An animal rescue centre is appealing for homes for a comprehensive menagerie of creatures, writes Michael Hambleton.

Julie Ball, who has opened Oxfordshire's first rodent and reptile rescue centre, made the plea on behalf of Penny, an 11ft Burmese python, Jerry the giant gerbil who has lost part of his tail, eight-month-old female degu Minky and many other animals.

Julie said: "People can take their pick from chipmunks, dwarf hamsters, guinea pigs, budgerigars, cockatiels, lop-eared rabbits, ferrets and all sorts of tiny, furry creatures."

Rodent and Reptile Rescue UK is a national charity that started ten years ago in Cambridge. Julie, 30, and her long-suffering husband Kerry, 38, run an out-station at their home at Aston Tirrold, near Didcot. Their modest garden is home to 90 assorted creatures that the couple have taken in from harassed owners. The menagerie, which includes animals injured and rescued from the wild or which have been bred at the centre, occupies most rooms in the house, including the kitchen and bedrooms.

Penny the python, who is looking for a permanent home, has been farmed out to a foster carer in East Hagbourne after showing developing an appetite for some of the other animals in Mrs Ball's care.

She said: "Penny is now staying in a house with other reptiles and is fed a diet including bought-in frozen rat."

Mrs Ball, who started looking after animals at a rescue centre when she was seven, is willing to take in unwanted and injured animals and birds. Call 01235 851160 for details.

Oscar Pet Foods is the centre's main sponsor, and Julie has appealed for other donations.

She said: "We are also desperate for people to donate tanks, cages, hutches, outdoor runs, vivariums, sheds, greenhouses, foodstuffs, bedding materials and toys."

Story date: Monday 21 February

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