Peaches was taken from her temporary home May 6.
An exotic animal rescue in Hernando County, FL took in a savannah monitor (Varanus exanthematicus) named Peaches last week, but on May 6, someone broke into the backyard where Peaches was kept in her enclosure and took her. Now Lauren Bertke, who runs the Hernando Reptile and Exotics Rescue just wants the lizard back.
“We had her in a temporary enclosure, which involved being outside during the day and inside at night,” Bertke told Bay News 9. “Knowing that someone went into my backyard — granted it was not locked fencing but it was closed fencing — somebody went through two gates and then into my secure enclosure and did that in the middle of the daylight. It was really violating,” Bertke said.
5 Tips For Keeping The Savannah Monitor
Bertke filed a police report with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office. She is hoping that Peaches will be returned.
“Without the proper husbandry they can suffer things like metabolic bone disease, where their bones will become very soft and they won’t be able to function and eventually they’ll die,” Bertke said. “If you have her just bring her back that’s all we want. We’ve got a couple little girls that are really heartbroken and miss her very much.”
Savannah monitor (Varanus exanthematicus) lizards are an ideal captive for experienced reptile keepers. They grow to about three feet in length and need a very large enclosure so they can move about. They are an interesting species with very demanding care requirements and are captive-bred in the United States
