble with the rescue's messenger inbox. It is only allowing me to reply to certain message dialogues...
09/01/2026

PSA: I am having trouble with the rescue's messenger inbox.

It is only allowing me to reply to certain message dialogues for some reason and I'm doing my best to get this sorted out. Hopefully it will be functioning properly sooner than later.

If I have not replied to a message you have sent via FB Messenger, feel free to send me a text directly (during reasonable hours of course) at 228-363-0759. *Text only please*

Thank you!

*Photo of Potato-Potato with a strawberry mustache for fun*

Spike is REUNITED with his very excited family after a month and a half! 🎉*Photo posted with permission*
08/31/2026

Spike is REUNITED with his very excited family after a month and a half! 🎉

*Photo posted with permission*

08/31/2026

Friends! We had a breakthrough today! After alot of soaking, bowel movements and different food offerings, Gamera is FINALLY eating! 💚🐢
HAPPY DAY! Our vet will be back in town next week and he will be sedated and have his beak trimmed and will be good as new!

We recieved a call from the Hancock County Animal Shelter, MS this morning to come pick up a straying Sulcata Tortoise t...
08/31/2026

We recieved a call from the Hancock County Animal Shelter, MS this morning to come pick up a straying Sulcata Tortoise that a good samritan had found and dropped off.

We often work with our surrounding shelters as they are not typically equipped to house exotics for their stray holds.

The wonderful news is, we have already found the rightful owner!

This is Spike, and he's been missing for a month and a half.

We confirmed it's a definite match by comparing a photo from the owner. If you have these guys, it's very important to keep updated photos of them on hand. If they ever get lost, that is your proof of ownership!

Stay tuned for Spike's reunification photo!

*Lighting is different in the photos, but we carefully compared the scutes and it's a match!*

We'd like to welcome our newest intake to the Sanctuary. Thank you Tracy for transporting! 🐢I've named her Dolly Parton....
08/30/2026

We'd like to welcome our newest intake to the Sanctuary. Thank you Tracy for transporting! 🐢

I've named her Dolly Parton.

Dolly is THREE years old.

Dolly's lifespan has been shortened due to human negligence. The damage she has suffered is irreversible. We can only do our best to prevent it from getting any worse.

Her rescuer reports (and we can clearly see) that she was kept in a completely inappropriate habitat with no appropriate lighting, no humidity, not fed regularly as well as fed an inappropriate diet. This animal now lives with the consequences while the human gets to carry on with life as usual.

We have given her a good soak, and have her set up in a quarantine tub now.

Her growth is stunted, her shell is severely pyramided and her back legs specifically are very soft and weak. She pushes with them more so than walking upright We plan to have her x-rayed once our Vet is back in town to check her bone density to have a better idea of how severe the inevitable Metabolic Bone Disease is.

I can never share this enough. Please, please do your research BEFORE aquiring an animal. When we CHOOSE to keep an animal in captivity, it's life is literally in your hands.

Address

Picayune, MS

Telephone

+12283630759

Website

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