Considering the fact that most animal shelters are not equipped with the proper training or the proper equipment to look after reptiles, such as snakes or lizards, GCHS junior Noah Roden has taken it upon himself to care for any that may need it– in his own home.

Roden has been keeping reptiles as pets since he was four, and has been rescuing them since he was 10. “What has really pushed me so hard to put this into motion is the lack of education and care in our area,” Roden said. “Most people don’t care about reptiles, but I believe that they should be treated as equal animals.”

This has affected him so deeply that he has started his very own group devoted to helping any sick or injured reptiles, but also to educate any reptile owners who find themselves in need of help caring for their pet. What really stands out, though, is that he does this from the comfort of his own home.

His most touching reptile rescue story comes from a school classroom, a king snake-corn snake hybrid, named Jasmine. “She was kept in a school classroom for six years,” Roden explained. “She was abused and neglected. She was kept in a cage with bedding that consisted of paper, and it was left there for so long that it became a brown mush, and couldn’t even be identified as paper anymore. Her water was filthy and stagnant. She’s fertile, meaning she lays eggs, similar to a chicken, and the eggs were left in the cage to rot, and she had to suffer in these conditions for six years, until someone decided to get rid of her, and they took her to PetSmart to see if anyone wanted her, and they were even going to give her away for free. I happened to be there at the time, and decided to take her in. No animal disserves that, reptile or not.”

Roden even made a Facebook page to help get the word out, called “Pink Star Reptile Rescue.”