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Adopt Today.
non-releasable Education Animals
Who can “Adopt”?
Individuals: for self, or gifts such as birthdays, graduations, endowments, and holidays
Classrooms: you can raise money by collecting coins, car washes, read-a-thons, art contests, parents associations, chores at home, bake sale
Scout groups: for meetings and badges
Church groups: for small clubs, entire church community outreach
College groups: for service projects and hours, sororities, fraternities
Why “Adopt”?
Second Chances receives no state, city, or federal funding. 100% of animal care comes from private contributions from animal lovers and kind people like you. Sometimes, animals stay with us for several months. Consider the costs of feeding over 300 animals each year plus providing medical care and individualized housing. Cleaning is a substantial expense as well. Your sponsorship will help ensure the best care possible which ensures a successful release back into the wild. Please consider joining our Second Chances family no matter where you live.
All donations are tax deductible.
If you’d like to adopt an animal, please fill out the application and make a donation through our PayPal link. If this is a gift for someone, confirmation will go to you and all items will be mailed to the indicated party with a note specifying you as the provider. Please include thier name and address.
Adopt Us!
In memory of JB (Justin Beaver)
What a busy beaver he is! While we raise funds to build him a large outdoor enclosure with his own pond, he is living with our center Director. He enjoys chewing on her doors, walls, and baseboards. He builds damns from treasures he finds around the house: magazines, recycling bin, lap top, stuffed animals, shoes, rugs, and socks. He builds them by doors, the dishwasher, and in front of the refrigerator. He adores sweet potatoes, apples, white birch, willow, and kale. He likes to swim in the bathtub and often just floats around. He falls asleep with a big wad of baby blanket in his mouth.
Arnie
Arnie was just a couple of months new when he came to us. Unbeknownst to us, he came to us very sick. It was discovered that Arnie has something wrong with his blood. We are still testing him regularly to find out what is it. One day, his blood count was 9. The normal blood count for an armadillo is between 30-40! Arnie needed a blood transfusion, but we did not have another armadillo. We pulled him through that bought. A few weeks later, our center director found Arnie in a coma one morning and it took her almost two hours to revive him! This armadillo could not be more fragile and more loved. He loves playing in water and napping on our center Director.
Major
Major came to us at just three weeks new, eyes still closed, after his family was bulldozed over so a new housing development could take over his home. Major and his two siblings were a bundle of fun while little and ate us out of the center! His two siblings have been released to a perfect location where they have two barns, a creek, and 200 acres of freedom. Major stuck around for an important job of teaching people how to co-exist with other groundhogs, therefore saving many lives. Major is a handful and is into everything. His latest activity includes chewing the bottom off of a cabinet as we have it locked and he does not want it locked. Major cuteness and Major trouble!
Juan Carlos
Juan Carlos came to us as a baby still young enough to be bottle fed. Several days after being with us, the discovery was made that something wasn’t quite “right” with him. His health declined. We tried to battle this illness with medicines and supportive care, but he was simply not reason ding to our medicines. He lacks coordination, climbing skills, and running ability: all of which are needed in the wild for survival. We built him a large outdoor enclosure which he loves. Juan Carlos does not visit schools as it really stresses him out being placed in a crate. We don’t make him. People can see him when they visit our center.
Blackjack
Blackjack was dumped off at a local nature center in a Tupperware box. Unfortunately, he was fed an incorrect diet and suffers a metabolic bone disease making him unable to be released. Blackjack loves to give hugs and is very loving. Blackjack’s current favorite toys are a hanging jingly bell and a plastic happy meal toy. He has a special basket in which he sleeps. Depending on his mood, he chooses a certain toy or stuffed animal to sleep with and it varies each night.
Peaches
Peaches came to us as a tiny baby that was rescued from Mom’s pouch. Mom was struck by a car but several of her babies survived, including Peaches. Peaches did come in with a few injuries, but all were fixable except one: she only had one ear. Her other ear was missing due to the car strike. we made sure to fight off any possible infection and keep her nice and clean. We feel that she can hear okay, but without her ear for protection against weather and dirt in the wild, she would succumb to infection. Peaches likes to tuck herself in relly tight with blnekts in her bed at the center. When she is out and about exploring, she often ends up in the middle of a large stuffed animal basket for a good nap. Peaches has grown to be very large opossum.
Bacardi
Bacardi, a big brown bat, came to us in very bad shape as he was found on the floor of a local business with several compound fractures. We had to operate on Bacardi’s wing…twice… for his survival but he is doing so well and is so sweet. He is a favorite to take to classes as both kids and adults love seeing how cute he is. During classes, he is wrapped in a baby washcloth for his comfort. I call this our “bat burrito”. Why is his name Bacardi? Bats are important pollinators of sugar which is used in the making of this drink. They dos eat petty bugs that attack corn, which is also needed in manufacturing bourbon.
Amelia and Harriet
Amelia and Harriet, named after female pilots, are southern flying squirrels. These girls are very socialable and super fast! They like to run around on you and find a cozy spot for a piece of pecan. They sleep in thier “pocket pouch” each night storing left overs inside there as well. They are both notorious for chewing holes in both insides of their pouches. We think they chew “back doors” on them. They do love to peek their tiny noses out of this doors and check things out.
Rudy
Have you seen the movie Rudy? It’s about a football player that was not allowed to play in games due to his small size. That’s where our Rudy gets his name. Rudy came to us as an orphan in critical condition. He came with one sibling who we lost just hours after we admitted them. We were very worried about Rudy as well: so worried in fact, that he went home with Second Chances’ director so he could me monitored extremely close and have round-the-clock IV fluids and medication. All of Rudy’s body functions were taken care of by her. It paid off. He is still very small and gets extra snacks throughout the day to keep a steady metabolism, but he is healthy in every other way. Rudy enjoys lap time each morning and enjoys snuggling. Night time he does not want to be held at all. He’s funny.
Apache
Apache was an emergency intake for whom Animal Control asked us for assistance. He had to be removed from his home due to hoarding and neglect. The first thing we did with him was get him clean. Man was he filthy! We put him on a good diet and he has eaten every bite ever since. We know that he was living with dogs and some of his behavior reflects that. He does climb on your lap if you are sitting on the ground. He stands on his back legs begging for attention or food. When he hears us, he comes running! He is such a people-tortoise. Is that a thing? Apache enjoys being the star of our popular Turtle Yoga. He works the room just like a politician.
Pepperoni
Pepperoni is an Eastern Red bat that was found at a local Pizza Hut restaurant. She came to us as an adult. She has some slight head trauma and we had to amputate one of her wings in order to save her life. Her wing had a compound fracture in her humorous, not repairable. For several months, Pepperoni would only eat if she was on our director’s (Brigette) lap! The process of Pepperoni took an average of thirty minutes. When she was finished eating, she would find a snuggly spot in Brigette’s hand and fall fast asleep. She now eats on her own but still enjoys “hanging” out on Brigette’s shirt or hand. Bats do appreciate a warm cozy spot. |
Brooks
Brooks is our miracle skunk. Coming to us as an orphan, Brooks was small in size and really has not grown as he should. Brooks has been to the veterinarian plenty of times to monitor his health. Regular blood work was done for the first six months of his life. At one point, his white cell count was only 5% of what it should be. Our director held him so he could pass peacefully and take his last breaths on her. Two hours later, his little head moved, nose sniffed, and slowly started wiggling. He perked up enough that our director offered a bit of yogurt which he ate. This is nothing short of a miracle.
Danica
Danica is the most laid-back skunk that we have ever had. Having come in with several siblings very close to death, she has blossomed into a very sweet and very large skunk. Her favorite activity is getting fat while sunggling in her bed under a chair that was purchased just for her. You would never know that initially, she was very delayed in her devlopment. Every once and a while she will enjoy a stroll around the center, normally heading to the “bat room” to hunt escaped meal worms. Danica is the only non releasable skunk that we have had that will allow multiple people to pick her up. Skunks tend to like only one or two people. Danica is favorite amungst our eduction ambasadors. She has helped teach many classes. We will call her the most studious.
Bougie
Bougie came to us as a stray little orphan, just seven pounds! (Beavers can get up to 60 pounds!!!) She spent the first five moths at our Director’s home before moving to her very own pond at the center. She adores swimming in it and has a favorite made-made lodge where she hangs out. She knows her name and always comes out of the pond to get a little sweet potato treat. She makes angry beaver noises when she thinks you are watching her eat. It’s hard not to since she is so cute! She has been known to put her stuffed animals in the pond with her. When her stuffed animals are not floating in the pond, they are in her house for snuggling. |
Blu
Blu is a flying squirrel. Flying squirrels are rodents and they are native to Kentucky. Blu came to us as a juvenile and as much as we had hoped that he would be releasable, he is not. His motor skills are lacking due to some neurological issues. We suspect that he had fallen from a tree or possibly attacked by a cat. Either way, he lives a good life at the center with a lot of toys in his enclosure. He has a few favorites which is normallly the newset material hide out that we offer. It’s kind of like getting a new home!
Rawlings
Rawlings came to us as a pup that had experienced some trauma. We believe he was attacked by a dog. He has a slash over his eye, all of his canines were broke, and he was having seizures. Fluid therapy really helped with his seizures. He has not had one since his first few nights with us. His eye did not heal completely. It is not as apparent now that he is full grown, but one eye is larger than the other. That larger eye does not dilate properly which means he’d have trouble locating and catching his dinner each night. Rawlings has remained friendly and social but can be pretty energetic. He is a fox, after all. They are so smart, so curious, so busy, way faster than any person is! Foxes are notorious escape artists so we spent a lot of time making sure his outdoor enclosure is very safe. Foxes do NOT make good pets as some people may hope. They scent mark with their urine which is quite potent in smell. They are very territorial and can extremely destructive. They need room too run and constant mental enrichment. Rawlings gets new toys and activities regularly. He loves stuffed animals. His way of playing with them is ripping them apart. He sure enjoys doing that, though! He also likes to play with tennis and heavy duty plastic balls. Maybe a soccer ball is in his near future….
Rocket
Rocket is unique to us. Although we provide percent sanctuary to animals, it is primarily to native Kentucky wildlife. Rocket is an exception. He is an African Sulcata tortoise, the third largest tortoise species in the world. These guys can live over 70 years! Rocket was in need of a good home that offered him plenty of space. Rocket came from a lady who was keeping him under her trailer! He kept escaping. We now give him time outside and around the center to roam. Rocket loves being placed in the bath to soak. When he hears the water turn on, he steps on your feet and waits to be picked up. He also loves to sit by his favorite window getting natural sunlight. He does try to hunt crumbs on the floor tossed out by squirrels that might be under our current care. Rocket really is awesome! He is a quiet, rather laid-back tortoise.
Spartacus
Spartacus is very well-known around the United States after making his debut on National Geographic’s Bandit Patrol reality series. His episode was called “All shell breaks loose”. Spartacus was ran over by a lawn mower and received life-threatening injuries. Not only did the blade cut his shell, but it was deep enough that his lung was exposed and some nerve damage was done. The rescuers drove four hours to get him to us! We flushed, cleaned, medicated, and bandaged his wounds daily for weeks. We made sure he did not get infection or fungus. We did physical therapy on his back legs which weren’t working due to the nerve damage. Spartacus refused to eat so a feeding tube had to be surgically placed in his stomach though his throat. We fed him multiple times each day to make are he received the needed calories and nutrition. We are thrilled that he made such an awesome recovery! He is eating on his own (like a pig some days!) and he walks fine. His hole is still there but scar tissue has grown over his exposed lung. He would not hibernate well in the wild so he stays with us permanently. Students LOVE seeing Spartacus…our reptile warrior that won so many battles. .
Farrah
Farrah was rescued from the pet trade. We flew to Texas on a Tuesday to get several Egyptian fruit bats and drove all the way back to Kentucky on Wednesday. Farrah is one of 10 Egyptian fruit bats that now have a safe and enriching environment to spend the rest of their lives. Farrah only has one leg and we estimate her age to be between 16-22 years old. Egyptian fruit bats tend to live 25 years in captivity. Farrah is one of only two bats that will accept a slice of banana from a hand. She has a couple of favorite stuffed animals to hang from which include a green dinosaur and brown mouse with a red and white polka dot shirt. Those are always her go-tos when landing from flight.
Olive
Olive came in with the rest of our Egyptian fruit bat colony. Olive is a boy, despite his name. It morphed from ‘I love im” to Olive. Although we do not know Olive’s exact age, we think he had been caught up in the pet trade his entire life which could be between 16-18 years. Egytptian fruit bats only live around 20-22. Olive has a bad thumb and has difficulty hanging. He is flighted and accesses his food great, though. We do place some on the ground as well as hanging some. His favorite spot used to be in one particular corner on the ground. Then he moved to a covered area but still on the ground. The first day he moved panicked us all because we couldn’t find him! We have since made him a special little covered hammock on the ground. After dinner, he retreats to this hammock where he spends most of the night before returning to his covered spot. During the night, he does have a friend come visit and snuggle with him for while. We are in love with Olive.
Yeti
Yeti is a leucistic opossum…similar to an albino but has dark ears and eyes. It is a genetic pigment difficency. Yeti was hit by a car giving her neorologic damage, popping one of her eyes out, as well as multiple small fracture in he jaw. She is curently healing still. Her road rash is improving. She has been dewoprmed, treated for fleas and infection. She will need one more surgery to have a root removed from her gumns as one of her teeth was knocked out. Yeti will be on a special soft diet the remainder of her life. Despite Yeti’s obstacles, she runs around the room twice daily and has no issues wiht mobilioty. She is a great eater once she is shown that her bowl has arrived. Her size refects that she was likely born the fall of 2022. We are glad that Yeti has landed in the right spot to have special care and love the rest of her life.
Adopt Today
$125.00 Class Adoption (or individual)
- Certificate of Adoption
- 8 X10 photo of adopted animal for classroom
- Animal bio and history
- In depth information about chosen species and worksheet
- 24 wallet size photos of adopted animal
- Second Chances decal
- E-newsletter
- Invitations to special events
$225.00+ Class Adoption (or individual)
- Certificate of Adoption
- 8 X10 photo of animal
- Animal bio and history
- In depth information about chosen species and worksheet
- 24 wallet size photos of adopted animal
- Second Chances decal
- E-newsletter
- Invitations to special events
- Class visit from animal of choice* or if individual, a visit to our Center with animal contact
*within a 30 mile radius of Second Chances. Otherwise subject to additional travel fees.